NOFO: Environmental Regulatory Enhancement Grant Program (US)

Deadline: 14-Apr-25

The Administration for Children and Families, Administration for Native Americans has announced the availability of 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 goal of the ERE Program is to empower tribal and Alaska Native communities to manage lands, water, and air in their regions.

Funding Information

• Estimated Total Program Funding: $2,000,000
• Award Ceiling: $900,000
• Award Floor: $100,000
• Maximum award amount is dependent on the project and budget period:
  • 12-month project has a $300,000 ceiling.
  • 24-month project has a $600,000 ceiling.
  • 36-month project has a $900,000 ceiling.
• Project and budget periods can be 12 months, 24 months, or 36 months.

Eligible Activities

• Projects funded through this opportunity focus on one or more of the following activities:
  • Strengthening environmental regulatory programs.
  • Integrating traditional ecological knowledge into program administration to advance historic preservation.
  • Advancing the management and co-management of lands.
  • Addressing climate change.
  • Promoting environmental justice.

Ineligible Projects

• Additionally, the following projects ineligible for funding under this NOFO:
  • Providing third-party training and technical assistance to other tribes or Native American organizations or to non-members of the recipient organization.
  • Feasibility studies, business plans, marketing plans, or written materials such as manuals that are not an essential part of the applicant’s long- range development plan.
  • Ongoing administration functions that are not related to the proposed project.
  • Ongoing social service delivery programs or the expansion, or continuation, of existing social service delivery programs.
  • Projects that do not further the three interrelated ANA goals of economic development, social development, and cultural preservation.
  • Projects from consortia of tribes that do not include documentation from each participating consortium member specifying their role and support.
  • Projects from consortia must have goals and objectives that will encompass the participating communities. ANA will not fund projects by a consortium of tribes that duplicate activities for which participating member tribes also receive funding from ANA.

Ineligible Costs

• They do not allow the following costs under this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO):
  • Construction.
  • Purchase of real property.
  • Major renovation.

Expected Outcomes

• Outcomes can include, but are not limited to, increases in capacity and changes in knowledge, awareness, attitudes, skills, or behaviors. Outcomes can be the same or different for each objective.
• Identify an outcome for each objective.
• Show clear connections between the outcomes, the current community condition, project goal, and objectives.
• An example outcome is: “Tribal members will be engaged in improving the environmental health of their community through recycling efforts.”

Eligibility Criteria

• These types of organizations may apply:
  • Federally recognized Indian tribes, as recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
  • Incorporated non-federally recognized tribes.
  • Incorporated state-recognized Indian tribes.
  • Other tribal or village organizations or consortia of Indian tribes.
  • Nonprofit Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Associations in Alaska with village-specific projects.
  • Nonprofit Alaska Native community entities or tribal governing bodies (Indian Reorganization Act or Traditional Councils), as recognized by the BIA.
  • Alaska Native villages, as defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and/or nonprofit village consortia.
  • Individuals, including sole proprietorships, and foreign entities are not eligible.

Ineligibility Criteria

• They will review your application to make sure it meets these responsiveness requirements.
• They won’t consider an application that:
  • Requests funding above the award ceiling.
  • Is from an individual, including a sole proprietorship, or a foreign entity.
  • Is received in paper format that didn’t have a previously approved exemption from ACF.
  • Is from an applicant organization that has an active ANA award with the same Assistance Listing number as this NOFO that will go beyond the start date of a possible new award.
  • Is from an applicant organization that failed to meet or document the Assurance of Community Representation on Board of Directors.

Application Requirements

• Required format
• Page limit for the application is: 100 pages. They have clearly marked in the application checklist all components that are not included in this page limit.
• File format: Portable Document Format (PDF) is recommended, but not required.
• ACF supports the following file formats when you attach files to the Project Narrative Attachment form and the Other Attachments form:
  • Accepted file formats
    • Adobe PDF (.pdf)
    • Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)
    • Microsoft Excel (.xls or .xlsx)
    • Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt)
    • Image formats (.JPG, .GIF, .TIFF, or .BMP only)
  • Document formats
    • Paper size: 8 ½ inches x 11 inches
    • Margins: 1 inch all around
    • Language: English
    • If possible, include page numbers.
    • Do not include external links to information you want reviewers to assess because reviewers will score the application solely on information provided in the application.
  • Fonts
    • Font: Times New Roman
    • Color: Black
    • Size: 12-point font
    • Footnotes and text in tables and graphics may be 10-point.
  • Spacing
    • Table of contents: Must be single-spaced
    • Project summary: Must be single-spaced
    • Project narrative: Must be double-spaced
    • Line-item budget and budget narrative: Can be single-spaced
    • Attachments: Can be single-spaced
    • Tables and footnotes throughout: Can be single-spaced
  • Project summary
    • Provide a one-page summary of the project description. Do not cross-reference to other parts of your application. The summary must include:
      • At the top, the project title, applicant name, address, phone numbers, email addresses, and any website URL.
      • A brief description of the project, including the needs and population you will address, and your proposed services.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.