Federal Environment Grants

SUMMARY INFORMATIONFederal Awarding Agency Name: U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Maryland Notice of Funding Opportunity Title: Conservation Technical Assistance for Fiscal Year 2024 MarylandNotice of Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NRCS-MD-CONTR-24-NOFO0001339Assistance Listing: This program is listed in the Assistance Listings (previously referred to as theCatalog of Federal Financial Assistance) on Sam.gov under:Soil and Water Conservation 10.902Conservation Reserve Program 10.069Agricultural Conservation Easement Program 10.931Environmental Quality Incentives Program 10.912Regional Conservation Partnership Program 10.932which can be found at: https://sam.gov/content/home.SAM is a web-based, government-wide application that collects, validates, stores, and disseminates business information about the federal government trading partners in support of the contract awards, grants, and electronic payment processes.Notice of Funding Opportunity SummaryThe Natural Resources Conservation Service, an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture, is announcing potential availability of agreements for the purpose of leveraging NRCS resources to promote public awareness of Farm Bill activities throughout Maryland.Proposals must be for projects based in Maryland and focus on Farm Bill conservation. Research proposals will need to meet the requirements in order to be accepted.Proposals will be accepted from eligible entities identified in Section C of this announcement for competitive consideration of awards for projects between one and five years in duration.This notice identifies the objectives, eligibility criteria, and application instructions. Proposals will be screened for completeness and compliance with the provisions of this notice. Incomplete and/or noncompliant proposals will be eliminated from competition, and notification of elimination will be sent to the applicant. The Maryland State Conservationist reserves the right not to fund any or all applications.For new users of Grants.gov, see Section D. of the full Notice of Funding Opportunity forinformation about steps required before submitting an application via Grants.gov.Key DatesApplicants must submit their applications via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on July 5th, 2024. For technical issues with Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or [email protected]. Awarding agency staff cannot support applicants regarding Grants.gov accounts.For inquiries specific to the content of the NFO requirements, contact the federal awarding agency contact (section G of this NFO). Please limit questions to those regarding specific information contained in this NFO (such as dates, page numbers, clarification of discrepancies, etc.). Questions related to eligibility, or the merits of a specific proposal will not be addressed. The agency anticipates making selections by July 15th, 2024, and expects to execute awards by August 1st, 2024. These dates are estimates and are subject to change.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to public and nonprofit organizations for managing fire science exchanges that deliver critical fire management information to stakeholders in six specific regions across the United States.

This funding opportunity provides up to $2.1 million to nonprofit organizations for training health care providers on preventing and treating pesticide-related illnesses, particularly for vulnerable populations like farmworkers.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for projects focused on ecosystem restoration and environmental resilience in American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, targeting local governments, educational institutions, and nonprofits serving these areas.

Although the pelagic ocean is the largest ecosystem on earth, it remains poorly characterized and understood due to its vast size and three-dimensional, highly dynamic nature (e.g., Perelman et al. 2021). Most oceanographic programs concentrate upon the surface ocean because plankton and larval fish are concentrated there. Very little of the water column below the epipelagic (0200 m) has been described in any detail (Netburn 2018). However, we know that important processes occur throughout that water column, such as the biological pump (Passow and Carlson 2012), diel vertical migration (Sutton 2013, Kelly et al. 2019), other mechanisms for connectivity (Sutton 2013), and food web dynamics (Choy et al. 2017). As industries move to deeper waters of the OCS, it is imperative to learn more about potential impacts to these habitats, specifically sites of commercial interest. Water column information can be collected by traditional oceanographic equipment, especially when supplemented by new techniques and technology. In addition to physical and chemical profiles of the water column, Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) rosette casts can collect water samples to evaluate the biological community through eDNA sampling. Cameras can also be integrated onto CTD rosettes to help image these pelagic environments for which the deeper habitats are rarely visualized. This study is intended to fund the integration of a complementary water column component into planned marine mineral and offshore wind-related research cruises in locations of potential commercial interest. There are two cost-effective near-term opportunities for at-sea data collection to support the proposed study objectives in the fall of 2024. One is a planned August 26 September 16 NOAA-led benthic habitats AUV survey on NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada out of Newport, Oregon that is focused on areas of interest for offshore wind in northern California and southern Oregon. The second is a September 10 October 07 USGS-led multibeam and box core cruise on the R/V Kilo Moana out of Honolulu, Hawaii that will assess the abundance and composition of abyssal manganese nodules at the southern extreme of the OCS south of Hawaii. There appear to be several substantive outyear opportunities in 2025 and beyond to add a mid-water component to anticipated NOAA cruises in areas of interest for both offshore wind and critical minerals. BOEM will work with the award recipient to secure sample collection opportunities on select outyear opportunities. The scope of water column operations on each cruise will be designed in consultation with cruise Chief Scientists to address the highest priority mid-water environmental information needs while taking into account any pre-existing science plans and available planning horizon. For example, optical sensors (e.g., high-definition cameras, shadowgraphs) could be deployed when primary science operations are done for the day, or a smaller system could be integrated onto a CTD rosette to simultaneously collect imagery without needing dedicated wire-time. Data from the at-sea efforts will contribute significantly to baseline knowledge of pelagic systems that are highly dynamic and difficult to study. With industries moving into deeper waters further offshore, these water column data are necessary to understand environmental conditions and associated natural variation. For example, baseline environmental data can improve our understanding of environmental risks and potential impacts of floating offshore wind, such as changes in organism behavior and displacement (Maxwell et al. 2022). Additionally, current seabed mining technologies are expected to produce sediment plumes with unknown environmental impacts (Gollner et al. 2017, Gillard et al. 2019). Baseline data for these water column habitats are thus critical for identifying the resources that may be impacted and assessing what those impacts are likely to be.The proposed study will address the following objectives.Develop species inventories throughout the water column in areas of potential commercial interest for floating offshore wind and critical minerals, particularly abyssal manganese nodulesAssess other recent/ongoing scientific programs that can provide relevant data and meaningfully support the study objectives [e.g., California Current Ecosystem (CCE) Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)] Explain the regional distribution of organisms relative to the physical and chemical oceanographic conditions Provide recommendations for a cost-effective and high-value sampling and sensor package or module(s) that can be easily integrated as a mid-water add-on to future research cruises. Some of the key questions to be addressed are:What is the pelagic community structure in current and potential regions of interest for offshore wind development and abyssal nodules in the Pacific OCS?What are the physical and chemical drivers in each region, and how do they relate to the pelagic community structure?What is a relatively simple and cost-effective standard midwater science component add-on that could provide high value to future deepwater Pacific research efforts?

