Money Monday Newsletter! - October 15, 2024

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Explore this week’s Money Monday Funding Opportunities newsletter from the Chugachmiut Grant Department for October 14! Discover the latest grant opportunities available. If you find a grant you’d like to pursue, please get in touch with us at grants@chugachmiut.org or (907) 562-4155.

MONEY MONDAY NEWSLETTER

NOTE: Grants listed below are at least 6 weeks away from deadline to allow adequate time to prepare an application. If you see a grant you would like to pursue or want more information, email us at grants@chugachmiut.org.

COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE

Firewood Banks
Alliance for Green Heat
DUE DATE: open September 1, 2024; no due date announced
AWARDS:
New Applicant Grant Form. Existing firewood banks that have not received funding previously through the AGH Firewood Bank Assistance Program up to $15,000 on a sliding scale.
Start-up Grant Form. These grants are aimed at individuals or organizations that are launching new firewood banks in 2024-2025 and plan to deliver 5 cords of wood or more are eligible for grants up to $10,000. Documentation needed for the Start-up Grant application includes such things as:

• If you are a established non-profit, church, town or tribe, you just need a bank account and a UEI
• If you are applying as an individual, company, tree service, or firewood business we do require you to have a partnership agreement with an established non-profit, church, town, or tribal administration
• A mission statement that explains your motivation to start a firewood bank, how it expands on the heating needs in your community, and your ability to start a firewood bank
• A safety plan that can ensure the safety of your volunteers/workers

★ Large Firewood Banks (100+ cords): up to $10,000
Your firewood bank was funded in FY1 or FY2 (between January 2023 and May 2023 or September 2023 and March 2024) AND distributes 100+ cords.

★ Small/Medium Firewood Banks (15-99 cords): $2,500 to $7,500
Your firewood bank was funded in FY1 (between January 2023 and May 2023) AND distributes between 15-99 cords.

50-99 cords: up to $7,500
49-25 cords: up to $5,000
15-24 cords: up to $2,500

Solid Waste Management Grant Program
Department of Agriculture, Rural Utilities Service
ESTIMATED POST DATE: Dec. 31, 2024
AWARDS: Up to $1,000,000; no match
ELIGIBILITY: Federally acknowledged or state-recognized Native American tribe or group, non-profits, academic institutions

Funds under this program may be used to: evaluate current landfill conditions to determine threats to water resources; provide technical assistance and/or training to enhance operator skills in the operation and maintenance of active landfills; provide technical assistance and/or training to help communities reduce the solid waste stream; provide technical assistance and/or training for operators of landfills which are closed or will be closed in the near future with the development and implementation of closure plans, future land use plans, safety and maintenance planning, and closure scheduling within permit requirements.

Social and Economic Development Strategies – SEDS FORECAST
Department of Health and Human Services
ESTIMATED POST DATE: January 13, 2025
AWARDS: From $100,000 to $900,000,000; match required
ELIGIBILITY: Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

This program is focused on community-driven projects designed to grow local economies, strengthen Native American families, including the preservation of Native American cultures, and decrease the high rate of current challenges caused by the lack of community-based businesses, and social and economic infrastructure in Native American communities.  https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana

Social and Economic Development Strategies – SEDS-AK FORECAST
Department of Health and Human Services
ESTIMATED POST DATE: January 13, 2025
AWARDS: From $100,000 to $900,000,000; match required
ELIGIBILITY: Eligible applicants under the SEDS-AK announcement are: Federally-recognized Indian tribes in Alaska, as recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA); Alaska Native villages as defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) and/or non-profit village consortia; Non-profit Native organizations in Alaska with village-specific projects; Incorporated non-profit multi-purpose community-based Indian organizations (including Urban Indian Organizations as defined by 25 U.S.C. § 1603)(29)); Urban Indian Centers; Native Community Development Financial Institutions (Native CDFIs); Incorporated non-profit Alaska Native multipurpose, community-based organizations; Non-profit Alaska Native Regional Corporations/Associations in Alaska with village-specific projects; or Non-profit Alaska Native community entities or tribal governing bodies (Indian Reorganization Act or Traditional Councils) as recognized by the BIA. If the applicant is not a Federally recognized Alaskan Native tribal government, applicants must provide proof that a majority of the governing board of individuals are representative of the Alaskan Native community to be served. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana

This program promotes economic and social self-sufficiency for Alaska Natives and is intended to respond to the unique governmental structures and needs in Alaska. The SEDS-AK supports the principle that social and economic development is interrelated and essential for the growth of thriving Native communities. ANA is interested in supporting community-driven projects that build and strengthen core governmental capacity in the areas of administration and project management at the Alaska Native Village level.

