Funding Opportunities

Overview
The Landscape Scale Restoration (LSR) Competitive Grant Program supports high impact projects that promote collaborative, science-based restoration of priority forest landscapes, leverage public and private resources, and advance priorities identified in a State Forest Action Plan or other restoration strategy.

The objective is to focus competitive LSR funds on activities that address priority areas, challenges and opportunities facing western lands. Funding for the LSR Competitive Process is made possible through the USDA Forest Service.

WFLC is charged with delivering the LSR competitive grant process in the West. Our LSR grants team reviews, scores, and makes recommendations on project proposals from western states and Pacific Island territories, which are passed along to the WFLC membership for approval. Proposed projects recommended for funding are then sent to the Forest Service.

General Information
All proposals must be submitted online at www.forestrygrants.org. Passwords are provided to each Western State and Pacific Island Forester.
States will sometimes have a pre-proposal process that may have an earlier due date and details. We encourage you to contact the state point of contact for more information.
Past proposal submissions, scores, and comments are posted at www.forestrygrants.org. For archived applications from 2010-2014, click here.

Priority Projects
Priority will be given to project proposals that include any of the following bulleted
prioritization factors. Please see the scoring rubric at the end of this document to see the
specific sections in which one or more of these priority factors should be detailed to receive
priority points.
➢ Promote cross-boundary collaboration:
○ By their proximity to other land ownerships; or
○ By their inclusion of a combination of land ownerships, including tribal,
State and local government, and private lands (such as, but not limited to,
multiple private landowners; private and state landowners; state and
federal landowners; state and local government; or state and Tribal
landowners).
➢ Coordinate with or are in proximity to other complementary landscape-scale
projects on NFS lands or lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior
or a state that are carried out:
○ Under the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (16 U.S.C. 7303).
○ In landscape areas designated for insect and disease treatments under section 602
of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591a).
○ Under the Good Neighbor Authority (16 U.S.C. 2113a).
○ Under the stewardship end result contracting and agreement authority (16 U.S.C.
6591c).
➢ Coordinate with or are in proximity to other complementary landscape-scale projects on
State land.
➢ Coordinate with Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs
and appropriate state-level programs.
➢ Leverage funding from multiple entities.
➢ The term disadvantaged communities is used in Executive Order 14008, Tackling
the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. The Interim Implementation Guidance for
the Justice40 Initiative, released by OMB in July 2021, provides definitions on
community and disadvantaged. Projects must include a description of the benefiting
community or recipient and how the project benefits or engages underserved
communities or people.

The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) 319(h) Nonpoint Source Grant Program provides funding to qualifying counties, conservation districts, higher education institutions, regional agencies, and nonprofit organizations to improve conditions of Nevada’s watersheds and protect against nonpoint source (NPS) water pollution.

The grants support water quality improvement projects, education and outreach efforts, and the development and implementation of watershed based plans that focus on reductions in NPS pollution. Proposals are reviewed by a Technical Advisory Committee and ranked on project merit. Projects located in watersheds with approved watershed based plans, and that are anticipated to measurably reduce pollutants released to streams, rivers, and lakes are given priority. Nonpoint Source Grant Program funds originate from a US Environmental Protection Agency grant pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act (CWA).

Project proponents are encouraged to work with NPS Program staff prior to submittal of a proposal to ensure that it is eligible, complete and competitive. Ongoing and past CWA section 319(h) projects can be found within the Nonpoint Source Management Program Annual Report. ​

All proposals must follow the guidelines for application outlined in the Request for Proposals (RFP), which is available for download at Clean Water Act 319(h) Grants. State, local and tribal governments, nonprofit organizations and educational institutions are eligible to apply. A non-federal match (cash and/or in-kind) of at least 50% of the total project cost is required.

