State Natural Resources Grants

This funding opportunity is designed to help protect valuable agricultural lands by providing financial support for the purchase of conservation easements and land titles, benefiting farmers and land conservation organizations.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for land acquisition projects that help with the planning and implementation of conservation efforts aimed at protecting natural communities and habitats in California.

This program provides funding to public and private operators for the construction and improvement of transient moorage facilities for recreational motorboats 26 feet or longer, ensuring they are accessible for short-term stays.

The Effectiveness Monitoring Committee (EMC) is seeking project proposals that: (1)   Address one or more of the EMC’s Research Themes and Critical Monitoring Questions and; (2)   Address natural resource protection issues that are important for California forestlands. The critical monitoring questions are organized under 12 Research Themes. Four prioritized critical questions were determined by vote amongst the current EMC members at the beginning of each calendar year:  Are the FPRs and associated regulations effective in...  Question 1h: managing WLPZs to reduce or minimize potential fire behavior and rate of spread? Question 6c:  managing fuel loads, vegetation patterns and fuel breaks for fire hazard reduction? Question 6d: managing forest structure and stocking standards to promote wildfire resilience? Question 12a: improving overall forest wildfire resilience and the ability of forests to respond to climate change (e.g., in response to drought or bark beetle; reducing plant water stress) and variability, and extreme weather events (evaluate ecosystem functional response to fuel reduction and forest health treatments)? I.       FUNDING AVAILABILITY. Funding available for newly proposed projects is anticipated as follows: $973,392 over three FYs beginning in 2024/25, comprising: $173,232 in FY 2024/25; $375,160 in FY 2025/26; and $425,000 in FY 2025/26. II.     AWARD LIMITATIONS. Applicants requesting more than the stated annual amount available for funding will not be considered. In the case that EMC funding for the full three years is awarded to one new project, project solicitation may not occur in the subsequent two FYs. While the EMC may choose to fund projects that span multiple FYs up to the annual funding cap, the EMC generally prefers to fund multiple research projects annually. Proposers should keep this in mind when developing their project and annual budget requests. Longer-term projects (greater than three years) may re-apply for funding for additional years through the competitive grants process advertised in the EMC’s Request for Proposals. Annual allocations are dependent upon demonstrated progress towards project completion pursuant to the project schedule and workplan.  a.      ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES. Eligible projects will test one or more specific FPRs or other rule or regulation under the Board’s jurisdiction and which addresses one or more of the EMC’s Research Themes and Critical Monitoring Questions. Proposed projects must clearly apply to management activities on private timberlands in California. Projects on public land may be eligible for EMC funding provided they clearly apply to the activities and systems that also exist on non-federal timberland. b.      ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS. Eligible applicants are local, state, and federal agencies including federal land management agencies; institutions of higher education; special purpose districts (e.g., public utilities districts, fire districts, conservation districts, and ports); Native American tribes; private landowners; for-profit entities; and non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is a federal assistance program administered by the National Park Service at the federal level and by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission at the state level. The program aims to support local sponsors in the acquisition, development, and renovation of public outdoor recreation sites and facilities. Funding is provided through 50% reimbursement grants. Eligible applicants include villages, cities, public power districts, and natural resource districts in Nebraska. The program requires projects to align with the goals outlined in the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) 2021-2025, ensuring they address the state and local outdoor recreation needs. Grant applications are accepted online and must be submitted by September each year, with projects reviewed and recommended by January and approved grants starting the following year.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), established by Congress in 1965 and administered by the National Park Service, provides 1:1 matching financial grants to state and local governments for the acquisition and development of public outdoor recreational areas and facilities. The program is fully funded by revenues from offshore oil and gas leases. The State of New Hampshire, through its Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, distributes these grants to eligible sub-units of government following the federal guidelines which include the development of a Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) and coordination by the State Liaison Officer. The 35th grant round is currently open, with Intent-to-Apply forms due by June 7, 2024. Eligible project types include development of new or existing facilities, acquisition of land for public recreation, or a combination of both. Funding requests must be between $50,000 and $500,000, with total project costs at least double the requested grant amount, as the program requires a 50% match from sponsors.

