Funding Wizard

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is pleased to announce the availability of funding for research and conservation in 2021 to support issues related directly to the management of white-nose syndrome (WNS). The Service provides financial and technical assistance to non-governmental, university, and private researchers, as well as state and local governments, Native American tribes, and federal agencies, for the management of WNS and conservation of bats. Funded projects will investigate priority questions to improve our ability to manage the disease and implement management actions that will help to conserve affected bat species. As of May 10, 2021, WNS is confirmed or suspected in bats in 38 states and seven Canadian provinces, and evidence of the causative fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), has been detected in at least two additional states without additional sign of the disease. Numerous North American and Eurasian species of bats have been confirmed with WNS or detected carrying Pd. For information on WNS and previously funded projects, please see: http://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/ Funding through WNS Research for Conservation Grants provides critical information and resources for maximizing the benefits of conservation efforts for bats. These actions are focused on minimizing the impacts of WNS and compounding stressors on federally listed species, prioritizing actions to conserve species that are susceptible to the disease, including those that may be assessed for listing due to the impacts of WNS, and understanding how different species are likely to respond when exposed to the pathogen. Projects submitted tor this opportunity should concentrate on efforts where there is the greatest need and benefit. Priorities for this funding opportunity are designed to develop and apply tools that maximize persistence of WNS-affected bat populations, minimize the range and impacts of Pd, support collaborative actions of the WNS National Response, and inform management decisions in preparation for, or in response to, WNS. Scientific research conducted in collaboration with management authorities is encouraged. Funding in 2021 will support projects that address the following objectives and priorities: Objective: Support research to produce critical knowledge relevant to management decisions and actions for hibernating bats. Understand mechanisms of survival between and within bat species, including variability in susceptibility to WNS and non-lethal effects to health and reproduction. Mechanisms may involve environmental, physiological, behavioral, genetic and other factors affecting hosts, pathogen, and environments, as well as interactions among them. Understand effects of non-disease factors influencing viability of hibernating bats. Factors may include stressors (e.g. prey scarcity, contaminants, etc.) that introduce additive or compounding impacts to populations and should produce information needed to enact comprehensive management strategies for bats. Develop tools to improve survival and persistence of WNS-affected or WNS-vulnerable species; especially tools that can be applied during summer. Vulnerable species include hibernating bats likely to be susceptible to WNS in the future even if they have not yet been exposed to Pd. Objective: Leverage resources (expertise, funds, partnerships, etc.) to implement adaptive management efforts aimed at building resiliency and promoting recovery in hibernating bat populations. Implement strategies to support biological and ecological needs of hibernating bats, including establishing baseline information relevant to implementing management actions and monitoring their effects. Implement adaptive management programs to improve survival and persistence of species impacted by or vulnerable to WNS using existing options for management. This priority includes work with species that are not yet confirmed to be susceptible to WNS but can reasonably be anticipated to be in the future. Through this funding opportunity, we aim to support research to inform management decisions for WNS, and to implement those strategies for the greatest benefit to affected and vulnerable species. Due to the urgency of this threat to bats and the rapid progress of related science, we seek to fund projects that are likely to produce impactful results within a two year project period. The WNS Research for Conservation Grants opportunity accompanies two additional funding opportunities from the Service’s WNS National Response in 2021: 1) WNS Grants to States and Tribes 2021 (through June 1, 2021: www.grants.gov); and 2) Bats for the Future Fund (managed by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; closed April 29, 2021: www.nfwf.org/bats). Contact the Service WNS coordinator in your region (below) for more information about these funding opportunities. NOTE: Grantees are encouraged to use or allow use of the data management infrastructure of NABat prior to completion of the grant reporting period, if appropriate. Projects involving population monitoring are not required to occur with the specific monitoring protocols of NABat, nor in the highest priority grid cells. Contribution of data entails providing locations only at the resolution of the NABat grid cell (10 km x 10 km), and not precise locations of data or descriptive site names. Standard reports including data visualization outputs generated by NABat are accepted to fulfill award reporting requirements for project activities funded through this opportunity. The use of grant funds requires adherence to established protocols and methodologies developed or espoused by the national WNS working groups for surveillance, diagnostics, population monitoring, conservation and recovery, and disease management (for more information contact the appropriate Service WNS coordinator), as well as the Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and National Environmental Policy Act. All proposed actions must be in line with the most current guidance, policies, and information related to the COVID-19 pandemic and SARS-CoV-2. The Service’s White-nose Syndrome program is coordinated and funded through the branches of Ecological Services and Science Applications, and will be working with the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program (WSFR) to administer these WNS Research for Conservation Grants. Grants will be competitively awarded based on merit review of proposed projects for their applicability and feasibility to address priorities identified in this notice and for their overall contribution to meeting the objectives of the WNS national plan (White-Nose Syndrome Response Plans).

Through WaterSMART Applied Science Grants, Reclamation provides cost-shared financial assistance to States, Indian Tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, or other organizations with water or power delivery authority, universities, nonprofit research institutions, and nonprofit organizations for projects to develop hydrologic information and water management tools and improve modeling and forecasting capabilities. Increased access to information and improved modeling and forecasting capabilities will help avoid water conflicts and improve our ability to meet a variety of water management objectives, including: support for water supply reliability, management of water deliveries, water marketing activities, drought management activities, conjunctive use of ground and surface water, water rights administration, ability to meet endangered species requirements, watershed health, conservation and efficiency, and other water management objectives.

