November 15, 2024

AIHEC WEEKLY UPDATE

The Collective Spirit and Unifying Voice of our Nation's Tribal Colleges and Universities

HIGHLIGHTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

First Episode of Tribal Youth Resource Center Podcast Discusses Indigenous Culture

The OJJDP-funded Tribal Youth Resource Center (TYRC) Podcast has posted the first episode in its "Grandma Says ... Culture" series. This episode highlights the healing impact of Tribal culture, arts, and language on Tribal communities, youth programs, and justice-involved youth.

The podcast supports TYRC’s commitment to providing culturally relevant and trauma-informed training and technical assistance to OJJDP Tribal grantees and Tribal communities.

The Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance

EJ TCTACs are institutions and organizations throughout the country with a common goal: to support the communities already doing essential environmental and energy justice work. About | EJ TC TAC

Low-income communities and marginalized populations bear the brunt of climate change and environmental damage. Communities know what they need, but they often don’t have access to the opportunities or investments to make those solutions possible.

The EJ TCTACs are here to change that. Whether through guidance and training for grant writing, project management, or budgeting, the EJ TCTACs are ready to support eligible entities making their communities safer, healthier, and greener.

The Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program

Regions 2, 3, 8, and 10 are now open and accepting applications!

The Grantmakers will provide subgrants to community-based nonprofits and other eligible subrecipients for assessment, planning, and project development activities. Grantmakers will alleviate much of the burden that the federal grants process places on small, resource-constrained community-based organizations supporting underserved communities and marginalized populations. These 11 Grantmakers are a combination of community-based nonprofit organizations in potential partnerships with a federally recognized Tribal government or an institution of higher education. Grantmakers will design competitive application and submission processes, award environmental justice subgrants, implement a tracking and reporting system, provide resources and support to communities, all in collaboration with EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights.

For additional information: The Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program | US EPA

EVENTS & WEBINARS TO CHECK OUT

JOB/INTERNSHIP

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Internship Opportunity – Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program

The Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program offers students at all levels of higher education opportunities to work in government.

The Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program – U.S. Department of Agriculture, Tribal Agriculture and Food is a distinct paid opportunity for undergraduate, graduate, and law students to gain specialized career experience in the Office of Tribal Relations and with Department of Agriculture mission areas. Some focus areas for Summer 2025 interns include (1) nutrition, (2) Forest Service, (3) Indigenous Food Sovereignty, and (4) Tribal Community and Economic Development.

For information, please visit the Go Government website or the program one-pager.

Summer 2025 application deadline: November 22, 2024, by 11:59 pm EST.

FIND THESE AND OTHER JOBS HERE AT THE TRIBAL COLLEGE JOURNAL JOB BOARD

Current Reflections:

Stephen Wall on AI

TCU professor, author, and former chief judge of the Mescalero Apache Tribe discusses potential benefits and dangers of artificial intelligence.

Play audio

The Informative Speech

Our columnist shares the two necessities of every informative speech.

Tribal College Journal On Campus

Tribal College & University News Round-up

Other News

What does UConn owe Native forebears? CT flagship grapples with 'tragedy at the core' of its history

UNM researcher is advancing HIV Prevention and Health Equity for Native Americans

Tacoma Public Schools under fire after Native student told to ditch regalia at graduation

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED

USTR Seeks Applications for Appointment of Indigenous Representatives to the United States Observer Delegation to the Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade Cooperation Arrangement

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is accepting applications from individuals to serve as an Indigenous Peoples’ representative on the Observer delegation from the United States to the Partnership Council of the Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade Cooperation Arrangement (IPETCA).

USTR will consider qualified individuals of Indigenous groups in the United States, including American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. The foremost consideration for applicants is their ability to engage with U.S. government representatives to ensure robust participation by Indigenous Peoples in IPETCA meetings and activities, as appropriate. Full selection and eligibility criteria are provided in the Federal Register Notice linked below.

Applications Due December 6, 2024

Find more information here

The Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship aims to develop the next generation of community college presidents to lead colleges to higher and more equitable levels of student success, both in college and after graduation. Rooted in Aspen's extensive research, the program provides actionable frameworks to support transformational leadership, intensive mentoring from former and current college leaders, and opportunities for practical application. Applications are open November 4 through January 13. Visit as.pn/risingpresidents for more information.