This funding program provides financial support to Massachusetts municipalities for acquiring and developing parkland, focusing on enhancing recreational opportunities and climate resilience, particularly in underserved communities.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has grants available for aquatic stream clean-up projects across the state. The program assists cities, schools, community organizations, civic groups, watershed organizations, and conservation groups with stream clean-up projects. Five grants, at a maximum of $1,000 each, are available for each of TWRA’s four regional Aquatic Habitat Protection regions (a total of $5,000 per region). The grant money could be used to buy supplies such as rakes, work gloves, and garbage bags. Also, it could be used to pay disposal fees for solid waste and tire removal or to provide promotional items like project advertisements or T‑shirts and refreshments for volunteer support. The funds will be obligated as grants, so the grantee must have a nonprofit tax number. Grant proposals should include the applicant organization’s name, tax ID number, address, phone, and name of a contact person authorized to enter into a contractual agreement on behalf of the organization. The proposal should also include the name of the stream, the county or counties involved, and the project area and description.

The Aquatic Resource Mitigation (ARM) Fund in New Hampshire offers an alternative to permittee-responsible mitigation for unavoidable impacts to aquatic resources such as streams and wetlands through In-Lieu Fee (ILF) payments. These pooled funds are distributed as competitive grants across nine watershed service areas, supporting restoration, enhancement, and preservation activities aimed at compensating for losses and maintaining the state's aquatic resource functions. An annual Request for Proposals is issued by NHDES, the fund's managing entity. Applicants are evaluated by a Site Selection Committee based on criteria including alignment with the state Wildlife Action Plan and expert assessments. The ultimate goal of the ARM Fund is to ensure "no net loss" of aquatic functions and values, emphasizing the creation of sustainable, maintenance-free natural systems within their respective landscapes

The California Energy Commission (CEC) is seeking applications to deploy advanced decarbonization and/or grid support technologies at California industrial facilities to promote electrification and reduce GHG emissions produced from the industrial sector. Donor Name: California Energy Commission (CEC) State: California County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 06/03/2024 Size of the Grant: More than $1 million Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: This solicitation will target technologies that have the potential to demonstrate cost-effectiveness and scalable to multiple industrial facilities with potential to increase confidence for adoption. The program’s goal is to deploy cutting-edge, emerging technologies at California industrial facilities to promote electrification and load flexibility, reduce fossil fuel and thermal energy usage, and reduce criteria air pollutants and carbon footprints. This program is open to existing industrial facilities, utilities, equipment manufacturers, energy service companies, project aggregators, and project developers who propose to implement projects in California’s industrial sector. Entities, facilities, and projects that are associated with the production or processing of oil and gas are ineligible. The CEC’s INDIGO Program will assist California’s industrial facilities in achieving the following: Emission Reductions: Adopt electrification and other eligible decarbonization technologies to reduce annual GHG emissions and other criteria air emissions at industrial processing facilities. Electrical Grid Support: Adopt commercially available and emerging technologies needed to support grid reliability, especially during net peak periods. Benefits to Priority Populations: Reduce criteria air pollutants and have direct community engagement and support, especially in low income or disadvantaged communities. Project Focus This solicitation focuses on deploying industrial decarbonization technologies that are cutting-edge emerging technologies. The proposed technology(ies) and project must achieve at least one of the following goals at the industrial demonstration site(s). Additional points could be awarded for meeting multiple goals. Electrify some or all industrial processes Maximize GHG emission reductions Drive scalability and application of project technology to other facilities/industries/processes Reduce electrical demand during net peak periods Provide air pollution benefits to priority populations. Funding Information There is up to $46,200,000 available for grants awarded under this solicitation. The minimum funding amount for each project is $4,000,000. The maximum funding amount is $10,000,0000. Eligibility Criteria  Applications to the INDIGO Program are open to existing industrial facilities located in California and to utilities, equipment manufacturers, energy service providers, aggregators, and developers who are implementing cutting-edge, emerging technologies in California industries. The applicant may include multiple industrial facilities located in California in one application. Food and beverage industries and related support facilities that are receiving funding for the same project, or portions of the same project, from the CEC’s Food Production Investment Program (FPIP) are ineligible for funding from the INDIGO Program or to use funds received from FPIP as match funds. For more information, visit CEC.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is now accepting a second round of applications as part of the $3 million, 5-year Underserved Farmer to Farmer grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Gulf of Mexico division. Donor Name: Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) State: Iowa County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 05/31/2024 Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: The DNR is looking to increase the ability of historically underserved farm communities to address nutrient pollution and frequent flooding through the grant. Underserved farmers are defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as those who are beginning, socially disadvantaged, veterans or with limited resources. Other classifications may be supported as negotiated. Funding Information Projects funded through the grant may receive up to $250,000. Currently, remaining funds for subawards totals $700,000. Eligibility Criteria  Grants will be distributed through subawards to entities including: Conservation districts Institutions of Higher Learning Local or state government entities, including 28E agreement entities such as Watershed Management Authorities NGOs and nonprofits Tribal nations Beginning farmer groups U.S. military veteran farmer groups. For more information, visit DNR.

