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Native American Affairs: Emergency Drought Relief for Tribes Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, Section 80004 (Select States) - FY 2025

Agency: U.S. Department of Interior
CFDA: 15.519
Federal FON: R25AS00275
Office: Bureau of Reclamation Native American Affairs and International Affairs Office (NAIAO)
Multipart Grant: No
Next Due: 10/14/2025 (Application)
Solicitation Date: 07/08/2025
   
Match Required: No
Actual Funds: $9,000,000 (Estimated)
Award Range: $50,000 (Min) / $2,000,000 (Max)
Number of Awards: 10 (Estimated)
Summary:

The purpose of this program is to provide emergency drought relief for federally recognized Indian tribes for near-term drought relief actions to mitigate drought impacts for tribes that are impacted by the operation of the funding agency's water projects. Projects will assist eligible tribes in developing, managing, and protecting their water and related resources to mitigate the adverse impacts of droughts.

Projects may:

  • Mitigate drought impacts
  • Increase drought resiliency
  • Reduce reliance on declining water sources
  • Increase the efficiency of water deliveries
  • Mitigate the loss of water and related tribal trust resources
  • Address drinking water shortages

Applicants must describe in the application the specific need to be addressed by the proposed drought relief activity, including the current or historic drought conditions in the tribal or project area, such as drinking water supplies and the loss of tribal trust resources. Applicants must clearly indicate how the project will strengthen or improve the tribe’s ability to relieve drought impacts and protect, manage, and/or develop its water and related resources.

Applicants must also describe in the application the expected benefits of the proposed drought mitigation activity related to the protection, management, and/or development of tribal water and related resources. Examples of expected project results include:

  • Increasing the availability, reliability, or efficient use of water supplies
  • Protecting, restoring, or improving a water related tribal trust resource
  • Developing alternative sources of water supply, including water treatment, storing water, and/or recharging groundwater supplies, and regulatory compliance
  • Strengthening tribal water resource management capability
  • Completing a study, investigation, plan, or water resource inventory addressing drought, drinking water supplies, or tribal trust resources
  • Improving tribal water and related resource facilities to mitigate the impact of drought

Eligibility is limited to applicants in the 17 western states identified in the Reclamation Act, which are Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Last Updated: July 09, 2025

Eligibility Notes:

Eligible applicants are federally recognized Native American tribal governments, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations.

Applicants must be located in the 17 western states identified in the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902. The 17 eligible states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Applicants with an enacted Indian Water Rights Settlement should identify the settlement in the application and may not be eligible for an award due to the uniqueness of each settlement.

Previous award recipients include:

  • LaPosta Band of Diequeno Mission Indians (CA)
  • Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation (WA)
  • Southern Ute Indian Tribe (CO)
  • The Chickasaw Nation (OK)
  • Fort Belknap Indian Community (MT)

Refer to the Award file for additional information on previous award recipients.

Eligible Applicants:
Native American Tribe
Tribal Organizations/Institutions
Application Notes:

Applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. MT on October 14, 2025.

Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov, or emailed, mailed, or delivered to the appropriate address provided in the Contact section. Applicants that intend to submit a hard-copy application must contact Courtney Mathews using the information provided in the Contact section by 2:00 p.m. MT on the application due date to confirm the hard-copy submission. Emailed submissions must include the information listed on page 13 of the NOFA file in the subject line and body of the email.

Applications must include:

  • SF 424
  • SF 424A
  • SF LLL (if applicable)
  • Project abstract summary
  • Project narrative (10 pages max):
    • Title page
    • Table of contents
    • Executive summary
    • Project location
    • Background/problem statement
    • Need for activity
    • Anticipated results/benefits
    • Technical project description
    • Budget narrative
  • Conflict of interest and unresolved matters disclosures (if applicable)
  • Overlap or duplication of effort statement

The project narrative must be formatted on standard-sized, numbered pages with one-inch margins using an easily readable 12-point font. Oversized pages will not be accepted.

The following are required in order to submit an application:

  • Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
  • SAM (System for Award Management) registration

Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam.

Applications will be evaluated using the following criteria:

  • Project need (30 points)
  • Project benefits (30 points)
  • Project implementation (30 points)

Refer to the NOFA file for additional application information.

Match Required: No
Actual Funds: $9,000,000 (Estimated)
Award Range: $50,000 (Min) / $2,000,000 (Max)
Number of Awards: 10 (Estimated)
Match Notes:

Matching funds are not required for this program; however, applicants should detail in the application any nonfederal cash and/or in-kind contributions.

Funding Notes:

An estimated $9 million is available to support an expected ten grant or cooperative agreement awards ranging from $50,000 to $2 million through this program.

Award notifications are anticipated to be provided in early 2026.

The project period is anticipated to be from March 10, 2026, to March 10, 2028.

Pre-award costs are incurred at the applicant’s risk and subject to funding agency approval.

Applicants may not perform any ground-disturbing activities on a project before environmental and cultural resources compliance is complete.

For FY 2024, a total of $9.2 million was distributed via 25 awards ranging from $62,015 to $500,000 through this program. Refer to the Award file for details.

Contacts:

Courtney Mathews
Native American Affairs Advisor
(541) 887-9107
cmathews@usbr.gov

Mailing Address
Bureau of Reclamation
Financial Assistance Operations Section
Attn: NOFO Team
P.O. Box 25007, MS 84-27133
Denver, CO 80225

Delivery Address
Bureau of Reclamation Mail Services
Attn: NOFO Team
Denver Federal Center
Bldg. 67, Rm. 152
6th Avenue and Kipling Street
Denver, CO 80225

Contact Notes:

Questions should be directed to Courtney Mathews, or to the appropriate regional Native American affairs coordinator listed on pages 3-4 of the NOFA file.

Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov, emailed to [email protected], or mailed or delivered to the appropriate address provided.

Files:
NOFA File: US17068_NOFA_FY2025.pdf (155.6 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17068_Budget_FY2025.xlsx (75.6 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17068_FAQ_FY2025.pdf (211.8 Kb)
Award File: US17068_Award_FY2025.pdf (343.8 Kb)
Guide File: US17068_Guide_FY2025.zip (535.3 Kb)
Federal Forms:
SF 424 (144.4 Kb)
SF 424A (131.6 Kb)
SF LLL (98.7 Kb)
File Notes:

The NOFA file contains the full solicitation for this program. The Guide folder contains detailed application and budget instructions. The Budget file contains the required budget form for submission. The FAQ file contains a list of answers to frequently asked questions regarding this program. The Award file contains information on previous award recipients. The attached federal forms may be used if submitting an emailed or hard-copy application.

July 9, 2025
Full solicitation information for this program has been released and attached as the NOFA file. All sections have been updated accordingly.

Grant Keywords
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Grant Categories
Community Development
Environment/Natural Resources
Water Supply/Quality