Mini Grants Overview
Funding Level: up to $10,000 per funding cycle
Total Available Funding: ~$100,000; funding based on 2024 federal award
Funding Period:
Cycle 1: September 1, 2024-September 30, 2025
Cycle 2: March 1, 2025-September 30, 2025 (funds permitting)
Funding Priorities:
Capacity and Sustainability
Outreach and Partnerships
Programs and Services

Who may apply: Eligible Nevada Libraries.
Eligibility Requirements: https://nsla.nv.gov/ld.php?content_id=70321652

Project requirements:
Projects must advance Nevada LSTA Goals as outlined in the Nevada LSTA 5-year plan, 2023-2027
Projects must conform with 2 CFR 200, the Code of Federal Regulations for Grants and Agreements. See: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200?toc…

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.

What is the Specialty Crop Block Grant?
Under the 2008 Farm Bill, the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) receives grant funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to enhance the competitiveness of Nevada’s Specialty crops (fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops). In order to seek out program-enhancing projects, the NDA conducts an annual competitive application process to award grant funds to eligible and top scoring candidates. How does the Specialty Crop Block Grant work?

Who: Those interested in receiving grant funds to contribute to Nevada’s success in the Specialty Crop Industry.
What: The NDA Specialty Crop Program awards grant funds for specialty crop enhancing projects.
When: A competitive Request For Proposal is released early January, and applications are due early spring.
Why: We are looking for projects to promote and enhance specialty crops through research, marketing, education, and production.

The Community Foundation of Northern Nevada accepts proposals year-round for grants from the Dream Tags Charitable Fund. Proposals will be considered by the Advisory Board on Dream Tags at their next meeting and on an as-needed basis for emergency funding requests. Grant recommendations must be approved by the Board of Trustees of the Community Foundation. The deadline to apply for non-emergency proposals is noon on Friday, July 26, 2024. Emergency funding requests may be submitted at any time using the Emergency Request for Proposal form.

The Dream Tags Charitable Fund provides funding to engage Nevadans in wildlife conservation by focusing donated funds to restore resilience in at-risk Nevada habitats with strategic collaborative projects for sustained impact that supports the preservation, protection, management, or restoration of big game, other wildlife, and their habitat. To be considered for funding, project proposals must demonstrate measurable impact in accordance with this purpose.

Applicants must be registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit agencies, nonprofit educational institutions, or governmental entities. Projects must be performed in Nevada. Grants are typically paid on a reimbursable basis for actual expenditures. Funding will not be provided for work performed prior to grant approval.

GRANTEE REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible for funding, grantees must adhere to the following requirements:

Monies are to be used and/or disbursed exclusively for the charitable uses and purposes.
The Dream Tags Fund shall be used exclusively to provide support for the preservation, protection, management or restoration of Nevada’s big game and wildlife habitat
The Charitable Beneficiaries may include 501(c)(3) organizations and governmental entities. Any grants to governmental entities must be made exclusively for public benefit purposes.
All grantees will be required to sign a grant agreement stipulating their agreement with all of the terms, conditions, and reporting requirements.
To maintain eligibility to receive grant funds, each Charitable Beneficiary must comply at all times with the following requirements:
Charitable Beneficiaries must be exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Code;
Charitable Beneficiaries shall use all Fund distributions toward projects that are appropriate and legal public expenditures;
Charitable Beneficiaries must provide financial details and/or reports of their organizations upon request;
Charitable Beneficiaries must not use any Fund distributions for political contributions or political advocacy;
Charitable Beneficiaries must implement the projects, activities, and/or programs for which they received Fund distributions as agreed upon in the grant acceptance agreement or must return all such distributions to the Community Foundation forthwith;
Charitable Beneficiaries must provide the Community Foundation with quarterly reports detailing the activities of their projects and/or programs; and
Charitable Beneficiaries must sign an agreement regarding their compliance with the qualifications hereof.