All Tribal Colleges and Universities (as defined under 25 U.S.C. 1603 (24), (25), and (26)) as well as many other Tribal entities are eligible for the program irrespective of the other eligibility criteria.

The program is called Biomedical Research Environment & Sponsored Programs Administration Development (BRE-SPAD). The aim is to promote broad participation in biomedical research by supporting resource-limited institutions to conduct research, enhance their research environments, and increase sponsored programs administration capacity. Organizational eligibility for BRE-SPAD is restricted to resource-limited institutions as defined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity: PAR-24-268. The BRE-SPAD program webpage has guides and videos that highlight aspects of the program, assistance on how to determine eligibility, information on application preparation and submission, and a suggested list of things to do before applying. Questions can be sent to NIGMSBRE-SPAD@nigms.nih.gov.

Introducing CP3’s Exciting New Video Series and Multimedia Library!

Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships

CP3 works to create a culture of prevention for targeted violence and terrorism in the United States. To support this, we have added three new videos to the CP3 Video Resource Library, highlighting the mission behind CP3, a public health-informed approach to prevention, and the role of RPCs in communities. Our Video Resource Library is home to a growing collection of videos that CP3 has created for prevention providers, students, researchers, and the public.

APHIS Announces FY 2025 Funding Opportunity for Tribes to Support Animal Disease Preparedness and Response

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will provide up to $500,000 to Tribes and Tribal organizations to further animal disease prevention, preparedness, and response through the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP). Projects selected for funding will be awarded in summer 2025.

APHIS invites Native American Tribes and governments, Tribal organizations, and Tribal colleges and universities to submit proposals for the FY 2025 NADPRP Tribal funding opportunity. Through NADPRP, APHIS supports projects focused on advancing animal disease preparedness and response capabilities in the following priority topic areas, developed through stakeholder consultation.

Develop, enhance, and exercise State and Tribal animal disease outbreak emergency response plans
Support livestock and poultry biosecurity measures and programs
Enhance capability and capacity for depopulation, carcass disposal, and decontamination in a disease outbreak
Support animal movement decisions in a disease outbreak
Enhance animal disease traceability during a disease outbreak
Develop and deliver training and exercises to improve animal disease outbreak response capabilities
Support outreach and education on animal disease prevention, preparedness, and response

The NADPRP Tribal funding opportunity closes January 24, 2025. Parties interested in submitting proposals should visit the APHIS Funding Opportunities or APHIS NADPRP websites for resources and guidance, including the funding opportunity announcement, application instructions, frequently asked questions, templates, help session webinar information, and more. Applicants can also find information on the ezFedGrants website or the Grants.gov website by searching CFDA number 10.025 or Funding Opportunity Number USDA-APHIS-10025-VSSP0000-25-0002.

APHIS is offering webinars to help interested applicants apply for NADPRP funding. The next webinar is:

Wednesday, December 4 at 01:00PM EDT

Join from your computer: https://coreshield.zoomgov.com/wc/join/1609984715?pwd=fDxCkAWwi3UnXzIQChTrTYsaEeN3Uz.1

Meeting ID: 160 998 4715

Passcode: qbC8om6QS

Phone number for Audio Only: +1 669- 25-4 5252 US; +1 646- 82-8 7666 US

This is the third year a NADPRP Tribal funding opportunity is available, as APHIS seeks to continue to advance animal disease preparedness and response through its Farm Bill animal health programs. In FY 2023 – FY 2024, APHIS awarded $915,000 in NADPRP Farm Bill funds to support seven animal disease prevention and preparedness projects led by Tribes and Tribal partners and provided an additional $810,000 in NADPRP funding to support two projects led by Land Grant Universities that include Tribal partner engagement. Additionally, in summer 2025 USDA expects to announce awards from the NADPRP FY2025 general funding opportunity, which included up to $16.5 million in NADPRP funds.

The American-Made TCU Energy and Food Sovereignty Nexus Prize is a $4.1 million prize competition exclusively available to the 35 U.S.-based Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). As the Office of Indian Energy’s first-ever prize, this initiative encourages student-led teams to design and implement clean energy demonstration projects that support Tribal food sovereignty.