The Community Assistance Program - State Support Services Element (CAP-SSSE) program provides funding to states to provide technical assistance to communities in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and to evaluate community performance in implementing NFIP floodplain management activities. Designation, duties and responsibilities of State Coordinating Agencies are found in 44 CFR 60.25. These regulations identify the states commitment to the minimum floodplain management criteria and to demonstrate the capability and responsibility to implement the program. In this way, CAP-SSSE helps to; ensure that the flood loss reduction goals of the NFIP are met, build state and community floodplain management expertise and capability, and leverage state knowledge and expertise in working with their communities.Applicants can submit applications for this funding opportunity through FEMA Grants Outcomes (GO). Access the system at https://go.fema.gov/

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) solicits applications designed to increase the ability of EPA Region 3 states (Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia and the District of Columbia) to manage food scraps more sustainably through composting. In particular, the NOFO seeks to increase capacity for food scraps composting in the region through the upgrade of yard waste composting facilities. The upgraded yard waste composting facilities will be capable of processing waste food which increases the capacity for wasted food composting in the region. For further details see the NOFO.

SUMMARY INFORMATION Federal Awarding Agency Name: U.S. Department of Agriculture NRCS Notice of Funding Opportunity Title: Kentucky NRCS Agricultural Conservation Easement Program Wetland Reserve Easement (ACEP WRE) Acquisition Services Agreement Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NRCS-KY-ACEP- 24-NOFO0001367 Assistance Listing: This program is listed in the Assistance Listings (previously referred to as the Catalog of Federal Financial Assistance) on Sam.gov under 10.931 Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, which can be found at: https://sam.gove/content/home. SAM is a web-based, government-wide application that collects, validates, stores, and disseminates business information about the federal government's trading partners in support of the contract awards, grants, and electronic payment processes. Notice of Funding Opportunity Summary The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is seeking proposals to assist with due diligence for acquiring Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE), including contracting for title exams, updates, and closing services; boundary surveys; appraisals and cultural resource investigations. ACEP WRE provides funding for the purchase of conservation easements held by NRCS, and to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands on eligible land. Proposals are requested for consideration of cooperative agreements with a period of performance not to exceed five years. For new users of Grants.gov, see Section D. of the full Notice of Funding Opportunity for information about steps required before submitting an application via Grants.gov. Key Dates Applicants must submit their applications via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on TBD. For technical issues with Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or [email protected]. Awarding agency staff cannot support applicants regarding Grants.gov accounts. For inquiries specific to the content of the NFO requirements, contact the federal awarding agency contact (section G of this NFO). Please limit questions to those regarding specific information contained in this NFO (such as dates, page numbers, clarification of discrepancies, etc.). Questions related to eligibility, or the merits of a specific proposal will not be addressed.

The Activity will conserve biodiversity and advance climate adaptation and mitigation at the national and subnational levels. To enable the sustainability of activity outcomes and capture the diversity of potential conservation and climate actions at different scales, this activity will support actions at three levels: (a) the national level to support policy development, institutional capacity and replication; (b) the sub-national level to support strategic programming and implementation of conservation actions at the provincial level; and, (c ) the sub-national level in selected geographies to demonstrate innovative conservation and climate actions in landscapes and seascapes.The Activity is expected to work with national government agencies such as but not limited to, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Climate Change Commission (CCC), Department of Finance (DoF), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Justice (DoJ), in areas of developing policies, plans, incentive mechanisms, livelihood support, knowledge management, capacity building, implementing and monitoring national and sub-national level nature-based solutions.