The California Natural Resources Agency is accepting proposals for the California Museum Grant Program. Donor Name: California Natural Resources Agency State: California County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 05/22/2024 Size of the Grant: More than $1 million Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: The intent of this program is to solicit proposals for program projects or capital projects that assist and enhance museums that are deeply rooted in, and reflective of, previously underserved communities. The Museum Grant Program has approximately 27.7 million available and may be awarded over multiple rounds depending on the competitive pool. Funding shall be prioritized for museums severely affected by COVID-19 and that serve historically underserved communities or students subject to Title I of the Federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Additionally, projects must meet one of the following priorities: serving pupils and teachers at schools eligible to be served under Part A of Title I of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act; serving children in low-income communities; supporting museums in engaging or collaborating with underserved communities; advancing preservation of at-risk cultural and natural collections and historic buildings; improving access; supporting the ethical stewardship of culturally sensitive art and artifacts, including, but not limited to, engaging in consultations with California Indian tribes or repatriation; or educating the public about critical issues affecting Californians. Funding Information Grant proposal requests must be between $50,000 and $500,000 for program projects; and $100,000 to 1 million for capital projects. Eligible Projects  All projects must support at least one of the following to be eligible: capital projects, exhibits, educational programs, outreach programs, public programs, curriculum, publications, marketing and collections care. Applicants must select one of the following project types: Capital project Program project. Eligible Applicants  Public agencies and nonprofit organizations that operate a museum, own a museum, or partner with a museum located in the State of California, may apply. Public agencies are defined as federal agencies, state agencies, cities, counties, districts, association of governments, joint powers agencies or tribal organizations. Federally recognized Native American Tribes, or non-federally recognized Native American Tribes within the State of California are eligible as public agencies. Nonprofit organizations are defined as any nonprofit public benefit corporation that is formed pursuant to the Nonprofit Corporation Law (commencing with Section 500 of the Corporations Code), qualified to do business in California, and qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, that has, among its principal charitable purposes, the preservation of historical or cultural resources for cultural, scientific, historic, educational, recreational, agricultural, or scenic opportunities; and must be registered with the California Secretary of State and California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General Registry of Charities and Fundraisers. Museums are defined as public or private nonprofit institutions that are organized on a permanent basis for essentially educational or aesthetic purposes and that own or use tangible objects, care for those objects, and exhibit them to the general public on a regular basis. Projects can be proposed for museums of any size and discipline. In general, museums fall within the following categories: art museums and art centers; children’s/youth museums; cultural museums and cultural centers; general museums; history and historical museums (including historical societies, historic preservation organizations, historic houses/sites, and history museums); living collections (such as arboretums, botanical gardens, nature centers, zoos, aquariums, and wildlife conservation centers); and science and technology museums (including planetariums, discovery centers, natural history/anthropology museums and natural science museums). Applicants must also: have the institutional and financial capacity to complete the project and produce the deliverable described in their proposal; be able to demonstrate adequate charter or enabling authority to carry out the type of project proposed; be free of any legal challenges that could undermine progress on the project; and be in compliance and good standing on all previously awarded State grants. For more information, visit CNRA.

