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2015 Forest Service National Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant Deadline: December 15, 2015 The Secretary of Agriculture has a congressionally designated advisory council that assists the U.S. Forest Service in establishing the grant categories and recommendations of final proposals for the Forest Service to consider. This is the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC). The Council serves to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on the status of the nation's urban and community forests and related natural resources. The NUCFAC seeks to establish sustainable urban and community forests, by encouraging communities of all sizes to manage and protect their natural resources, which, if well managed, improves the public's health, well-being, economic vitality, and creates resilient ecosystems for present and future generations. The Council recommends urban and community forestry projects that have national or multi-state application and impact through the U.S. Forest Service's competitive Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant Program. This year, the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC) has identified three national grant categories: 1. Analysis and Solutions for Development and Redevelopment Impacts on Urban and Community Forests, 2. Building Human Health Through Urban and Community Forestry, and 3. Climate Change and Its Impact on Trees and Water. An applicant may apply to more than one category; however they are to use a separate application for each category. The purpose of these grants is to address national issues. This RFP is not for local or State-wide projects. Click on link http://www.fs.fed.us/ucf/nucfac.shtml for full information on the 2016 Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant. Search [CFDA number: 10.675], or [Grant Opportunity No.: USDA-FS-UCF-01-2016]. The grant applications are to be submitted through www.grants.gov. Contact Nancy Stremple, Natural Re

The Secretary of Agriculture has a congressionally designated advisory council that assists the U.S. Forest Service in establishing the grant categories and recommendations of final proposals for the Forest Service to consider. This is the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (Council).The Council serves to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on the status of the nation's urban and community forests and related natural resources. The Council seeks to establish sustainable urban and community forests, by encouraging communities of all sizes to manage and protect their natural resources, which, if well managed, improves the public's health, well-being, economic vitality, and creates resilient ecosystems for present and future generations.Urban and Community Forestry Program RequirementsThe Council recommends urban and community forestry projects that have national or multi-state application and impact through the U.S. Forest Service's competitive Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost-Share Grant Program. A proposal's content must meet the Urban and Community Forestry program authorities as designated by Congress in the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act, (Section 9 PDF, pp. 19-24) State & Private Cooperative Forestry Handbook of Programs and the annual criteria set forth by the Council. A listing of the previously funded projects can be viewed at Urban Forestry South list of past NUCFAC grants

The Environmental Justice Small Grants (EJSG) Program provides funding for eligible applicants for projects that address local environmental and public health issues within an affected community. The EJSG Program is designed to help communities understand and address exposure to multiple environmental harms and risks. The long-term goals of the EJSG Program are to help build the capacity of communities with environmental justice concerns and to create self-sustaining, community-based partnerships that will continue to improve local environments in the future. The fiscal year 2015 program will consider proposals supporting community-based preparedness and resilience efforts (community climate resiliency). The goal is to recognize the critical role of localized efforts in helping communities shape climate change strategies to avoid, lessen, or delay the risks and impacts associated with climate change. An overarching goal of including this emphasis is to help bolster the efforts of underrepresented communities to address climate change vulnerabilities and develop solutions.

The National Fire Plan was implemented in 2001 to assist communities at risk from catastrophic wildland fires by providing assistance in the following areas: - Implement hazardous fuels reduction activities, including the training, monitoring or maintenance associated with such hazardous fuels reduction activities, on federal land, or on adjacent nonfederal land for activities that mitigate the threat of catastrophic fire to communities and natural resources in high risk areas; - Community programs that develop local capability including; assessment and planning, mitigation activities, - Community/homeowner education and action plans - Enhance local and small business employment opportunities. This program is in support of protecting the American family, being a good neighbor and creating a conservation stewardship legacy second only to Teddy Roosevelt by providing an opportunity to support planning and implementation of hazardous fuels reduction projects in Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas and education and outreach programs that help create fire adapted communities and resilient landscapes. Projects also support Secretarial Order 3372, Reducing Wildfire Risks on Department of the Interior Land through Active Management, intended to enhance the Department of the Interior's management of federal lands to: - Better protect people, communities, wildlife, habitat and watersheds by actively managing lands to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire; and - Promote the sustainable recovery of damaged lands.

The Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Fuels Treatment program was set up to provide assistance to communities at risk from catastrophic wildland fires in support of the National Fire Plan. Goals of the program were to: Develop community programs to expand local capability including: Assessing and planning mitigation activities, and community and homeowner education; Planning and implementing hazardous fuels reduction activities including the monitoring and maintenance associated with such hazardous fuels reduction activities that mitigate the threat of fire to communities and natural resources in high risk areas; Enhancing local and small business employment opportunities in rural communities; and Enhancing the knowledge of fire protection capability of rural fire districts by providing assistance in education, training, and mitigation methods. This program would implement and maintain greater coordination among local, state, and federal land management agencies and private landowners to effectively prioritize hazardous fuels treatments, and provide the framework for reducing the risks and consequences of wildland fire to the community. This program includes planning and implementing hazardous fuels reduction treatments, and monitoring and providing input on the effectiveness and quality of work being performed on or adjacent to federal lands, and working with land owners and public regarding the benefits of fire prevention and mitigation.

The Home Depot Foundation is accepting applications from nonprofit organizations using volunteers to address the physical needs of their communities. Through its Community Impact Grants program, the foundation will award grants of up to $5,000 (in the form of Home Depot gift cards that can be used to purchase tools, materials, and services) for projects aimed at repairing, modifying, weatherizing, or otherwise improving low-income and/or transitional housing or community facilities. Priority will be given to programs that use volunteers to serve veterans with home-improvement needs. Only IRS-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and tax-exempt public service agencies (e.g., police/fire departments) in the United States are eligible to apply. In addition, grants must support work completed by community volunteers in the U.S., and projects must be completed within six months following notification that the grant has been awarded.

The goal of this funding opportunity is to build environmental literacy of K-12 students and the public so they are knowledgeable of the ways in which their community can become more resilient to extreme weather and/or other environmental hazards, and become involved in achieving that resilience. Projects should build the collective environmental literacy necessary for communities to become more resilient to the extreme weather and other environmental hazards they face in the short- and long-term. Building sufficient environmental literacy in a community means that these communities are composed of individuals who are supported by formal and informal education that develop their knowledge, skills, and confidence to: (1) reason about the ways that human and natural systems interact globally and where they live, including the acknowledgement of disproportionately distributed vulnerabilities; (2) participate in scientific and/or civic processes; and (3) consider scientific uncertainty, cultural knowledge, and diverse community values in decision making.

The principal purpose of the project is to support the Government’s objective to provide opportunities for youth to learn about the environment as well as relevant job skills by spending time working on projects in National Parks. The Deaf and Hard of Hearing community often struggles to break into the job market, so crew participants in this project will particularly benefit from the professional development and job skills gained during this experience. The NPS receives the indirect benefit of completing conservation projects. The project engages crew participants, partners, and the Deaf/Hard of Hearing communities in shared resource stewardship. This project will align with DOI priorities such as Restoring Trust With Local Communities (in this case, the Deaf/Hard of Hearing community and rural New Mexican communities) and Modernizing Our Infrastructure (projects will address deferred maintenance whenever possible).

Keep America Beautiful inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environments. Established in 1953, the organization strives to end littering, improve recycling, and beautify America's communities. KAB believes everyone has a right to live in a clean, green, and beautiful community and shares a responsibility to contribute to that vision. To that end, the organization is accepting applications for its National Awards program, which recognizes the organization's network of community-based affiliates; corporate, nonprofit, and government agency partners; and individual volunteers who are championing environmentally healthy, socially connected, and economically sound communities.