The Community Foundation of Northern Nevada is accepting proposals for grants from the Truckee River Fund. Proposals will be considered by the Truckee River Fund Advisory Committee and grant recommendations must be approved both by the TMWA Board and the Board of Trustees of the Community Foundation. The fund advisors may recommend up to a total of $550,000 in grant awards per fiscal year but may choose to award less than the amount available.

The mission of the Truckee River Fund is to protect and enhance water quality or water resources of the Truckee River or its watershed. To be considered for funding, project proposals must demonstrate measurable impact in accordance with this mission. Please note that land and/or water rights acquisition projects are not considered to be a Truckee River Fund priority. To see projects funded by the Truckee River Fund, please go to http://www.truckeeriverfund.org.

Projects must begin within 180 days of award. Applicants must be registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit agencies, nonprofit educational institutions, or governmental entities. Grants are paid on a reimbursable basis for actual expenditures.

The deadline for proposals is Friday, July 26, 2024 at noon. Applications must be confirmed as received by the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada by the deadline to be considered for funding. A project budget must be submitted with your application. A sample budget template is available for download. For questions or additional information, contact the Community Foundation or visit the Truckee River Fund website at www.truckeeriverfund.org.

GRANT PRIORITIES

Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) recommends that the Truckee River Fund (TRF) Advisory Committee (the “Committee”) give preference to well-supported, clearly drafted grant requests that consider substantial benefits to TMWA customers for projects and programs that mitigate substantial threats to water quality and the watershed, particularly those threats upstream or nearby water treatment and hydroelectric plant intakes.

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS): Projects/Programs that support the prevention or control of aquatic invasive species in the mainstem Truckee River, Lake Tahoe, other tributaries and water bodies in the Truckee River system.
Watershed Improvements: Projects that reduce erosion or sediment, suspended solids, or total dissolve solids (TDS) discharges, nutrients, industrial contaminants, or bacterial pollutants to the River. Projects or programs that are located within 303d (impaired waters) and total maximum daily load (TMDL) sections of the River should be considered, both in California and Nevada. Innovative techniques should be encouraged. The following link identifies impaired sections of the river and its tributaries: https://mywaterway.epa.gov/.
Local Stormwater Improvements: Projects that demonstrably mitigate storm water run-off due to urbanization of the local watershed. Priority should be given to those improvement projects in close proximity to TMWA’s water supply intakes and canals and which will improve the reliability and protect the quality of the community’s municipal water supply.
Re-Forestation and Re-Vegetation Projects: Projects to restore forest and upland areas damaged by fire and historical logging operations, and to improve watershed resiliency in drought situations. Projects/programs in this category should be given a high priority due to urbanization of the watershed and increased susceptibility of the urban and suburban watershed to wildfire.
Support to Rehabilitation of Local Tributary Creeks and Drainage Courses: Projects to support water quality improvement in creeks and tributaries to the Truckee River.
Stewardship and Environmental Awareness: Support to clean-up programs and the development and implementation of educational programs relative to water, water quality and watershed protection that do not fall clearly into the one of the above-mentioned categories.

The overarching goal of the WCAHS Pilot/Feasibility Program is to encourage the development of creative research projects while nurturing researchers—particularly early-career and under-represented researchers—interested in improving agricultural health and safety for the western U.S. It is designed to fund short-term research projects to support the collection of preliminary data, attract new investigators to WCAHS and the field of agricultural health and safety, facilitate the exploration of innovative research directions, and engage and mentor early stage investigators as defined by the NIH.

Nonpoint source pollution is the primary cause of water quality impairments throughout Nevada and the nation. Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution, unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants, comes from many diffuse sources (See NAC 445A.309). NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, and ground water.

The overall aim of the federal Nonpoint Source Program administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is to restore and protect waters across the nation. The focus of the federal NPS Program is the removal of waters from the state’s 303(d) impaired waterbodies list. This is primary accomplished through the issuance of Clean Water Act 319(h) funds to designated states and tribal agencies to implement their approved nonpoint source management plans. Within Nevada, most of this grant funding is passed on to proponents seeking to implement actions to improve water quality.

