Mark Twain National Forest would like to share two grant opportunities being offered at a national level. These grants have strong intersection potential with the Forest’s many partners, visitors, and surrounding communities.
“Supporting local communities is essential to the success of the U.S. Forest Service, and the Mark Twain National Forest’s Collaboration Program strives to connect agency resources with community partners in order to accomplish shared goals,” said Lenore Lamb, Acting Forest Supervisor.
Grant opportunity 1— Get Active!
Do you wish there was a safe way to walk or bicycle to public lands near you? Do you live in an area where you wish your kids could walk or ride a bicycle to town or school but there is no safe option to do so? This grant opportunity is something you could share with your city council or county commissioners.
The Federal Highway Administration's Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) Notice of Funding Opportunity is now open for applications. ATIIP is a new competitive grant program created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to plan, design, and construct infrastructure that will provide substantial additional opportunities for walking, bicycling, and other forms of active transportation.
The Federal Highways Administration shared that the safety of vulnerable road users is of utmost importance and this funding will help improve connectivity. It will also address barriers to safe, accessible, and equitable pedestrian and bicycle networks, especially in disadvantaged communities and those where many people rely on public transportation.
Active transportation mobility options are those powered primarily by human energy, such as bicycling and walking, and provide positive health impacts. ATIIP will fund projects to plan, design, or construct networks of safe and connected active transportation facilities that connect destinations within communities or metropolitan regions, including schools, workplaces, residences, businesses, recreation areas, medical facilities, and other community areas. Grants will also fund projects to plan, design, and construct active transportation spines, facilities that connect between communities, metropolitan regions, or States. A goal of both types of ATIIP grants is to integrate active transportation facilities with transit services, where available, to improve access to public transportation.
Eligible applicants include local or regional governmental organizations, including metropolitan planning organizations or regional planning organization or councils; multicounty special districts; States; a multistate group of governments; or Indian tribes.
The deadline for applications is 11:59 p.m. (EDT) Monday, June 17, 2024. For more information, please visit the ATIIP website, attend one of the upcoming webinars detailed below, or ask questions directly by emailing atiip@dot.gov. Webinar attendees must register in advance to attend one of the sessions on April 9 and on April 10. Both webinars will be recorded and posted on the ATIIP website.
Grant Opportunity 2 – Working Together to Care for Nature
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s America the Beautiful Challenge Grant request for proposals is now available!
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), through anticipated cooperative agreements from the Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Defense (DOD), and the Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is releasing the America the Beautiful Challenge (ATBC) 2024 Request for Proposals (RFP). The ATBC vision is to streamline grant funding opportunities for new voluntary conservation and restoration projects throughout the United States. This RFP consolidates funding from multiple federal agencies and the private sector to enable applicants to conceive and develop large-scale, locally led projects that address shared funder priorities spanning public, Tribal, and private lands.
In year three of the ATBC, approximately $119 million will be awarded in nationwide funding to conserve, connect, and restore the lands, waters, and wildlife upon which we all depend. The ATBC seeks to fund projects across the following themes:
• Conserving and restoring rivers, coasts, wetlands, and watersheds
• Conserving and restoring forests, grasslands and important ecosystems that serve as carbon sinks
• Connecting and reconnecting wildlife corridors, large landscapes, watersheds, and seascapes
• Improving ecosystem and community resilience to flooding, drought, and other climate-related threats
• Expanding access to the outdoors, particularly in underserved communities
Collectively, these themes invite applicants to develop landscape-level ATBC proposals that address conservation and public access needs with cumulative benefits to fish and wildlife, enhanced carbon sequestration and storage, benefits to and engagement with underserved communities, and protection of ecosystems through resilience-focused and nature-based solutions.
This RFP consolidates funding from multiple federal agencies and the private sector to enable applicants to conceive and develop large-scale, locally led projects that address shared funder priorities spanning public, Tribal, and private lands. Grant pre-proposals are due April 4, 2024, and a recording of the applicant webinar can be found online. Awards are expected to be announced in November 2024.
Stay in touch!
Whether it is about these grants or about other partnership opportunities, Mark Twain National Forest values your feedback. If you have ideas to share about how the Forest can work with your community or organization, or have any questions, please contact Christopher Stockdale, Planning and Collaboration Staff Officer, at christopher.stockdale@usda.gov.
