OARS funding Conservation

Leading factors in native fish species decline include habitat alteration, lack of adequate in-stream flows, and invasive and/or non-native species. Bring Back the Natives awards grants to projects that conserve aquatic ecosystems, increase in-stream flows and build partnerships that benefit native fish species throughout the United States. The program also provides grants to implement the goals of theNational Fish Habitat Action Plan​. Bring Back the Natives also supports projects that advance innovation in fisheries management, including developing decision support tools, landscape-scale assessments to determine where to implement restoration to maximize native fish recovery, piloting innovative restoration techniques, identifying key flow restoration thresholds that enhance fish habitat and water quality in flow-limited systems, and innovative public outreach methods like crowd-sourcing data or information needed for native fish conservation.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) intends to enter into a nationwide cooperative agreement with a nonprofit organization (Recipient) for training and education services relating to natural resources conservation and outdoor recreation management. Funds are intended to provide young adults and veterans with real life work experiences in stewardship of the environment in all fifty states by offering opportunities for education, leadership and personal development to the Recipient's participants, while providing a high quality public service in natural resources/recreation management and conservation. Recipient must have an extensive history of providing young people and veterans with opportunities to serve within the leading federal land management agencies, providing hands-on career training, internships and other education programs to young adults and veterans. Recipient recruits, selects, trains and places qualified young adults and veterans to serve in support of conservation and recreation management projects and has the capability and expertise to provide a series of conservation/recreation management experiences for youth ranging from high school to post graduate that collectively comprise a continuous opportunity for young adults to enhance their understanding of conservation and prepare for careers in natural resources/recreation management. Recipient has the experience, plant capacity and demonstrated capability to immediately and successfully place interns and conservation crews at over 400 USACE lake and river projects and other sites nationwide to include all fifty states in the United States.

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is announcing the availability of up to $15 million in Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) funding. The purpose of CIG is to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies in conjunction with agricultural production. CIG projects are expected to lead to the transfer of conservation technologies, management systems, and innovative approaches (such as market-based systems) to agricultural producers, into NRCS technical manuals and guides, or to the private sector. CIG generally funds pilot projects, field demonstrations, and on-farm conservation research. On-farm conservation research is defined as an investigation conducted to answer a specific applied conservation question using a statistically valid design while employing farm-scale equipment on farms, ranches, or private forest lands.

The purpose of CIG is to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies in conjunction with agricultural production. CIG projects are expected to lead to the transfer of conservation technologies, management systems, and innovative approaches (such as market-based systems) to agricultural producers, into NRCS technical manuals and guides, or to the private sector. CIG generally funds pilot projects, field demonstrations, and on-farm conservation research. On-farm conservation research is defined as an investigation conducted to answer a specific applied conservation question using a statistically valid design while employing farm-scale equipment on farms, ranches or private forest lands. Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on May 29, 2020.

The Antarctic Sciences Section (ANT) of the Office of Polar Programs (OPP) supports cutting-edge researchto: Expand fundamental knowledge of Antarctic systems, biota, and processes Improve understanding of interactions among the Antarctic region and global systems Utilize the unique characteristics of the Antarctic region as a science observing platform

NRCS is announcing the availability of CIG to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies. Applications are accepted from eligible entities for projects carried out in the state of Georgia. A total of up to $150,000.00 is available for the GA (State) CIG competition in FY 2020. All non-federal entities (NFE) and individuals are invited to apply, with the sole exception of federal agencies. Projects may be between one and three years in duration. The maximum award amount for a single award in FY 2020 is $75,000.00. The purpose of CIG is to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies in conjunction with agricultural production. CIG projects are expected to lead to the transfer of conservation technologies, management systems, and innovative approaches (such as market-based systems) to agricultural producers, into NRCS technical manuals and guides, or to the private sector. CIG generally funds pilot projects, field demonstrations, and on-farm conservation research. On-farm conservation research is defined as an investigation conducted to answer a specific applied conservation question using a statistically valid design while employing farm-scale equipment on farms, ranches or private forest lands.

The Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs' (OES) Office of Conservation and Water (ECW) at the Department of State, announces the Notice of Funding Opportunity ("NOFO") for Mapping Illicit Supply Networks to Combat Conservation Crimes at their Convergence, to work with developing countries and partners to gather data and build capacity to identify, analyze, and map the illicit networks associated with conservation crimes and the areas of convergence among them .

The overall objective of the FOA is to support the development of value-added products from coal. This will be accomplished through the research and development of coal-derived components for residential, commercial, and infrastructure applications. Another path to developing value-added products from coal is the production of high-value specialty products, as well as research and development of technologies capable of producing carbon-based building materials using a continuous, rather than batch, manufacturing process. The FOA will also support the design, R&D, and validation of a prototype carbon-based building.

