Tribal Focus

The purpose of this notice is to solicit applications for Rural and Tribal Assistance (RTA) Pilot Program grants. A total of $27 million is available to award for planning and design phase activities for developing transportation projects in rural or tribal communities. Grants will support hiring staff or expert firms to provide technical, legal, or financial assistance to advance transportation projects that would be reasonably expected to be eligible for select Department of Transportation discretionary grant or credit programs. There is no local match required to participate in this program.

Grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible applicants with an eligible project who meet the merit criteria described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. The application form to apply for Program funding will be available beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET on March 4, 2025 on the Program's webpage: https://www.transportation.gov/buildamerica/RuralandTribalGrants. This is the only place where applications can be submitted and will be accepted. Do not submit applications through grants.gov. A pdf (one each for Single Project and Multi-Community grants) of the application questions is included in the NOFO package available under the "Related Documents" tab of this grants.gov page and is also available on the Program's webpage link above.

Two types of grants will be awarded: Single Project grants and Multi-Community grants, which will fund projects in, at minimum, three separate communities submitted under a single application.

Single Project grants: $10 million available to award
Min. award amount: $200,000
Max. award amount: $750,000
Multi-Community grants: $17 million available to award
Min. award amount: $500,000
Max. award amount: $2.25 million

$10 million of Program funding is set aside for tribal governments.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early, given the first-come, first-served award process. The application portal will close at 4:59 p.m. ET on April 3, 2025; however, award funding may be committed before this date.

** The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58, also referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or BIL) is a generational investment in the nation’s transportation system. Section 21205 of Division B of the BIL (Rural and Tribal Infrastructure Advancement) creates a pilot program to provide grants to fund financial, technical, and legal assistance to states and rural and tribal communities.

The Secretary of the Interior (“Secretary”), through the Division of Energy and Mineral Development (DEMD), Office of Trust Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), is soliciting grant proposals from Federally recognized tribal entities to build Tribal capacity for energy resource regulation and management.The Tribal Energy Development Capacity (TEDC) grant program seeks to develop the Tribal management, organizational and technical capacity needed to maximize the economic impact of energy resource development on Federally recognized tribal land. TEDC grants equip Federally recognized tribal entities to regulate and manage their energy resources through development of organizational and business structures and legal and regulatory infrastructure.Examples of projects TEDC grants may fund include establishment of Tribal business charters under Federal, state, or Tribal law with a focus on energy resource development; adoption and/or implementation of a secured transactions code; feasibility studies on forming a Tribal utility authority; and development of Tribal energy regulations.

A NARCH Planning Grant supports Tribal entities who do not currently have a NARCH award to conduct preparatory work for the development of a competitive NARCH application. An applicant organization may partner with other eligible AI/AN Tribal entities as well as additional non-AI/AN organizations. When in partnership with non-AI/AN organizations, 75% or more of requested funds must be allocated to the eligible AI/AN Tribal entities. See Section III. Eligibility Information for details.

The NARCH Planning Grant application should include:

A plan to formulate overall goals for a future NARCH application, including, but not limited to:
Assessment of administrative capacity needs to support a future NARCH award, and
Determining the types of allowable components (Research Project, Pilot Project Program, Career Enhancement Projects, or Research Infrastructure Enhancement Projects) that will be appropriate for a future NARCH application.
Activities to lay the groundwork for potential components of the future NARCH application and strategies to address needs, including but not limited to: defining research questions; assessing research workforce and infrastructure needs for required and optional components.
Efforts to identify collaborators, consultants, and advisors to strengthen the application, if necessary.
All activities to be supported in the NARCH Planning Grant must contribute coherently and synergistically to the goal of developing a competitive NARCH application.

The recipient organization(s) is expected to submit a NARCH S06 application within one year of the end date of the NARCH Planning Grant award. A NARCH Planning Grant is not renewable.

The National Historic Preservation Act authorizes grants to federally recognized Tribes for cultural and historic preservation projects. These grants assist Tribes, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiian Organizations in protecting and promoting their unique cultural heritage and traditions. From the beginning, the program has been shaped by Tribes. It focuses on what they are most concerned about protecting: Traditional skills, oral history, plant and animal species important in tradition, sacred and historic places, and the establishment of tribal historic preservation offices.

The Administration for Children and Families, Administration for Native Americans announces the availability of Fiscal Year 2025 funds for community-based projects for the Environmental Regulatory Enhancement (ERE) program. The ERE program provides funding for the costs of planning, developing, and implementing programs designed to improve the capability of tribal governing bodies to regulate environmental quality pursuant to federal and tribal environmental laws.

