Funding Opportunities

This Notice of Funding Opportunity solicits applications for the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program (“Competitive Grant Program” or “Program”), the third of three digital equity programs authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, Division F, Title III, Public Law 117-58, 135 Stat. 429, 1209 (November 15, 2021) (“Infrastructure Act,” also known as the “Digital Equity Act” or “DE Act”). The Competitive Grant Program will make funds available to a wide range of entities to address barriers to digital equity faced by Covered Populations as defined by 47 U.S.C. §1721(8). The Competitive Grant Program will support efforts to achieve digital equity, promote digital inclusion activities, and spur greater adoption and meaningful use of broadband among the Covered Populations. Specifically, the Digital Equity Act authorizes funds to be used for the development and implementation of digital inclusion activities that benefit the Covered Populations; programs that facilitate the adoption of broadband by Covered Populations to provide educational and employment opportunities; training programs that cover basic, advanced, and applied skills; workforce development programs; access to equipment, instrumentation, networking capability, hardware and software, or digital network technology for broadband services at low or no cost; and the construction or operation of public access computing centers for Covered Populations.

Awards will focus on addressing the needs of the Covered Populations not met by the Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program and will strive for a diverse pool of recipients. To ensure funds are directed to the most effective programs with the greatest reach, and to minimize administrative overhead, NTIA encourages proposals that demonstrate a broad partnership of entities with the ability to administer significant resources and address the varied concerns of the Covered Populations.

Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) solicits applications to lead a consultative process and create a Sustainable Agriculture Action Plan to document the research, regulatory, infrastructure, and educational needs and priorities required to increase sustainable agriculture practices in a specific industry/commodity or geographical location in the Western SARE region. The Sustainable Agriculture Action Plan (SAAP) intends to provide important stakeholder-derived feedback about the sustainable agriculture needs and priorities of specific industries and geographic locations to university researchers, Extension specialists, regulators, non-governmental agencies, elected officials, the USDA, and other potential funders. Western SARE seeks to fund two applications: 1. An application focused on a specific regionally important agricultural industry or commodity 2. An application focused on a specific, limited geographic area in the Western Region that includes multiple crops or production systems. The geographic area must be limited and logical, for example, a specific watershed, a Soil and Water Conservation District, an island or island system, etc. Each successful application will be funded for a maximum of $20,000 which will be awarded as a costreimbursable subaward agreement from Montana State University, Western SARE Host Institution

The objective of this NOFO is to invite states, Indian Tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, local governmental entities, non-profit organizations, Existing Watershed Groups, and local and special districts (e.g., irrigation and water districts, conservation districts, natural resource districts) to submit proposals for Phase I activities to develop a watershed group, complete watershed restoration planning activities, and design watershed management projects. See Section C.4. Eligible Projects for a more comprehensive description of eligible activities.A “watershed group,” as defined in Section 6001(6) of the Cooperative Watershed Management Act (see Section A.1. Authority for full citation) is a grassroots, non-regulatory entity that addresses water availability and quality issues within the relevant watershed, is capable of promoting the sustainable use of water resources in the watershed, makes decisions on a consensus basis, and represents a diverse group of stakeholders, including hydroelectric producers, livestock grazing, timber production, land development, recreation or tourism, irrigated agriculture, the environment, municipal water supplies, private property owners, Federal, state and local governments, Tribes, and disadvantaged communities.

The Department of the Interior’s (DOI’s) WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow) Program provides a framework for Federal leadership and assistance to stretch and secure water supplies for future generations in support of DOI priorities. Through WaterSMART, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) leverages Federal and non-Federal funding to work cooperatively with states,tribes, and localentities as they plan for and implement actions to increase water supply reliability through investments in existing infrastructure and attention to local water conflicts. Drought conditions across the Western United States (U.S.) impact a wide range of communities and sectors, including agriculture, cities, tribes, the environment, recreation, hydropower producers, and others. Reclamation established the Water Conservation Field Services Program (WCFSP) in 1996 to encourage beneficiaries of Federal water projects to conserve water, and to assist agricultural and urban water districts in preparing and implementing water conservation plans in accordance with the Reclamation Reform Act (RRA) of 1982. Through the WCFSP, Reclamation makes cost- shared financial assistance available for developing water conservation plans, identifying water management improvements through System Optimization Reviews (SORs), designing water management improvements, and improving the understanding of water conservation techniques through demonstration activities. The WCFSP provides support for priorities identified in Presidential Executive Order (E.O.) 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad and aligned with other priorities, such as those identified in E.O. 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. WaterSMART also supports Reclamation’s priorities to increase water reliability and resilience, support racial and economic equity, modernize infrastructure, and enhance water conservation, ecosystem, and climate resilience.Through this NOFO, Reclamation’s Lower Colorado Basin Region (LCB) is requesting proposals to fund activities in support of the WCFSP within the LCB, within the State of Hawaii (map provided below), American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

ILCER aims to support island economies to develop and implement United States and international priorities to strengthen climate adaptation, green growth, and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The purpose of this notice is to solicit financial assistance applications that will build capacity in States with coral reef ecosystems (defined as the states of Florida and Hawaii; territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands; or any other territory or possession of the United States or separate sovereign in free association with the United States that contains a coral reef ecosystem) by strengthening local nongovernmental organizations’ and/or other interested stakeholder groups’ ability to participate in future coral reef stewardship partnerships, as outlined in the reauthorized Coral Reef Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 6401-15 (the Act). Projects funded through this competition must address one of two priorities:

PRIORITY 1: Local Coral Community Group Support
Applications submitted under the Local Coral Community Group Support priority should propose work plans over a duration of 12 to 24 months (1 to 2 years). Each application should not request more than $50,000 in total Federal funds per geographic region (e.g., counties, islands, or States) in which the project will be performed. Applications that propose projects across multiple geographic regions may request proportionally higher levels of Federal funds. Applications may be submitted by the local organization(s) themselves or by a collaborating partner (either local, regional, or national) who may act as a fiscal agent or primary program coordinator.

PRIORITY 2: National Coral Conservation Support.
Applications submitted under the National Coral Conservation Support priority will be implemented through either a grant or cooperative agreement and should propose work plans over a duration of 12 to 48 months (1 to 4 years). Each application should request no more than $75,000 in Federal funds per year for projects with regional beneficiaries and no more than $150,000 per year in Federal funds for projects with national beneficiaries. It is expected that one national or up to two regional applications may be selected. Applications are expected to be submitted by multi-state or multinational entities that may be located outside one of the beneficiary States, however, applicants should demonstrate experience working across these diverse jurisdictions.