$45 million in funding is available under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act for projects that will advance the coastal habitat restoration and climate resilience priorities of tribes and underserved communities.

Through this funding, NOAA will help support community-driven habitat restoration and build the capacity of tribes and underserved communities to more fully participate in restoration activities.

 

Planning, prevention, or implementation to manage invasive species impacts on Tribal natural resources (leaves it to the discretion of the applicant to describe a) whether the species is “invasive” or represents an instance in which a native species is behaving as an invasive species due to altered environmental conditions. b) whether the damage is occurring in an agricultural setting – or – a more general, non-agricultural setting.)

The Branch of Fisheries, Wildlife and Recreation (BFWR) provides competitive funding to achieve compliance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for Tribal projects developing, utilizing, or managing Trust resources, or for projects that benefit Federally ESA-listed or Tribally-significant species on Tribal lands.

Projects for the BFWR Endangered Species Program may encompass either endangered species as identified in the ESA or Tribally-significant species as identified in a Tribal document, management plan, or Tribal Resolution. Priority consideration will be given to projects achieving ESA compliance and approval to utilize Trust resources for subsistence, economic, or other purposes beneficial to the applicant.

The Branch of Fisheries, Wildlife and Recreation (BFWR) provides competitive funding to federally-recognized Tribes to maintain and enhance fish hatcheries. Fish hatchery facilities are any structure used to spawn, hatch, rear, hold, care for, or stock fish and/or shellfish.

 

The Branch of Fisheries, Wildlife and Recreation (BFWR) provides competitive funding to federally-recognized Tribes and Tribal Organizations’ programs to engage Tribal youth in natural resource management work and prepare them for careers related to fisheries, wildlife and outdoor recreation.

The Branch of Fisheries, Wildlife and Recreation (BFWR) provides competitive funding to federally-recognized Tribes to hire conservation law enforcement officers (CLEOs) to protect Tribal natural resources.

The America the Beautiful Challenge is a public-private grant program for locally led ecosystem restoration projects that invest in watershed restoration, resilience, equitable access, workforce development, corridors and connectivity, and collaborative conservation, consistent with the America the Beautiful Initiative.

NFWF will make investments in planning, design, and implementation of natural and nature-based solutions. The goal is to enhance protection for coastal communities from the impacts of storms, floods, and other natural coastal hazards and to improve habitats for fish and wildlife. NFWF will award approximately $140 million in grants to create and restore natural systems to increase protection for communities from current and future coastal hazards and improve habitats for fish and wildlife species.

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease of hibernating bats caused by the invasive fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). WNS is confirmed in 12 bat species in North America, including three that are federally listed as threatened or endangered and one that is proposed to be listed. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is offering financial assistance to wildlife and natural resource management agencies and departments of states, the District of Columbia, and federally-recognized Native American Tribes for efforts related to the management of WNS. The goal of this funding opportunity is to help our State and Tribal partners fulfill information needs, implement management actions for WNS and susceptible bat species, and actively engage in the National Response to WNS. Supported activities will include monitoring bat populations, implementing conservation actions for bats, supporting scientific information gathering, training personnel, managing WNS and the causative fungus, and maintaining expertise in bat conservation and management.

Quagga and Zebra Mussels are aquatic invasive species that are rapidly expanding their range in the Western United States. Popular recreational reservoirs on or connected to the lower Colorado River are one major source of invasive mussels, which are easily transported via trailered watercraft to areas that have not yet been invaded. This Request For Proposals (RFP) will fund proposals in the listed principal areas towards the fulfillment of the top priorities in the Quagga/Zebra Mussel Action Plan for Western U.S. Waters (QZAP 2.0) and will be limited to states within the boundaries of the Western Regional Panel within the United States, not including Canada and Mexico (see map).