#FundingFriday: Federal Grants from the Departments of Transportation, State, Interior, Justice, and Housing and Urban Development

The grant opportunities posted this week to Grants.gov showcase the wide range of public services and programs that federal funds support. Below are opportunities that fund training for handling hazardous materials, the conservation of endangered species, capacity-building for professionals in the civil and criminal justice system, and more.

1. Department of Transportation (DOT) – Hazmat Grants

The Hazardous Materials Transportation Uniform Safety Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-615), authorizes DOT to provide assistance to public sector employees through training and planning grants to States, Territories, and federally recognized Tribes for emergency response. The purpose of this grant program is to increase State, Territorial, Tribal, and local effectiveness in safely and efficiently handling hazardous materials incidents, enhance implementation of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA), and encourage a comprehensive approach to emergency training and planning by incorporating the unique challenges of responses to transportation situations.

2. Department of State – Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor – DRL Evaluation Innovation Fund: Democratizing Learning and Evaluation

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for projects that focus on improving evaluation skills and/or documenting evaluative evidence related to the improvement of democracy, human rights and labor programs overseas. Funding is contingent upon front office approval.

3. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service – Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund

Because more than half of all species currently listed as endangered or threatened spend at least part of their life cycle on privately owned lands, the Service recognizes that success in conserving species will ultimately depend on working cooperatively with landowners, communities, and tribes to foster voluntary stewardship efforts on private lands. States and Territories (hereafter, “States”) play a key role in catalyzing these efforts. A variety of tools are available under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to help States and landowners plan and implement projects to conserve species. The Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF) provides grants to States to participate in a wide array of voluntary conservation projects for candidate, listed, and recently recovered species.

4. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – Fiscal Year 2017 Supplemental Comprehensive Housing Counseling Grant Program

The purpose of HUD’s Housing Counseling Grant Program is to provide funds that shall be used for providing counseling and advice to tenants and homeowners, both current and prospective, with respect to property maintenance, financial management/ literacy, and such other matters as may be appropriate to assist them in improving their housing conditions, meeting their financial needs, and fulfilling the responsibilities of tenancy or homeownership. Funding is intended to support HUD-approved housing counseling agencies to respond flexibly to the needs of residents and neighborhoods, and deliver a wide variety of housing counseling services to homebuyers, homeowners, renters, and the homeless.

5. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) – Training and Technical Assistance Initiative Program

The primary purpose of the OVW Training and Technical Assistance (TA) Initiative is to provide direct TA to existing and potential grantees and sub-grantees to enhance and support their efforts to successfully implement projects supported by OVW grant funds. OVW’s TA is designed to build and enhance the national capacity of civil and criminal justice system professionals and victim services organizations to respond effectively to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking and foster partnerships among organizations that have not traditionally worked together to address violence against women.