The District of Columbia (District), Department of Human Services (DHS), Family Services Administration (FSA), is seeking applications to provide Emergency Shelter and Supportive Services, Non-residential Counseling and Case Management, and Education and Outreach through funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. Donor Name: Family Services Administration State: District of Columbia Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 05/22/2024 Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million Grant Duration: 1 Year Details: DHS administers the federal FVPSA state grant for the district in partnership with the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence (DCCADV). FVPSA provides funding to support the establishment, maintenance, and expansion of programs and projects that prevent incidents of family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence; provide immediate shelter, supportive services, and access to community-based programs for survivors of family violence, domestic violence, or dating violence, and their dependents; and to provide specialized services for children exposed to family violence, domestic violence, or dating violence, underserved populations, and victims who are members of racial and ethnic minority populations. Funding Information Total Estimated Program Award Funding $770,209.00.  Categories  Shelter and Supportive Services: $567,522.20.  Non-residential Counseling and Case Management: $101,343.25.  Education and Outreach: $101,343.25 The award period for the grant will be from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025. Eligibility Criteria To be eligible to receive a subgrant from a State under 42 U.S.C. § 10408 (c), an entity shall be— a local public agency, or a nonprofit private organization (including faith-based and charitable organizations, community-based organizations, tribal organizations, and voluntary associations), that assists victims of family violence, domestic violence, or dating violence, and their dependents, and has a documented history of effective work concerning family violence, domestic violence, or dating violence; or a partnership of 2 or more agencies or organizations that includes— (A) an agency or organization described in paragraph (1); and (B) an agency or organization that has a demonstrated history of serving populations in their communities, including providing culturally appropriate services. For more information, visit FSA.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Alaska is inviting applications for its Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) grant program. This initiative aims to foster partnerships with state, county, and tribal governments to plan and execute projects for the restoration of forests, rangelands, and watersheds. The GNA program supports activities including the treatment of insect-and disease-infected trees, hazardous fuels reduction, and other efforts to enhance forest, rangeland, and watershed health, inclusive of fish and wildlife habitats. GNA is applicable to Federal and non-Federal lands, as well as lands owned by Indian tribes. Projects that directly benefit BLM-managed lands, even if executed on non-BLM lands, are eligible for funding. Examples of potential projects under this program in Alaska encompass noxious weeds and invasive species treatment, fuels management, community assistance, forest management, rangeland plant restoration, wildlife habitat connectivity, NEPA compliance support, riparian restoration, and targeted grazing. The program is designed to address a wide range of environmental quality and public benefit goals through collaborative, cross-boundary restoration services.

This program provides funding to organizations and local governments in Texas to develop and implement strategies that reduce pollution from diffuse sources, helping to protect and restore water quality in various watersheds.

The Oregon Forest Legacy Program under LWCF funding seeks to protect forestlands from non-forest use through acquisitions and conservation easements. This funding opportunity supports efforts to maintain Oregon's forest integrity against urbanization and development pressures, emphasizing sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation. Applications for this funding must propose projects that align with Oregon’s Forest Legacy Areas and demonstrate significant environmental, social, and economic benefits. Must be located within an Oregon Forest Legacy Area.

The Renewable Resource Grant and Loan Program (RRGL) is designed to support the conservation, management, development, and preservation of Montana's renewable resources. The program offers funding primarily for public facility projects like water, wastewater, and solid waste development, as well as projects related to irrigation rehabilitation, dam repair, and forest enhancement. Eligible applicants are divisions of state government, tribal governments, and other local political subdivisions, with funding available in the form of grants or loans for feasibility studies, construction plans, and implementation efforts.

The Renewable Resource Grant Program (RRGL) Planning Grant aims to support governmental entities by funding professional and technical services needed to produce high-quality RRGL grant applications. These grants are focused on projects that conserve, manage, develop, or protect Montana's renewable resources. Eligible projects include feasibility, design, research, resource assessment studies, and the preparation of plans for construction, rehabilitation, or production. Eligible applicants are divisions of state government, tribal governments, and other local political subdivisions like cities, towns, counties, and various districts. Applications for funding can be submitted through specific cycles with detailed review periods.

This grant provides funding to state and local governments in Montana for professional services to develop projects that conserve and manage the state's renewable resources.

This funding opportunity supports non-governmental organizations and individuals in Montana with water-related projects that provide public benefits, such as septic upgrades and water conservation, requiring a cost-sharing commitment.