Office of Native Hawaiian Relations: Native Hawaiian Community International Traditional Knowledge Project | F21AS00427

Opportunity Information: Apply for F21AS00427

The Office of Native Hawaiian Relations: Native Hawaiian Community International Traditional Knowledge Project (Funding Opportunity Number F21AS00427) is a discretionary grant program run through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (CFDA 15.664) that was launched as a pilot effort to help Native Hawaiian organizations build international, Pacific-focused partnerships centered on traditional knowledge exchange. The core idea is to support respectful, practical sharing between the Native Hawaiian Community and other indigenous communities across the Pacific (specifically outside the United States and U.S. Territories) so communities can learn from one another about stewardship, resilience, and adaptation strategies for lands, waters, and related natural and cultural resources as climate change pressures increase and invasive species expand their impacts.

A major emphasis of this opportunity is invasive species management, especially invasive wildlife that can be viewed in complex ways by communities: on one hand, some invasive animals may be used as subsistence food sources; on the other hand, they can damage habitats and threaten native species. The grant is designed to support work that helps communities navigate that tension by improving approaches to management and control in ways that protect ecosystems and cultural practices. Another closely related focus is the protection of native species, including endemic and indigenous species, and their habitats, with the goal of reducing losses caused by invasive species and wildlife diseases. Projects can target terrestrial environments and/or aquatic environments, including marine and freshwater areas, as long as the work is tied to habitats in the Pacific region that are being impacted by invasive species and the project involves collaboration between the Native Hawaiian Community and a foreign indigenous partner community.

Eligibility is limited to specific Native Hawaiian-led entities. Applicants must be either Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHOs) as defined under the National Historic Preservation Act and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or Homestead Associations and Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA) Beneficiary Associations (collectively called HBAs) as defined in 43 CFR Parts 47 and 48. The funding notice points out that an active registration on the Department of the Interior Office of Native Hawaiian Relations NHO List or HBA List can be used in the application as evidence that the applicant meets the relevant legal definition. Applicants are expected to show they have the capacity and experience to carry out the program approach described in the solicitation, including successfully developing and implementing a three-phase program referenced in the Required Tasks section.

Several practical requirements are highlighted. The applicant must be able to document a real relationship or planned engagement with the foreign indigenous community by providing a Letter of Interest/Support from the leader or leaders of that partner community. The applicant organization must have a current DUNS number. In addition, any NHO or HBA participants whose involvement is paid for with grant funds must be members of an NHO or HBA and must be U.S. citizens, which is an important compliance detail for planning travel, exchanges, or participant support.

In terms of funding parameters and timing, the opportunity had an application closing date of June 16, 2021, and listed an award ceiling of $100,000. The activity category is Natural Resources, which matches the program’s practical focus on ecosystem stewardship, invasive species impacts, and the protection of native biodiversity, while still centering indigenous knowledge systems and community-to-community exchange as the main vehicle for achieving those outcomes.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Native Hawaiian Relations: Native Hawaiian Community International Traditional Knowledge Project" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.664.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-04-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-06-16. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for F21AS00427

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