DOI Federal Grants — A Guide for Applicants
Interior administers grants supporting tribal governments, public-lands stewardship, fish and wildlife conservation, historic preservation, and outdoor recreation. The largest grant streams flow to tribes through the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education, plus to state wildlife agencies and historic preservation offices.
Sub-agencies and bureaus that grant-make
- Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) — Tribal Government Operations, Tribal Social Services, Tribal Justice Systems, Tribal Transportation.
- Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) — BIE-funded school operations, tribal education capacity.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) — State Wildlife Grants, Tribal Wildlife Grants, Recovery Land Acquisition, Coastal Wetlands.
- National Park Service (NPS) — Historic Preservation Fund, Land and Water Conservation Fund (state outdoor recreation), Save America's Treasures, African American Civil Rights.
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM) — Cooperative Conservation Initiative; Native American consultation grants.
- Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement — Abandoned Mine Land grants.
Top CFDAs administered by DOI
- CFDA 15.025 — Services to Indian Children, Elderly and Families
- CFDA 15.042 — Indian School Equalization Program
- CFDA 15.628 — Multistate Conservation Grant Program
- CFDA 15.904 — Historic Preservation Fund Grants-In-Aid
- CFDA 15.916 — Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning (LWCF)
Typical applicants
Federally recognized tribal governments and tribal organizations, state historic preservation offices (SHPOs), tribal historic preservation offices (THPOs), state wildlife agencies, state outdoor-recreation grantees, 501(c)(3) conservation and historic-preservation nonprofits, and units of local government.
Application strategy specific to DOI
Most DOI grants are pass-throughs from state offices (SHPO, state wildlife agency, state LWCF) — engage your state agency early. Direct tribal grants through BIA and BIE require federally recognized tribal status (or designated tribal-organization status); urban Indian organizations and state-recognized tribes have narrower eligibility windows. Conservation grants (FWS, BLM) increasingly favor partnerships with tribal co-stewardship plans.
Common pitfalls
DOI grants for construction or land acquisition trigger Section 106 historic-review and NEPA environmental-review obligations — substantial pre-award lead times. Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA / 638) contracts are a separate funding mechanism from competitive grants and have specific procedural requirements. State pass-through priorities vary substantially by administration.
Related agency guides
Audience guides that cover DOI funding
Always verify in the official source. Agency structures, funding levels, and program priorities shift across administrations. The authoritative sources are the agency's grants page itself and the NOFO documents at grants.gov. This page is editorial reference, not an official agency notice.