2025 Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund
Department of Transportation
DEADLINE: Jan. 15, 2025
AWARD: Up to $24,518,400; no match
ELIGIBILITY: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)

This program funds strategies, activities, and projects on a public road that are consistent with a transportation safety plan and that (i) correct or improve a hazardous road location or feature, or (ii) address a highway safety problem. TTPSF emphasizes the development of strategic transportation safety plans using a data-driven process as a means for Tribes to identify transportation safety needs and determine how those needs will be addressed in Tribal communities. FHWA has identified four eligibility categories: transportation safety plans; data assessment, improvement, and analysis activities; systemic roadway departure countermeasures; and infrastructure improvements and other eligible activities.

Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) Grants for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia
Environmental Protection Agency
DUE DATE: March 14, 2025
AWARDS: $100,000-$1,500,000; no match
ELIGIBILITY: Federally recognized tribes or intertribal consortia

This program has the goal of funding projects that:

• Focus on encouraging environmentally sound post-consumer materials management;
• Decrease the generation of municipal solid waste and/or an increase in the diversion of municipal solid waste from landfills and incineration; and/or
• Provide or expand access to source reduction, reuse, recycling, backhaul, anaerobic digestion, and composting for Tribal communities.

Examples of a projects that aligns with program goals would be ones that improve infrastructure, such as facilities for reuse, recycling, or composting; collection and storage bins for recyclable or organic material, purchasing and maintaining equipment or supplies such as scales, crushers, balers, and sorting equipment, trucks, forklifts, and safety equipment.

Note: This program will not fund constructing, improving or operating landfills; incineration; burn units; waste-to-energy (except anaerobic digestion); chemical and thermal recycling; biofuels; and environmental cleanup.

Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Program for Indian Tribes
State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 Home Energy Rebates, U.S. Department of Energy, State and Community Program, Golden Field Office
DEADLINE: Rolling and open until May 31, 2025
AWARDS: Allocated by formula
ELIGIBILITY: Native American tribal governments (both federally recognized and other than federally recognized), non-profits, a consortium of tribes, or a tribally authorized third-party agent

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs has up to $225 million to grant to Tribal governments and Alaska Native entities for Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates. This program will provide up to $14,000 per eligible household for energy efficiency and electrification home upgrades. Submitting a letter of intent to apply by May 15, 2024 is recommended. To learn more about the program and see a list of allocations, visit https://shorturl.at/mtBLX.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program
Department of Energy
DUE DATE: May 31, 2025
AWARDS: Formula grants (roughly $10,000). DOE is providing local and Tribal governments applying for an EECBG Formula Program award with the option to select a grant or voucher.; cost match is not required
ELIGIBILITY: States, local governments, and Indian Tribes. The list of eligible entities and funding allocations are attached to the ALRD and available on the EECBG Program website at: https://www.energy.gov/clean-energy-infrastructure/energy-efficiency-and-conservation-block-grant-program

The EECBG Program assists eligible states, units of local government, and Indian Tribes, as described below in implementing strategies to:

• Reduce fossil fuel emissions in a manner that is environmentally sustainable and, to the maximum extent practicable, maximizes benefits for local and regional communities;
• Reduce the total energy use of the eligible entities; and
• Improve energy efficiency in the transportation sector, the building sector, and other appropriate sectors.
• Build a clean and equitable energy economy that prioritizes disadvantaged communities and promotes equity and inclusion in workforce opportunities and deployment activities, consistent with the Justice40 Initiative Department of Energy.

Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas – Fiscal Year 2025 Release
Department of Energy
DEADLINE: Aug. 28, 2025
AWARD: $2 million-$50 million; with match
ELIGIBILITY: Indian Tribes, state and local governmental entities, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit organizations. This program serves rural and remote communities with 10,000 people or fewer.

Applicants must propose projects that support at least one of these eligible activities: A. Improving overall cost-effectiveness of energy generation, transmission, or distribution systems; B. Siting or upgrading transmission and distribution lines; C. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation in rural or remote areas; D. Providing or modernizing electric generation facilities; E. Developing microgrids; and F. Increasing energy efficiency. Applications may include any technology that meets these eligible activities, as long as those technologies are commercially available.

2026 Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund FORECAST
Department of Transportation
DEADLINE: Jan. 15, 2026
AWARD: $25,118,400; no match
ELIGIBILITY: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)

This program funds strategies, activities, and projects on a public road that are consistent with a transportation safety plan and that (i) correct or improve a hazardous road location or feature, or (ii) address a highway safety problem. There are four eligibility categories: transportation safety plans; data assessment, improvement, and analysis activities; systemic roadway departure countermeasures; and infrastructure improvements and other eligible activities. (NOTE: This is a forecast. The notice of funding for this grant is expected to be published Oct. 1, 2025.)