The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration grant program seeks to develop community capacity to sustain local natural resources for future generations by providing modest financial assistance to diverse local partnerships focused on improving water quality, watersheds and the species and habitats they support.  Projects include a variety of ecological improvements along with targeted community outreach, education and stewardship. Ecological improvements may include one or more of the following: wetland, riparian, forest and coastal habitat restoration; wildlife conservation, community tree canopy enhancement, water quality monitoring and green infrastructure best management practices for managing run-off.  Projects should increase access to the benefits of nature, reduce the impact of environmental hazards and engage local communities, particularly underserved communities, in project planning, outreach and implementation.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION 1. Authority This Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Federal Financial Assistance Funding Opportunity is being announced under the following legislative authority: HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION, Wildland Fire Management, Annual Appropriations (2014 Public Law 113-76), Wildland Fire Management, which states in part: That using the amounts designated under this title of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior may enter into procurement contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements, for hazardous fuels reduction activities, and for training and monitoring associated with such hazardous fuels reduction activities, on Federal land, or on adjacent non-Federal land for activities that benefit resources on Federal land: Provided further, That the costs of implementing any cooperative agreement between the Federal Government and any non-Federal entity may be shared, as mutually agreed on by the affected parties: Provided further, That notwithstanding requirements of the Competition in Contracting Act, the Secretary, for purposes of hazardous fuels reduction activities, may obtain maximum practicable competition among: (1) local private, nonprofit, or cooperative entities; (2) Youth Conservation Corps crews or related partnerships with State, local, or non-profit youth groups" . 2. Description of Program and/or Project a. Background: Phoenix District Office (BLM) Fuels Management Staff has targeted the communities of Wickenburg, Aguila, Morristown, Buckeye, Buckeye Valley, Goodyear, Maricopa, Gila Bend, Tonopah, Palo Verde, and Circle City to help in the effort to promote, teach and create defensible space. In accordance with the National Fire Plan and the Presidents Healthy Forest Initiative the efforts under this assistance agreement are intended to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire to wildland urban interface communities, and promote community assistance. The Maricopa County CWPP technical support group is researching uses for the biomass that is being creat

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), announces the availability of up to $10 million in competitive grants to assist communities with extremely high energy costs. The grant funds may be used to acquire, construct, or improve energy generation, transmission, or distribution facilities serving communities where the average annual residential expenditure for home energy exceeds 275% of the national average. Eligible projects also include on-grid and off-grid renewable energy projects and the implementation of energy efficiency and energy conservation projects for eligible communities. Projects cannot be for the primary benefit of a single household or business. Grant funds may not be used for the preparation of the grant application, payment of utility bills, fuel purchases, routine maintenance or other routine operating costs, or for the purchase of any equipment, structures, or real estate not directly associated with the provision of community energy services.

The NRCS - Texas State Office, an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is seeking support from and opportunities to partner with like minded natural resource conservation partners. The overall intent of this solicitation is to solicit partnerships to help enhance the implementation of key conservation objectives and priorities outlined further in this document.Proposals will be accepted from eligible entities for projects located in Texas. NRCS anticipates that the total amount awarded under this announcement in Federal fiscal year 2018 will be approximately $150,000. Proposals are requested from eligible non- profit organizations, independent school districts, institutions of higher education, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments for competitive consideration of grant awards for one year in duration.The Texas NRCS Urban Conservation Project is an effort to challenge community organizations, educational institutions and Indian tribes to establish community and school gardens across Texas. The simple act of planting a garden can help unite neighbors in a common effort and inspire locally-led solutions to challenges facing our state. Challenges that can be addressed with locally-led solutions can be diverse in an urban setting. Addressing hunger with an urban garden can bring communities together and initiate other positive outcomes for people. Pollinator habitat planned with urban gardens can provide an increase in harvest potential while providing food and habitat for declining insect communities in Texas.As part of the USDA's Urban Agriculture toolkit, the Texas NRCS Urban Conservation Project will provide technical and financial assistance to eligible entities to establish gardens for food production and for attracting and maintaining monarch butterflies and the establishment of seasonal high tunnels to extend the growing season of fruits and vegetables.