Section 104g of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 requires that this competitive grant program focus on water problems and issues of a regional or interstate nature beyond those of concern only to a single State and which relate to specific program priorities identified jointly by the Secretary of the Interior and the water resources research institutes

Section 104g of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 requires that this competitive grant program focus on water problems and issues of a regional or interstate nature beyond those of concern only to a single State and which relate to specific program priorities identified jointly by the Secretary of the Interior and the water resources research institutes

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration (NCA) is awarding grants for a maximum of $500,000 per awardee through the Veterans Legacy Grants Program (VLGP), authorized under 38 U.S.C. 2400 note to provide funding to educational institutions and other eligible entities to conduct cemetery research and produce educational tools for the public to utilize and learn about the histories of Veterans interred in VA national cemeteries and VA grant-funded State and Tribal Veterans’ cemeteries. This notice includes information about the process for applying for a VLGP grant; criteria for evaluating applications; priorities related to the award of grants; and other requirements and guidance regarding VLGP grants.

Funding is interdisciplinary and not restricted according to academic focus or specialization. Eligible applicants are institutions of higher learning, educational institutions, local educational agencies, State educational agencies, or non-profits. Successful applications will: 1. Meet the mission of VLGP to commemorate our Nation’s Veterans and Service members through the discovery and sharing of their stories. VLGP encourages students and teachers at the K-12 levels and universities around the country to immerse themselves in the rich historical resources found within one or more of VA’s 155 national cemeteries or one or more of the 119 VA grant-funded State, Territorial, or Tribal Veterans cemeteries. 2. Include a study of Veterans or Service members interred in one of VA’s national cemeteries or in one of the VA grant-funded State, Territorial, or Tribal cemeteries. 3. Foster engagement in the communities surrounding one or several of these cemeteries. 4. Tell the stories of those interred in these cemeteries with a focus on underrepresented Veterans or Service members, to include, but not limited to, Veterans or Service members underrepresented by race, ethnicity, or identity as well as Veterans or Service members from our LGBTQ+ community, from any period of American history. B. Priorities: Competitive Preference Priorities (CPP) for fiscal year (FY) 2022 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of applications from this annual competition, VA will prioritize applications that align with specific VLGP initiatives, which will be noted as CPPs. We will award up to an additional three points to an application if the application meets one or more of the following CPPs, described in a one-page abstract submitted with the application and listed on the VLGP Profile Form: 1. Successfully showcasing Veterans or Service members interred in these cemeteries with a focus on underrepresented Veterans or Service members, to include, but not limited to, Veterans or Service members underrepresented by race, ethnicity, identity, as well as Veterans or Service members from our LGBTQ+ community, from any period of American history. 2. Creatively highlighting interred Veterans and Service members who have never been studied or researched in previous VLGP project proposals. 3. Maximizing the use of best practices in digital scholarship, pedagogy, scholarly communication and digital public engagement. New CPPs will be outlined in each NOFA each FY it is announced. Note: If applicants wish to be considered for CPP points, applicants must include, in a one-page abstract submitted with the application, a statement

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity is to invite proposals for funding from eligible non-profit organizations, local and state government agencies, private sector firm and institutions of higher education to provide quality training and counseling to veteran small business owners and entrepreneurs. A key component of this Funding Opportunity is for applicants to provide training to transitioning military personnel and spouses through the Boots to Business (B2B) Training Program and to veterans and military spouses through the Reboot Training Program. Additionally, applicants will provide counseling, training, technical and financial skill development, comprehensive business assessments and mentoring services to veteran, active duty, Reserve, National Guard, military spouse and family member entrepreneurs, and small business owners interested in starting, expanding and diversifying small businesses.

Notice of Funding Opportunity Summary This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) is being released prior to appropriation and/or apportionment of funds for fiscal year 2022. Enactment of additional continuing resolutions or an appropriations act may affect the availability or level of funding for this program. NRCS Vermont is seeking support from and opportunities to partner with like-minded natural resource conservation partners. The overall intent of this solicitation is to seek conservation partners to provide technical services for activities related to conservation delivery assistance identified in Section A of this announcement. NRCS anticipates the amount of funding available for support of this program in FY2023 will be up to $1,500,000. Agreements awarded pursuant to this NFO may be 1-5 years in duration. This notice identifies the objectives, eligibility criteria, and application instructions. Applications will be screened for completeness and compliance with provisions of this notice. The Vermont State Conservationist reserves the right not to fund any or all applications. NRCS will accept applications under this notice for single or multi-year applications submitted by eligible entities. For new users of Grants.gov, see Section D. for information about steps required before submitting an application via Grants.gov. Key Dates Applicants must submit their applications via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on May 27th, 2023. For technical issues with Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov. Awarding agency staff cannot support applicants regarding Grants.gov accounts. For inquiries specific to the content of the NFO requirements, contact the federal awarding agency contact (section G of this NFO). Please limit questions to those regarding specific information contained in this NFO (such as dates, page numbers, clarification of discrepancies, etc.). Questions related to eligibility or the merits of a specific proposal will not be addressed. The agency anticipates making selections by June 15th, 2023, and expects to execute awards by September 30, 2023. These dates are estimates and are subject to change.

Incentive Program Summaries and FAQs:

• Electric Vehicle Charger Grants
• Clean Air Fund Grants
• Lower Emission School Bus Program
• Community Air Protection
• Carl Moyer Program/FARMER

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to solicit applications that further examine and characterize molecular underpinnings surrounding telomere status and accompanying biological pathways in response to environmental insults. Specifically, the intent is to further stimulate the field on how general telomere maintenance modulates downstream biological pathway(s) leading to cellular and organismal dysfunction. It is anticipated that proposed studies examining exposure affects at telomeric regions can actually potentiate early onset of age-related diseases. This FOA ultimately seeks to identify key mechanistic insights into telomere dynamics and how this could better dissect the interplay between environmental exposures at this vulnerable site contribute to disease (e.g., cancer, CVD, and other age-related outcomes, such as neurodegeneration).