Tribal and Territory Grants: Diesel Emissions Reduction Act

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Now Open: 2024 Tribal and Territory Notice of Funding Opportunity

Update: The DERA Tribal and Territory Grants program was formerly known as the DERA Tribal and Insular Area Grants program, and the program name changed in FY2024 in response to partner feedback. All corresponding materials will reflect this name change moving forward. Please note that EPA did not offer a DERA Tribal and Territory funding opportunity program during calendar year 2023. The upcoming 2024 DERA Tribal and Territory NOFO is the first funding opportunity since the FY2022 DERA Tribal and Insular Area NOFO.

Applications will be accepted from federally recognized Tribal governments (or intertribal consortia), Alaska Native Villages, or government agencies of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which have jurisdiction over transportation or air quality.

EPA anticipates awarding approximately $9 million in DERA funding under this announcement. A total of $8 million will be made available to Tribal governments (or intertribal consortia) and Alaska Native Villages, and $1 million will be made available to territory governments. EPA anticipates awarding twelve to eighteen grants or cooperative agreements to Tribal governments (or intertribal consortia) and Alaska Native Villages and three to five grants or cooperative agreements to territory governments.

The 2024 DERA Tribal and Territory NOFO (pdf) (1.28 MB, May 2024) has no mandatory cost share requirement. The amount of federal funding requested per application by the Tribal governments (or intertribal consortia) or Alaska Native Villages must not exceed $800,000, and the amount requested per application by the territory government entities must not exceed $400,000. Applications requesting in excess of these amounts will be rejected. Each applicant may submit up to two applications.

Although funding for both Tribes and territories is planned under this single NOFO, the applications will be competed separately. Tribal applications will be reviewed, ranked and selected by one review panel, and territory applications will be reviewed, ranked and selected by a separate review panel. EPA’s ten Regional Offices will manage awards. The number and size of grants or cooperative agreements made under this announcement are subject to the availability of funds, the quality of applications received, and other considerations.

Apply now on Grants.gov: EPA-OAR-OTAQ-24-02 DERA Tribal and Territory Grants Competition.

Important Dates

Activity Date

Now Open: 2024 DERA Tribal and Territory Notice of Funding Opportunity

 Tuesday, May 7th, 2024
Information Session Webinars
DERA Tribal and Territory NOFO Webinar Slides (pdf) (1017.31 KB, May 2024) 		Webinar 1: Wednesday, May 22, 2024 (2:00PM – 3:00PM ET)
Meeting ID: 264 046 810 742
Passcode: GvhmpH
Webinar 2: Tuesday, June 18, 2024 (7:00PM – 8:00PM ET)
Meeting ID: 266 234 269 447
Passcode: kMZQny
Webinar 3: Thursday, August 15, 2024 (2:00PM – 3:00PM ET)
Meeting ID: 285 414 464 963
Passcode: W6QmuJ
Webinar 4: Wednesday, October 16, 2024 (7:00PM – 8:00PM ET)
Meeting ID: 291 384 886 803
Passcode: DSqnHY
Webinar 5: Wednesday, November 13, 2024 (2:00PM – 3:00PM ET)
Meeting ID: 291 547 815 906
Passcode: Aq95gi
Deadline for Submission of Questions Friday, November 8th, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET
Deadline for Applications Friday, December 6th, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET
Anticipated Notification of Selected Applicants February 2025 to March 2025
Anticipated Funding of Awards May 2025 to June 2025

Supporting Information for NOFO

See the documents below for supporting information for the 2024 Tribal and Territory Grants NOFO. Information for past funding opportunities can be found on the Past Program Documents page.

Application Submission Documents:

Supporting Information for Applicants:

Supporting Documentation for Grantees:

Questions and Answers

Applicants may submit questions regarding the 2024 Tribal and Territory Notice of Funding Opportunity at [email protected]. Please include “Tribal and Territory NOFO” in the subject line. All applicants are encouraged to review the 2024 Tribal and Territory Grants Questions & Answers (pdf) (352.19 KB, November 8, 2024) for further clarification of the NOFO. The deadline for submitting questions via email is Friday, November 8th, at 11:59 PM (ET). The final posting of the questions and answers document will be Friday, November 29th. All questions and answers, including those from all webinar information sessions, will be added to this document.