NATURAL RESOURCES

National Fish Passage Program Base Funding Fiscal Year 2024
Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service
DEADLINE: Applications may be submitted continuously between March 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024
AWARD: $500-$1,000,000; no match
ELIGIBILITY: Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), State governments, County governments, institutions of higher education, school districts, others

The National Fish Passage Program (NFPP) is a voluntary program that provides direct technical and financial assistance to partners to remove instream barriers and restore aquatic organism passage and aquatic connectivity for the benefit of Federal trust resources. Activities proposed under this award may include project planning and feasibility studies, engineering and design, permitting, on-the-ground fish passage restoration, near-term implementation monitoring, project outreach, and capacity to manage these project-related activities. (Link to grants.gov synopsis here.)

2025 Landscape Scale Restoration Grant Program for Tribes
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
DEADLINE: Dec. 16, 2024
AWARD: $300,000.00; no match
ELIGIBILITY: Federally Recognized Native American tribal governments

The purpose of the Landscape Scale Restoration competitive grant program is to encourage collaborative, scientific-based restoration of priority rural forest landscapes. This program supports high-impact projects that lead to measurable outcomes on the landscape, leverage public and private resources, and further priorities identified in science-based restoration strategies. Program objectives include reduced wildfire risk, improved fish and wildlife habitats, maintained or improved water quality, and mitigating invasive plants, insects, and diseases. (Link to grants.gov synopsis here.)

LANGUAGE & CULTURE

Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections
National Endowment for the Humanities
DUE DATE: Jan. 10, 2025
AWARDS: Up to $420,000; no match
ELIGIBILITY: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), state and local governments, nonprofits, institutions of higher education

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Preservation and Access is accepting applications for the Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections program. This program helps cultural institutions meet the complex challenge of preserving large and diverse holdings of humanities materials for future generations by supporting environmentally sustainable preventive care measures that mitigate deterioration, prolong the useful life of collections, reduce energy consumption, and strengthen institutions’ ability to anticipate and respond to disasters.

Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions
National Endowment for the Humanities
DUE DATE: Jan. 9, 2025
AWARDS: Up to $15,000; no match
ELIGIBILITY: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), state and local governments, institutions of higher education, nonprofits

Preservation Assistance Grants help small and mid-sized organizations preserve and manage humanities collections, ensuring their significance for a variety of users, including source communities, humanities researchers, students, and the public, by building their capacity to identify and address physical and intellectual preservation risks. These collections may include special collections of books and journals, archives and manuscripts, prints and photographs, moving images, sound recordings, architectural and cartographic records, decorative and fine art objects, textiles, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, furniture, historical objects, and digital materials.

Outreach of Interest: Heritage Site Protection
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
DUE DATE: Feb. 7, 2025
AWARDS: None announced
ELIGIBILITY: For profit; non-profits; institutions of higher education; federal, state, local, and Native American tribal governments; organizations and special purpose districts

The Forest Service has issued an outreach of interest (OOI) to cultivate relationships and connect with potential partners. This OOI is intended to solicit responses to explore future projects meeting the needs and interests of potential partners through partnership agreements within legislative authority with USDA Forest Service.

Chugachmiut Grant Writing & Administration Money Monday Funding Opportunities, page 6 USDA Forest Service is looking seeking assistance in the protection and management of significant cultural resources on public lands through its Heritage Program. This initiative aims to foster co-stewardship between USDA Forest Service, and historic preservation focused partners to assist the agency to manage, preserve and share our history for public enjoyment and professional use. A response to this OOI signals an opportunity for USDA Forest Service to explore with you your ideas/projects/programs and federal funding opportunities.

OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST

Weatherization Assistance Program
Alaska Community Development Corporation

Weatherization helps low-to-moderate-income households who own or rent eligible homes: apartments, cabins, condominiums, houses, mobile homes, and multi-family dwellings (duplexes and larger).

Thousands of qualified Alaskans have received free home weatherization to bring their homes up to safe, healthy, and energy-efficient standards. Weatherization adds years of life to buildings in Alaska’s harsh arctic climate. It also benefits energy conservation, saving homeowners on their previous heating bills. The Weatherization Assistance Program is available to renters and homeowners throughout the state. A home may be weatherized once every 15 years.

Alaska CDC accepts applications year-round. However, there always is a wait list, as most work is done during the construction season. Applying early may help expedite the process. See the application packet here.

ABOUT THE MONEY MONDAY NEWSLETTER

The Money Monday newsletter is a weekly publication by the Chugachmiut Grants Department that highlights funding opportunities that may be relevant to tribes in the Chugach Region. Subscribe by contacting us at grants@chugachmiut.org. You can also download the newsletter at chugachmiut.org or check out our Facebook page.