Restoring Tribal Priority Fish Passage through Barrier Removal under the IIJA | NOAA NMFS HCPO 2022 2007193

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS HCPO 2022 2007193

Restoring Tribal Priority Fish Passage through Barrier Removal under the IIJA is a discretionary federal grant program run by the Department of Commerce through NOAA (specifically NOAA Fisheries and the NOAA Restoration Center's Community-based Restoration Program). Its core purpose is to provide both financial and technical support to Indian tribes, tribal commissions, and tribal consortia so they can remove or fix barriers that block native migratory or sea-run fish from reaching important habitat. The program is grounded in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, Public Law 117-58), and it is designed to translate infrastructure dollars into tangible ecological and community outcomes by reopening rivers, streams, and connected habitats that fish need to spawn, rear, and migrate.

The program places a strong emphasis on outcomes that can be clearly demonstrated and that last over time. Applicants are expected to align their proposals with one or more of four main priorities: delivering measurable benefits for migratory fish populations; advancing barrier removal efforts that are tribally important and directly benefit migratory fish; improving community resilience to climate-related hazards while generating additional co-benefits; and building tribal organizational capacity so tribes can more effectively lead, manage, and participate in fish passage work as stewards of tribal trust resources for cultural, spiritual, subsistence, economic, and recreational purposes. In other words, NOAA is looking for projects that do more than just modify a structure; the projects should restore connectivity in a way that supports fisheries, ecosystem health, and tribal needs and responsibilities.

Proposals are also expected to clearly describe how the work connects to one or more specific national and regional fishery and conservation goals. These include helping recover species listed under the Endangered Species Act, sustaining or rebuilding fish stocks managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, improving fish passage for native Great Lakes species, strengthening the sustainability of saltwater recreational fisheries, and reducing climate hazards by addressing aging or risky infrastructure (with added benefits such as improved watershed function). The opportunity also explicitly allows projects that support surrender of hydroelectric licenses in order to remove dams that no longer make economic sense or provide meaningful public benefits, recognizing that full removal is sometimes the most effective and durable path to restoring passage.

The types of activities that can be funded span the full life cycle of fish passage projects. Funding can support early-stage development such as feasibility studies and future project planning, as well as engineering and design, permitting, and actual on-the-ground implementation like barrier removal or fish passage restoration. The program also supports pre- and post-project monitoring to document results, along with stakeholder engagement, outreach, and education. A notable feature is that this opportunity is not limited to construction; it also supports building tribal organizational capacity to plan and carry out both current and future fish passage efforts, which can include strengthening staffing, coordination, and technical capability tied to barrier removal work.

Projects can be proposed for a single site or for multiple locations, and multi-site proposals are acceptable as long as the applicant explains how those sites work together to advance priority outcomes within a watershed or broader geographic area. This approach allows applicants to propose coordinated strategies, such as addressing multiple barriers in a connected system to create a larger cumulative benefit for fish movement and habitat access.

Awards are made as cooperative agreements rather than standard grants, meaning NOAA expects to have substantial involvement during implementation (often through technical collaboration, coordination, and shared problem-solving). NOAA anticipated most projects would run for a three-year period of performance, with the possibility of structuring awards across multiple years. Applicants generally need to estimate funding needs for years two and three in the proposal, while understanding that final out-year amounts depend on future appropriations and satisfactory progress toward milestones.

On funding size, NOAA anticipated typical federal awards in the range of about $500,000 to $2 million over three years, with strict minimum and maximum request levels. Applications requesting less than $300,000 in total federal funding would not be accepted, and the total request cannot exceed $5 million for the entire award. The opportunity (NOAA NMFS HCPO 2022 2007193; CFDA 11.463) expected to make around 15 awards. Eligibility is limited to federally recognized tribal governments and other eligible Native American tribal organizations, consistent with the program's focus on supporting tribal leadership in restoring fish passage and revitalizing fisheries and associated cultural and community benefits.

• The Department of Commerce in the infrastructure investment and jobs act (iija) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Restoring Tribal Priority Fish Passage through Barrier Removal under the IIJA" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.463.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 14, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 29, 2022. (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 $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments).

Apply for NOAA NMFS HCPO 2022 2007193

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