The intent of the grant program is to prepare Tribes and Tribal organizations for assuming all or part of existing IHS programs, functions, services and activities, and further develop and improve their health management capabilities.

Approximately 16-18 awards will be issued to assist Tribes and Tribal organizations to establish goals and performance measures; assess current management capacity; analyze programs to determine if management is practicable; and develop infrastructure systems to manage or organize the programs, function, services and activities of the current health programs.

The Tribal Management Grant Program consists of four project types with funding amounts and project periods.

Feasibility Study: $70,000 (maximum funding) for 12 months
Planning: $50,000 (maximum funding) for 12 months
Evaluation Study: $50,000 (maximum funding) for 12 months
Health Management Structure: $100,000 (average funding) for 12 months; $300,000 (maximum funding) for 35 months

Purpose
The BIA Branch of Tribal Community Resilience and the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals are seeking videographer(s), animator(s), and/or graphic designer(s) to produce a series of 3-5 minute videos, infographics, and 2-3 minute animations to accompany a report, The Estimated Unmet Need of Coastal Tribes in the Lower 48 States Facing Relocation Due to Climate Impacts. The purpose of these outreach materials is to enhance the awareness and understanding by Congress and broader audiences about the challenges faced by coastal Tribes in the lower 48 states as they address climate-related relocation and protection-in-place issues. We encourage potential contractors to apply to complete either part or all of the project deliverables.

Project background
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Branch of Tribal Community Resilience (TCR) received a directive from Congress to produce a report, The Estimated Unmet Need of Coastal Tribes in the Lower 48 States Facing Relocation Due to Climate Impacts. The report was produced in collaboration with the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) and completed in December 2023. The report is undergoing a variety of review processes prior to its submission to Congress. Given that the directive was provided to BIA, the report only considers federally recognized Tribes. The draft report will be provided to hired contractors upon their signing of a confidentiality agreement.

General Information

Posted Date: December 10, 2024

Closing Date: Proposal reviews will start immediately. RFP will remain open until filled.

Deliverables due date: Fully edited videos, infographics, and animations will be due on or before March 14, 2025.

Storytelling Videos

TCR and ITEP anticipate a series containing up to 5 videos with each video being approximately 3-5 minutes in length and would like the videos to emphasize storytelling with individuals sharing their experiences, challenges, and successes related to relocation and to protection-in-place. Video topics may be adjusted in consultation with the Tribes themselves, TCR, and ITEP.

TCR and ITEP will assist with introducing videographer(s) to individuals who have indicated that they are interested in participating in this effort and all individuals will be asked to sign informed consent forms detailing how videos will be used, stored, and owned.

New footage: If desired by the individual, videographer(s) may travel to Tribal sites to film on location. However, if filming on Tribal lands, approval of either the Tribe's film office or Tribal Council will be needed.

B-roll footage: B-roll footage taken on Tribal lands may be used with the permission of the the entity who has copyright of the footage and the Tribe’s film office or following their policies

Photos: Photos on Tribal lands taken by individuals, for which they have the copyright and provide permission to use, are able to be included without Tribal Council approval.

*Note: Videographer(s) are responsible for providing all equipment to be used for filming purposes.

The videos produced will ultimately be housed on the TCR website and may become part of a storymap developed to accompany the report. The videos will be owned by the Tribal participants involved in the particular video and by TCR, and the Tribes and TCR will be able to use the videos on their websites, for meetings, presentations, conferences, and more with proper attribution to the videographer. While videographers will be able to link their websites to the TCR website, they do not have permission to share the videos in any other fashion without the express permission of the Tribes in the video and TCR.

Infographics

TCR and ITEP anticipate a series of up to 5 infographics displaying relevant information, data and/or key points from the draft Unmet Need report. Examples of infographics may include: types of risks associated with relocation and protection-in-place; key points from the Executive summary; number of coastal tribes per region; etc. The decision about which infographics to produce will be made in collaboration with TCR and ITEP.

Animations

TCR and ITEP anticipate a series of up to 5 animations with each animation being approximately 2-3 minutes in length describing how coastal Tribes are faced with relocation and protection-in-place due to climate change impacts. Specific topics will be decided in collaboration with TCR and ITEP.

A few things to consider

Executive summary topics

The executive summary includes key points made about:

Continued stewardship of and access to places no longer inhabited as a key component of Tribal self determination

Staffing and funding challenges faced by Tribes trying to relocate and protect-in-place

Integrity of evacuation routes and shoreline protection infrastructure in the face of increasing climate extremes

Need to establish a lead entity to support Tribal relocation and protection-in-place efforts

Challenges around terminology

Complicated history and trauma around the term “relocation” including its usage in relation to climate impacts.