USEPA guidance prioritizes 319(h) funding be utilized on implementation efforts within watersheds with approved watershed-based plans (WBPs). To gain approval, WBPs should, at a minimum, include the following nine elements:
1. Pollutant sources or causes
2. Management measures to be implemented to address pollutant sources/causes
3. Load reduction estimates for management measures to be implemented
4. Estimate of technical and financial assistance needed
5. Stakeholder information and engagement component
6. Implementation schedule
7. Measurable implementation milestones
8. Indicators to measure progress
9. Monitoring component to evaluate progress.

All proposals must specifically address how the proposed project will directly and measurably contribute to the accomplishment of the Pollinator Fund’s goals as outlined in NFWF’s Monarch Butterfly Business Plan. As such, all proposals must provide the number of acres restored or enhanced as a result of the project.

Proposals must include plans to restore or enhance a minimum of 100 acres in California or 500 acres in all other eligible states. For project ideas related to overwintering sites in California that anticipate preserving, restoring, or improving less than 100 acres, please contact Senior Program Manager Crystal Boyd (crystal.boyd@nfwf.org) to discuss before applying. Acres may be counted from multiple sites; the sites do not need to be contiguous. Since 2015, successful proposals have included a median of 960 acres and an average of 2,120 acres restored or enhanced.

If a project is expected to benefit multiple at-risk native insect pollinator species, the applicant should list the relevant species and how they will benefit. Priority will be given to projects that benefit the monarch butterfly and one or more native insect pollinator species that are federally listed, candidate, or proposed native insect pollinators.

Community Impact and Engagement: Projects that incorporate outreach to communities, foster community engagement, and pursue collaborative management leading to measurable conservation benefits are encouraged. When possible, projects should be developed through community input and co-design processes. Additionally, projects should engage community-level partners (e.g., municipalities, NGOs, community organizations, community leaders) to help design, implement, and maintain projects to secure maximum benefits for communities, maintenance, and sustainability post-grant award.

Each applicant will identify one category that best describes the project. The Pollinator Fund seeks projects in the following two categories:

1. Technical Assistance for Private Working Lands

Funding in this category will support implementation of technical assistance to increase the number of private landowners voluntarily engaged in monarch butterfly and pollinator conservation practices on private working lands. Up to $2 million is expected to be available for grants ranging from $150,000 to $500,000. Funding will be awarded for projects up to three years in length following finalization of the grant agreement.

This category aims to support conservation planning and practice design with private landowners to advance voluntary conservation efforts on working lands that align with NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife frameworks or initiatives, and especially increase Working Lands for Wildlife participation among farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners in the Historically Underserved and Special Emphasis categories.*

2. Habitat Improvement

Funding in this category will support on-the-ground work to increase the quality, quantity, and connectivity of habitat for the monarch butterfly and other native insect pollinators. Up to $3.1 million is expected to be available for grants ranging from $200,000 to $300,000. Funding will be awarded for projects up to two years in length following finalization of the grant agreement.

Applicants in this category should define a step-by-step restoration plan including site preparation, equipment used, planting techniques, size of the project area, description of target native plant community, and maintenance plan (e.g., prescribed burning, mowing, grazing schedules).

If preparing a proposal that includes collecting or propagating native plants, applicants should describe the intended use of the seed or seedlings and how planting success will be monitored. Giveaways of milkweed seeds or seedlings are discouraged unless significant staff time is committed for follow-up, support, monitoring, and mapping with the milkweed recipients.

Plantings must include at least one species of regionally appropriate milkweed. To help meet the nutritional needs of a broad range of pollinator species, plantings must also provide at least three native blooming nectar species (in addition to milkweed) during each of the following periods: spring, summer, and fall.

Projects proposed to benefit other at-risk native insect pollinators should specify habitat needs for those species and how the proposed work will support their breeding, nectaring, nesting, or other habitat needs.