The Educational Materials for Professional Organizations Working on Efficiency and Renewable Energy Developments (EMPOWERED) funding program is a collaborative effort across EERE's Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO), Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), and Building Technologies Office (BTO), to provide professionals with educational materials and training resources in fields newly interacting with distributed energy resources (DER). In this program, DER includes distributed solar, like on homes and businesses, as well as efficient building technologies and sustainable transportation technologies, such as electric vehicles. The goal of this program is to create resources that will help those on the front lines of DER adoption-like first responders, safety officials, and building managers and owners keep up with these rapidly emerging and advancing technologies. These professionals are at the forefront of America's energy transition and play a role in easing adoption, ensuring safety, and reducing installation costs. Because of this, the participating EERE offices see these professionals as key to enabling understanding and acceptance of new energy technologies.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Ecological Services Program provides Federal financial assistance on a competitive basis to states, landowners, educators, non-profit organizations, researchers and other potential partners to secure information about candidate and other at-risk species to avert listing of species pursuant to the Endangered Species Act, and to help conserve the ecosystems upon which these species depend. The overall goal of this Candidate Conservation funding opportunity is based on cooperative relationships with states, non-profit organizations, private landowners and those interested in habitat restoration or undertaking candidate and at-risk species research, surveys and monitoring, or educational outreach efforts. Work may be done via cooperative agreement and project grants

Complete information, including the full Funding Opportunity Announcement, can be found on the EERE Exchange website - https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/ The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is issuing, on behalf of the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled "Marine Energy Foundational Research and Testing Infrastructure." This FOA addresses priorities in the following Topic Areas: Topic Area 1: Foundational Research and Development (R&D) Topic Area 2: Atlantic Marine Energy Center (AMEC) Topic Area 3: Foundational Research Network Facilitator (FRNF) Topic Area 4: Current Energy Technology Testing Infrastructure

DOE-Fossil Energy's program in Carbon Capture has been developing carbon capture technologies since 2001 with the goal of decreasing the cost of carbon capture systems. Technologies developed to date have focused on the capture of Carbon Dioxide directly from fossil fuel power plant gases. The Carbon Capture program is aiming to leverage this past research in materials and systems development for application to the conditions and process requirements of Direct Air Capture (DAC). However, there are several significant differences between these applications that will require applied research and the development of alternative capture media. The primary difference is the concentration of Carbon Dioxide.

The Plant Conservation and Restoration Management Program was created in response to large-scale wildfires in the Western U.S. Because of a lack of native seed, in 2001 Congress directed the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to establish a native plant material program and recommended that federal and non-federal partners coordinate efforts through the Plant Conservation Alliance established in 1994 (House Report 106-914). The Plant Conservation Program provides leadership in identifying, maintaining, and restoring Western native plant communities on public lands.

Investigating vital rate drivers of Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) fishes to support management and restoration.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages the Nation¿s most ecologically diverse range of aquatic habitat for fish, wildlife, and invertebrates, totaling more than 150,000 miles of streams and rivers, over 3 million acres of lake and reservoir habitat, and nearly 13 million acres of wetlands. Properly functioning instream, riparian and wetland areas are critical to sustaining ecosystem functions and services, providing local communities with clean water, habitat for aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, reducing sedimentation, soil erosion, improving water quality, and providing recreational opportunities.

To that end, grants will be awarded to museums and cultural institutions in support of efforts to conserve works of art that are in danger of deterioration, including works that have been designated as national treasures. To qualify for the program, works of art must be significant to the cultural heritage of the country or region, or important to the history of art; on view to the public (or will be on view once conservation is complete); and be a painting, work on paper, photograph, sculpture, architectural or archeological piece, important book or manuscript, tapestry or work of decorative or applied art in danger of deterioration.

The Office of Insular Affairs' Energizing Insular Communities (EIC) Program provides grant funding for energy projects and strategies that reduce the cost of electricity to residents and businesses in U.S. territories. This program is intended to support the Department of the Interior's priority to ensure energy and economic security for America. All proposals must be directly tied to the territory's updated strategic energy plan, energy action plan, or integrated resource plan. Technical assistance is available through an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to support these efforts and applicants should indicate interest in such assistance in their application.

NRCS is announcing the availability of CIG to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies. Applications are accepted from eligible entities for projects carried out in the state of Ohio. A total of up to $300,000 is available for the Ohio CIG competition in FY 2020. All non-federal entities (NFE) and individuals are invited to apply, with the sole exception of federal agencies. Projects may be between one and three years in duration. The maximum award amount for a single award in FY 2020 is $150,000.

The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value-added contributions that expand our collective ability to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. NRCS seeks to co-invest with RCPP partners to implement projects that demonstrate innovative solutions to conservation challenges and provide measurable improvements and outcomes tied to the resource concerns they seek to address.

Joint ventures, the partnerships were originally formed to implement the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, are regional, self-directed organizations involving Federal, State, and local governments, corporations, and a wide range of non-governmental conservation groups that have proven to be a successful means of developing cooperative conservation efforts to protect waterfowl and other bird habitats. Joint ventures address multiple local, regional, and continental goals for sustaining migratory bird populations by developing scientifically based landscape conservation plans and habitat projects that benefit migratory birds and other wildlife populations. Using the products of biological planning, joint ventures create landscape conservation designs that can direct individual habitat management actions to where they have the greatest effect. These conservation designs are used in turn to enable and encourage partners to focus their conservation programs and resources on the highest priority areas in the amounts needed to sustain healthy populations of migratory bird species. The joint ventures incorporate biological planning, conservation design, and conservation delivery with monitoring and research in an adaptive resource management framework (i.e., strategic habitat conservation) to create the biological-science and conservation-partnership base which will allow the joint venture partners to pool resources for regional projects in critical habitats for priority bird species.