This funding opportunity is designed for research institutions within the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit to investigate deep-sea volcanic systems and hydrothermal environments in the Aleutian Island Arc, enhancing understanding of submarine volcanism and its environmental impacts.

This Annual Program Statement (APS) offers USAID Operating Units a mechanism to facilitate assistance awards to local and non-traditional partners for innovative, adaptive, and locally led development approaches. OUs may issue addenda under this umbrella to solicit, co-create, and fund a wide range of flexible and innovative approaches to locally led development related to their specific priorities, objectives, and programs. The APS aims to advance USAIDs capability to work with local partners, to learn from these engagements, and to share this learning broadly. INTERESTED APPLICANTS - PLEASE READ: This Locally Led Development APS is not a Request for Applications or a Request for Proposals, and this APS does not serve as a general request for locally led development concepts. Do not email concepts to [email protected] or submit concepts via grants.gov, as they will not be accepted. Interested Applicants must respond to specific documents that share USAID priorities in a specific country(ies) called addenda that may be issued throughout the year on grants.gov. These addenda, when added, can be found under Related Documents on this page. Please visit this page periodically for opportunities that may be relevant to your country and focus areas. Please see the attachment for further detailed information. This APS was last updated April 26, 2024, with Amendment 1 - 7200AA19APS00007 Locally Led Development Annual Program Statement (APS) 2024-4-26

This competition provides funding for individuals and organizations to develop innovative energy storage technologies that address unique challenges in underserved communities and extreme climates.

This funding opportunity supports experienced researchers looking to expand their expertise or shift their career focus through advanced training and research experiences at various institutions.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for organizations to enhance cultural and natural resource management at a major Marine Corps training facility in California, focusing on archaeological collections and wildlife protection programs.

This grant provides funding to Indian Tribes and authorized tribal organizations to develop tailored AmeriCorps programs that address community needs and enhance local capacity for future service initiatives.

The Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network (IADN) was established in 1990 as a binational monitoring network between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), in response to scientific evidence that demonstrated that input from the atmosphere is a significant source of many persistent toxic chemicals to the Great Lakes. Since 1990, IADN has monitored persistent toxic chemicals in vapor, particulates, and precipitation at both urban and rural sites across the Great Lakes basin. Master stations are in rural areas on four of the Great Lakes (Eagle Harbor, MI; Sleeping Bear Dunes, MI; Sturgeon Point, NY; ECCC Station: Point Petre, ON) to characterize the background basin-wide trends of persistent toxic chemical loadings to the lakes. Satellite stations are also located in two urban areas (Chicago, IL and Cleveland, OH) to better understand the contribution of large urban areas to persistent toxic chemical loadings to the Great Lakes. All stations are operated by EPA, except for Point Petre which is operated by ECCC. Funding for IADN is provided by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI or Initiative). The GLRI builds on the prior efforts of federal, state, and local agencies; Indian Tribes; businesses; public interest groups; interested citizens; and others to develop a collaborative and comprehensive approach to restoring the Great Lakes. Information about the Initiative can be found at GLRI.us. The statutory authority of the GLRI to award cooperative agreements is contained in the Clean Water Act, Section 118(c)(7), as amended by Public Law 114-322. The EPA has authority to award grants and cooperative agreements for planning, research, monitoring, outreach, and implementation projects in furtherance of the GLRI and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA).This Request for Applications (RFA) solicits applications from eligible entities for a cooperative agreement to be awarded pursuant to the statutory authority referenced above and the GLRI Action Plan III.

This program provides funding to nonprofit organizations to recruit and manage experienced individuals aged 55 and older who will deliver technical conservation services to support agricultural conservation efforts across the United States.

USAID/Kenya and East Africas Environment Office seeks to gather information to inform an activity design in support of a potential Marine Biodiversity Conservation Activity for the Western Indian Ocean. The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to 1) solicit feedback on the attached draft concept and 2) identify qualified organizations capable of implementing the activity. This RFI intends to offer the opportunity for interested individuals and organizations (private or non-profit) to provide comments and recommendations to help promote the recovery and resilience of marine biodiversity and coastal communities in the Western Indian Ocean. The level of funding anticipated to be allocated for this activity is anticipated to be between $5 and $20 million over a 5-year implementation period.This RFI is an attempt to reach out to the market in an effort to determine the scope of industry capabilities and interest and will be treated as information only. Responses (comments, suggestions and enhancements) to this notice are not considered as applications and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding agreement. This is not a Request for Proposals (RFP) or a Request for Applications (RFA) and therefore should not be construed as a commitment by the U.S. Government or USAID to issue any solicitation or Notice of Funding opportunity, or ultimately award a contract or assistance agreement on the basis of this RFI. Respondents should not submit any proposal/application at this time in response to this RFI.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for Sea Grant programs to host workshops and professional meetings that enhance research and resource management for the nation’s ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems.

This funding opportunity provides up to $47.5 million over five years to a U.S.-based institution of higher education for advancing hydrographic surveying and ocean mapping technologies, while also promoting education and workforce development in marine geospatial expertise.