Examples of projects may include, but are not limited to:

Greenhouses heated or cooled by geothermal (ground-source) energy
Greenhouses powered by wind or solar
Solar arrays that provide shade for crops or grazing livestock.

Up to 30 teams may win in Phase 1, with each receiving a $40,000 cash award and the first place TCU winner receiving a combined total of $250,000 through all three phases.

Phase 1 prize submissions are due Dec. 4, 2024.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) recently launched the American-Made Large Animal and Solar System Operations (LASSO) Prize—a competition designed to bring cattle agrivoltaics projects to life. SETO is looking for farmers, ranchers, landowners, extension agents, solar developers, product designers, researchers, and cattle agrivoltaics enthusiasts to form teams and submit Phase 1 applications by March 6, 2025. Research on the co-location of sheep grazing and solar energy operations has found that it can improve soil conditions and generate economic benefits for farmers and landowners. Cattle agrivoltaics has the potential to similarly diversify agricultural operations and generate additional income for farmers, ranchers, and landowners, but the research on this innovative practice with cattle is limited. The LASSO Prize is an opportunity for the solar industry to learn from farmers, ranchers, extension agents, and other agricultural experts across the country. More than $8 million in cash prizes are available to teams who develop innovative co-location practices, build pilot sites, and share information on best practices, costs, energy, and agricultural outcomes. Watch a recording of the first informational webinar and register for the next informational webinar on December 4 at 1 p.m. ET.

Forecasted Opportunity: Tribal Colleges and Universities Head Start Partnership Program Grants

The Administration for Children and Families, the Office of Head Start (OHS) announces the availability of $6,000,000 to be competitively awarded to Tribal colleges and universities for the purpose of establishing or enhancing partnerships with Head Start programs that effectively increase the number of qualified education staff working in American Indian Alaska Native Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Applications will open on Monday, November 4, 2024.

Application deadline is January 6, 2025, no later than 11:59 pm ET.

Office of Indian Energy

Tribal Colleges and Universities Planning For Clean Energy Transition—$5 Million

In addition to the prize competition, today DOE announced $5 million in funding to support TCUs in planning the transition of their campuses to clean energy. The funds will enable TCUs to develop plans for integrating clean, reliable, affordable, and local energy solutions on their campuses.

Applications for the $5 million funding opportunity are due by Dec. 18, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET.

Download the Funding Opportunity Announcement to apply.

UPDATE

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative – Education and Workforce Development

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Education and Workforce Development (EWD) focuses on developing the next generation of research, education, and extension professionals in the food and agricultural sciences. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) requests applications for the AFRI’s Education and Workforce Development program areas to support:

professional development opportunities for K-14 educational professionals;
non-formal education that cultivates food and agricultural interest in youth;
workforce training at community, junior, and technical colleges;
training of undergraduate students in research and extension;
fellowships for predoctoral candidates and postdoctoral scholars.

Applications are due Thursday, December 5, 2024

For more information, please visit the USDA website.

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative – Foundational and Applied Science Program

The AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Program supports grants in six AFRI priority areas to advance knowledge in both fundamental and applied sciences important to agriculture.

The six priority areas are:

· Plant Health and Production and Plant Products;

· Animal Health and Production and Animal Products;

· Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health;

· Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment;

· Agriculture Systems and Technology;

· and Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities.

Research-only, extension-only, and integrated research, education and/or extension projects are solicited in this Request for Applications (RFA). See Foundational and Applied Science RFA for specific detail.

Applications are due Tuesday, December 31, 2024.

Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program

This program was designed to assist 1994 Land-Grant Institutions (Tribal Colleges) in building institutional research capacity through applied projects that address student educational needs and meet community, reservation, or regional challenges. Awards are to be made on the basis of a competitive review process. Collaboration with 1862 or 1890 Land-Grant Institutions, the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), a Non-Land-Grant College of Agriculture (NLGCA), or at least one forestry school funded under the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research Program is a requirement. Eligible institutions may propose projects in any discipline of the food, agricultural, or natural resource sciences.