The Sustainable Environments Program seeks to create just and sustainable communities in four ways: Sustainable Transportation Networks & Equitable Development Patterns We support clean, affordable, equitable, high-quality and efficient transportation and land use development that better connects critical services, jobs, schools, housing and other regional destinations. Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment No longer accepting grants. New guidelines are under construction to reflect the new direct of Surdna's work in the energy arena. Urban Water Management We support efforts to capture storm water and slowly release it into the existing network of drains, pipes and sewers, or reuse it where it falls to cultivate natural green spaces. Regional Food Supply We support ways to make it easier to get local, sustainably produced food from our farms to the markets closest to where it's grown, and to better connect food producers and consumers. We seek organizations that: -Promote meaningful collaborations and an integrated approach to infrastructure solutions (i.e., ways in which transportation, energy, water, and food systems can be combined); -Focus on infrastructure decisions that better meet the needs of historically underserved communities including low-income communities and people of color; -Promote long-term solutions and leverage strategic infrastructure investments; -Highlight, especially through communications, the multiple benefits of next generation infrastructure.

Projects include a variety of ecological improvements along with targeted community outreach, education and stewardship. Ecological improvements may include one or more of the following: wetland, riparian, forest and coastal habitat restoration; wildlife conservation, community tree canopy enhancement, water quality monitoring and green infrastructure best management practices for managing run-off. Projects should also increase access to the benefits of nature, reduce the impact of environmental hazards and engage local communities, particularly underserved communities, in project planning, outreach and implementation. 

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), announces the availability of up to $10 million in competitive grants to assist communities with extremely high energy costs. The grant funds may be used to acquire, construct, or improve energy generation, transmission, or distribution facilities serving communities where average annual residential expenditure for home energy exceeding 275 percent of the national average. Eligible projects also include on-grid and off-grid renewable energy projects and implementation of energy efficiency, and energy conservation projects for eligible communities.

BLM has an opportunity to work with a partner organization to assist with Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Community Fire Assistance established by the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Act to allow the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to enter into financial assistance agreements with local communities to reduce the risk and impact of catastrophic wildfires. This program is in support of protecting the American family, putting America back to work, and creating a conservation stewardship legacy second only to Teddy Roosevelt by providing an opportunity to support planning and implementation of hazardous fuels reduction projects in Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas and education and outreach programs that help create fire adapted communities and resilient landscapes.

Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Community Fire Assistance was established by the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Act to allow the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to enter into financial assistance agreements with local communities to reduce the risk and impact of catastrophic wildfires. Reduce the risk and impact of wildfire on Idaho communities through wildfire protection planning; hazardous fuels reduction projects, maintenance and monitoring, mitigation and education activities and to enhance local employment opportunities.

Project Objective: The BLM is seeking a recipient with the ability to work with community members and representatives from businesses, organizations, and local, state and federal agencies who live and work in Graham and Greenlee counties for the purpose of: 1.To conserve natural resources 2.To enhance the environment 3.To increase water quantity 4.To improve water quality 5.To plan and act in order to avoid and minimize damage from large storms, floods, and other natural disasters 6.To connect local communities to the environment through education, outreach, and restoration activities. To accomplish these goals the recipient will work with community members and representatives from businesses, organizations, and local, state and federal agencies to identify and implement projects and programs to further these goals.

Research!America is pleased to announce an exciting new program to introduce and engage early-career scientists in research advocacy and science policy. The 2013 Research!America Advocacy Academy is a unique opportunity for postdoctoral fellows in the health and biomedical sciences to learn about how to best incorporate advocacy and effective communications into their role as a scientist. The 2013 class of up to 12 Research!America advocates will participate in a two-day Washington, DC, program from September 11-12, 2013. Participants will learn about the federal budget and appropriations process, tools for effective science communication and outreach as well as how to engage with elected representatives on scientific and research issues. The program includes visiting Capitol Hill to meet with policy makers and congressional staff members, providing participants with a first-hand experience advocating for health research. Rounding out this unique Washington experience, participants will attend Research!America's National Health Research Forum where top leaders in government, industry, academia and patient organizations engage in moderated conversations on issues of importance to the research ecosystem. Upon completion of the program, participants will become Science Advocates for Research!America. Advocates will remain engaged with Research!America staff, receive ongoing action alerts and learn about ways to involve their home institution's research community in effective science advocacy. All travel expenses (transportation, lodging and meals) will be provided and arranged by Research!America through an educational grant provided by Pfizer. This year's program is limited to 12 exceptional postdoctoral researchers with a dedicated interest in becoming active advocates for science.