Native American Affairs: Fiscal Year 2025 Colorado River Basin Tribal Drought Resiliency Program
Funding supports drought relief and water-resilience projects for specifically named federally recognized Colorado River Basin tribes to mitigate drought impacts and related water shortages or losses.
RESTRICTED TO: TRIBAL ENTITIES
⚑ Only the listed Colorado River Basin federally recognized tribes are eligible applicants · Maximum award per tribe: $1,000,000 · No statutory cost share required, but partnering/collaboration including cost sharing is encouraged · Projects with enacted Indian Water Rights Settlements may not be eligible due to settlement uniqueness
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 25 weak | prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
| IPPRA | 15 none | university cannot apply directly (ineligible) |
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 15 none | university cannot apply directly (ineligible) |
Description
The objectives of this NAA/TAP funding opportunity are to provide funding for drought relief actions/projects that mitigate drought impacts for designated federally recognized tribes within the Colorado River Basin (see Eligibility section for list of tribes), and which advance Presidential and Department of the Interior Priorities within the Basin.Proposals should meet one or more of the following objectives:Mitigate drought impacts,Increase drought resiliency,Reduce reliance on declining water sources,Increase the efficiency of water deliveries,Mitigate the loss of tribal water or water related resources,Address drinking water shortages or,Advance Presidential or Department of the Interior Priorities in these areasReclamation Plans to make Fiscal Year 2025 funds available for proposals selected for this NOFO:Maximum award per tribe: $1,000,000No cost share is statutorily required; however, partnering and collaboration, including through cost sharing, is encouraged.The NAA/TAP demonstrably advances Trump administration priorities, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14154 (January 20, 2025): Unleashing American Energy (E.O. 14154) and Secretarial Order 3418, and aligns with other priorities and requirements, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14332 (August 7, 2025): Improving Oversight in Federal Grantmaking (E.O. 14332).
Eligibility
To be considered for this program, applicants will meet all the following eligibility requirements:The tribe must be one of the following federally recognized tribes, as defined in 25 U.S.C. Section 5304, designated Colorado River Basin tribes: Ak-Chin Indian Community; Chemehuevi Indian Tribe; Cocopah Indian Tribe; Colorado River Indian Tribes; Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation; Fort Mojave Indian Tribe; Fort Yuma - Quechan Tribe; Gila River Indian Community; Havasupai Tribe; Hopi Tribe; Hualapai Tribe; Jicarilla Apache Nation; Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians; Las Vegas Paiute Tribe; Moapa Band of Paiute Indians; Navajo Nation; Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah; Pascua Yaqui Tribe; Pueblo of Zuni; Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community; San Carlos Apache Tribe; San Juan Southern Paiute; Southern Ute Indian Tribe; Tohono O'odham Nation; Tonto Apache Tribe; Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation; Ute Mountain Ute Tribe; White Mountain Apache Tribe; Yavapai-Apache Nation; and Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe, andThe proposed project must provide drought relief actions to mitigate adverse drought impacts in the Colorado River Basin.Any applicant with an enacted Indian Water Rights Settlement, should identify the settlement in their application and might not be eligible for an award under this NOFO due to the uniqueness of each settlement.Project activities not eligible for funding under this NOFO include, but are not limited to:Stand-alone Cultural or Feasibility studies (as defined under Reclamation law, which require express congressional authorization).Activities that lack definable products or deliverables.Specific employment positions within a tribe.Activities with a duration of more than 5 years from date of execution of a grant/cooperative agreement.Activities that generate data or analyses that have the potential to compromise any study or activities of a U.S. Department of the Interior (Department) Indian water rights negotiation or the Department of Justice in its pursuit of related Indian water rights claims.Activities related to non-Federal or non-tribal dams and associated structures.Activities providing funding for the administration of contracts or agreements under P.L. 93-638.Purchase of equipment as the sole purpose of the activity.Water purchases including the purchase or leasing of water rights or water shares.Activities in direct support of litigation of any kind.Activities that will obligate Reclamation to provide, or are not sustainable unless Reclamation does provide, on-going funding, such as an obligation to provide future funding for operation, maintenance, or replacement.Biological activities such as:fisheries work (including collection, analysis and evaluation of background data);habitat restoration unless directly related to water quality and quantity; andecosystem based activities such as biological surveys, air quality monitoring, and watershed-scale management.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: Bureau of Reclamation <bor-sha-fafoa@usbr.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · Federal (generic) conventions SEE A FEDERAL EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — Federal (generic)'s document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.