U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary of Insular and International Affairs Doug Domenech has announced that the grant application process to apply for funding through the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) is open. Funding applications may now be submitted through March 1, 2019, under the Technical Assistance Program, the Maintenance Assistance Program and the Brown Tree Snake Program.
“Secretary Ryan Zinke is committed to the insular areas and maintains his priority goals to (1) restore trust and be a good neighbor, (2) ensure insular area sovereignty means something, and (3) protect our people and the border,” said Domenech. “We encourage quality applications that may align with these broad priorities and will provide programs and activities to benefit and help people in these areas.”
OIA grant programs are intended for the benefit of the U.S. territories of Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands as well as the freely associated states of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau. Those eligible to apply may generally be non-federal entities such as local government agencies, local hospitals/health centers, local utilities or institutes of higher education (Guam); however, for specific details on eligibility, refer to specific program instructions on the website at https://www.doi.gov/oia/financial-assistance
Technical Assistance Program – short-term projects intended to meet the immediate needs of the insular areas in a wide range of funding priorities including, but not limited to, projects that foster the development of the insular areas in accountability, financial management, economic development, education, energy production, management control initiatives, disaster assistance, natural and cultural resources, capacity building, public safety/emergencies, health initiatives and invasive species management.
Maintenance Assistance Program – to support, develop, improve and, as much as possible, institutionalize infrastructure maintenance practices in the seven insular areas.
The submission deadline is March 1, 2019. Most funding will begin to be awarded once OIA receives full-year appropriations. OIA reviews grant applications and awards grants each year until funding is exhausted.
Instructions on How to Apply and specific information on the various programs funded through the Office of Insular Affairs may be found on the OIA website
The Coral Reef and Natural Resources initiative and the Energizing Island Communities programs are not currently open for applications. Updates and announcements will be made as soon as funding is available and OIA begins to accept applications, which is likely to be in early 2019.