Eligible Applicants

Under this solicitation, only Tribal governments (or intertribal consortia), Alaska Native Villages, or territory government agencies which have jurisdiction over transportation or air quality, are eligible to apply for assistance, in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 16131 and Assistance Listing 66.039.

Tribal governments are defined as Federally recognized Indian Tribal governments, which are any Indian Tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community (including Alaska Native Villages) certified by the Secretary of the Interior as eligible for the special programs and services provided through the Bureau of Indian Affairs as well as any organization or intertribal consortium that represents Federally recognized tribes.

Intertribal consortium is defined as a partnership between two or more eligible Tribal governments as defined above, that is authorized by the governing bodies of those Tribes to apply for and receive assistance under this program. Intertribal consortia are eligible to receive assistance under this program only if the consortium demonstrates that all members of the consortium meet the eligibility requirements for the program and authorize the consortium to apply for and receive assistance by submitting to EPA documentation of (1) the existence of the partnership between Indian Tribal governments, and (2) authorization of the consortium by all its members to apply for and receive the assistance.

Territories include the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, as defined in 48 U.S.C. §1469a. 

Please refer to the full NOFO for specific information about this competition.

Eligible Uses of Funding

Eligible diesel emissions reduction solutions include verified retrofit technologies, verified idle reduction technologies, verified aerodynamic technologies, verified low rolling resistance tires, certified engine replacements and conversions, and certified vehicle or equipment replacement.

Eligible diesel vehicles, engines and equipment may include:

  • Marine engines on fishing and other vessels
  • Nonroad engines, equipment, or vehicles used in construction, handling of cargo (including at ports or airports), agriculture, mining, or energy production (including stationary generators and pumps)
  • School buses
  • Electrified parking spaces
  • Heavy duty highway vehicles, such as dump trucks, water trucks, fire trucks
  • Locomotive Engines

For more examples of previously funded projects, see Awarded Grants. For specific information about eligible uses of funding for this competition, refer to the full NOFO.

Application Process

Application packages must be submitted electronically to EPA through Grants.gov by the deadline to be considered for funding. Specifically, the Grants.gov registration process requires that your organization have a Unique Entity Identifier (previously known as the DUNS number) and a current registration with the System for Award Management (SAM.gov); the process of obtaining both could take a month or more for new registrants.

Potential applicants without a Grants.gov account are encouraged to initiate the Grants.gov registration process well ahead of the deadline for funding since the registration process can take a month or more.

Organizations applying to this funding opportunity must have an active the System for Award Management registration. If you have never done business with the Federal Government, you will need to register your organization in SAM.gov. If you do not have a SAM.gov account, then you will create an account using the government sign in service (login.gov) to complete your System for Award Management registration. The registration is FREE. The process for entity registrations includes obtaining Unique Entity ID (UEI), a 12-character alphanumeric ID assigned an entity by SAM.gov, and requires assertions, representations and certifications, and other information about your organization. Please review the Entity Registration Checklist for details on this process. It is recommended to begin the System for Award Management registration process prior to applying to this grant competition; registration may take more than a month to complete.

Applicants with existing Grants.gov accounts are encouraged to check the status of your System for Award Management account and address any account issues in advance of applying. Please note that System for Award Management registrations do expire, and inactive accounts must re-register to be able to submit an application. If you have done business with the Federal Government previously, you can check your entity status using your government issued UEI to determine if your registration is active. The System for Award Management requires you renew your registration every 365 days to keep it active. Applicants must ensure that all registration requirements are met in order to apply for this opportunity through Grants.gov and should ensure that all such requirements have been met well in advance of the application submission deadline.

All applications must now be submitted through Grants.gov using the “Workspace” feature. Information on the Workspace feature can be found at the Grants.gov Workspace Overview Page. For more information on the registration requirements that must be completed in order to submit an application through Grants.gov, click on “Applicants” on the top of the page, and then click the “Get Registered” link on the page. Contact the Federal Service Desk for help with your System for Award Management account, to resolve technical issues or chat with a help desk agent: (866) 606-8220. The Federal Service desk hours of operation are Monday – Friday 8am – 8pm ET.

Tools and Resources for Applicants

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Last updated on November 8, 2024