Solicitation Requirements

Applicant proposal must include the following:

1. Cover letter with contact information and signature

2. Resume

3. References (3 total)

4. Examples of videos, infographics, animations you have completed (include links as needed)

5. Cost Proposal. Please note: ITEP will arrange and pay for travel to Tribal locations as needed. You do not need to include travel costs in your proposal.

Again, please note that contractors can apply to complete either part or all of the project deliverables.

Evaluation

All responsive proposals will be opened, reviewed and rated based upon the following evaluation factors:

Price

Compliance with solicitation requirements

Experience, quality and/or past performance

Experience working with Tribes

Points of Contact

Elisha Flores, Regional Tribal Community Resilience Coordinator, Branch of Tribal Community Resilience, Bureau of Indian Affairs, elisha.flores@bia.gov, 510-504-8998

Colleen Cooley, Consultant, Tribes and Climate Change Program, Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, colleen.cooley@nau.edu, 928-523-1625

Submission of Proposals

Proposals must be submitted by email to Elisha Flores and Colleen Cooley. Please see email addresses provided above.

Purpose
The BIA Branch of Tribal Community Resilience and the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals are seeking a contractor to develop regional summaries of climate change projections for approximately 30 federally recognized Tribes currently located along the shores of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Puget Sound, Gulf of Mexico, and the shores of the Great Lakes. These regional summaries would accompany a report, The Estimated Unmet Need of Coastal Tribes in the Lower 48 States Facing Relocation Due to Climate Impacts. The purpose of the projections would be to support Tribal climate change adaptation planning efforts and provide supplemental information for the report describing anticipated climate change impacts for coastal Tribes and associated timeframes that the impacts might take place.

General Information

Posted Date: December 10, 2024

Closing Date: Proposal reviews will start immediately. RFP will remain open until filled.

Deliverables due date: March 20, 2025

Project background and summary
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Branch of Tribal Community Resilience (TCR) received a directive from Congress to produce a report, The Estimated Unmet Need of Coastal Tribes in the Lower 48 States Facing Relocation Due to Climate Impacts. The report was produced in collaboration with the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) and completed in December 2023. The report is undergoing a variety of review processes prior to its submission to Congress. Given that the directive was provided to BIA, the report only considers federally recognized Tribes. The draft report will be provided to hired contractors upon their signing of a confidentiality agreement.

Project scope
Key questions for Tribes include:

How might sea level rise, high tide flooding, storm surges, and coastal erosion affect Tribal infrastructure and lands, where, and by when?

What are the protect-in-place options and how much would they cost?

The contractor hired would make use of existing datasets to produce deliverables that could include regional summaries of:

Sea level rise, high tide flooding, storm surge, and coastal erosion scenarios of Tribal lands and the timing of the expected impacts.

Shoreline protection options and potential costs of developing protection options, such as berms and levees under different climate change scenarios.

In order to protect Tribal data sovereignty, Tribal-specific data would be summarized according to regions, and the summaries would then be provided to TCR and ITEP. Please note that it is not expected that proposals will seek to produce all of the deliverables specified within the time available, thus the review team looks forward to learning more about the feasibility and expected level of effort for the proposed deliverables.

Solicitation requirements

To submit a proposal, please describe or provide the following:

Project team, capabilities, and past related projects, and resumes for senior personnel.

Overview and relevant details of the proposed project, identifying the specific proposed assessments to be completed by the specified deadline using existing datasets for the Coastal Tribes. If certain datasets are not available for some of the geographic areas specified, please identify those limitations.

Experience working with Tribes, Tribal organizations, and tribally relevant data sovereignty issues, including how your team will address any Tribal data sovereignty concerns that arise.

Cost estimate and project timeline.

Evaluation

All responsive proposals will be opened, reviewed and rated based upon the following evaluation factors:

Price
Compliance with solicitation requirements
Experience, quality and/or past performance
Experience working with Tribes

Points of Contact

Elisha Flores, Regional Tribal Community Resilience Coordinator, Branch of Tribal Community Resilience, Bureau of Indian Affairs, elisha.flores@bia.gov, 510-504-8998

Chas Jones, Consultant, Tribes and Climate Change Program, Institute of Tribal Environmental Professionals, Chas@picea.group, 815-456-4173

Submission of Proposals

Proposals must be submitted by email to Elisha Flores and Chas Jones. Please see email addresses provided above.