Discretionary Financial Assistance to the U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States

PROGRAMS & HOW TO APPLY

Federal funding provided through the Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) is made available to the U.S. territories of Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as three freely associated states (FAS); the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.

Applications for grant funding from the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) must be submitted through the grants.gov website. All OIA grants, when open and available, can be found using search criteria CFDA 15.875.  The associated standard forms for applications, SF-424, are also available on the grants.gov website.

OIA grant recipients located in the U.S. territories or the continental United States will be required to enroll with, and utilize, the U.S. Treasury's Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) system to request payments under a grant.

Recipients located in the Freely Associated States are encouraged to enroll with, and utilize, ASAP to request payments if using a U.S. Bank to receive payments. The following three enrollment forms must be completed and submitted (via email) to the OIA grant manager listed in the grant award for the enrollment process to begin:

1.     ASAP Organization and User ID Request Form

2.     User Responsibility Statement

3.     ASAP Bank Information Form

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TAP)

TAP grants are intended for short-term, non-capital projects and are not meant to supplant local funding of routine operating expenses of an insular area government. TAP priorities include, but are not limited to projects which foster development of the insular areas in the following areas: 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. TAP grants are available for any of the four U.S. territories and the three freely associated states. Funding for TAP is appropriated annually by the U.S. Congress.

TAP Application Instructions

NEW TAP COVID-19 Funding - The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Public Law 116-136 (March 26, 2020), made $55 million in emergency relief funding available through the OIA TAP program for the U.S. territories and the Freely Associated States to prepare, prevent, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding is available through September 30, 2021. Insular are governments have already been awarded their CARES Act share through their respective national governments or COVID-19 Task Force. Local government agencies in the insular areas seeking funding should reach out to their government point of contact regarding availability from the already awarded CARES Act grants. Non-profit organizations in the insular areas may apply directly to OIA or for more information reach out to OIA TAP Director Charlene Leizear at Charlene_Leizear@ios.doi.gov.

For more information about Federal Assistance to the U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic, visit https://www.doi.gov/oia/covid19

TAP COVID Application Instructions 
Application for Federal Assistance SF-424 
Insular Area Government Points of Contact for CARES Funding

The funding is allocated by insular areas based upon population.  A reserve of $13,750,000 has been set aside as a contingency in case of any unforeseen emergencies.

MAINTENANCE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (MAP)

MAP grants are used to promote and develop insular institutions and capabilities that improve the operation and maintenance of infrastructure in the island areas. MAP can require a matching contribution from the insular area government. The MAP grant is available to the four U.S. territories and the three freely associated states. Funding for MAP is appropriated annually by the U.S. Congress.

MAP Application Instructions

BROWN TREE SNAKE (BTS) CONTROL PROGRAM

The BTS Control program is a combination research and operational program designed to prevent the dispersal of BTS from Guam to other vulnerable geographic areas in the Micronesia region including Hawaii and to ultimately eradicate existing or newly established BTS populations in U.S. areas.

It is a cooperative effort involving primarily the Office of Insular Affairs, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey; the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services; the U.S. Department of Defense; and the Governments of Hawaii, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

Funding for BTS is appropriated annually by the U.S. Congress.

CORAL REEF AND NATURAL RESOURCES (CRNR) INITIATIVE

The CRNR Initiative provides grant funding for management and protection of coral reefs and to combat invasive species in the U.S. territories and the freely associated states, in order to improve the health of coral reef ecosystems and other natural resources for long-term economic and social benefit.

Coral Reef and Natural Resources Application Instructions

ENERGIZING INSULAR COMMUNITIES (EIC)

The EIC program (formerly called the Empowering Insular Communities program) provides grant funding for energy strategies that reduce the cost of electricity and reduce dependence on foreign fuels. This program is intended to support the Secretary’s priority to utilize our natural resources by ensuring American energy is available to meet security and economic needs. OIA uses the following criteria in evaluating proposals:

• the size of reduction in a territory’s dependence on off-island fuels;
• the size of reduction in cost of electricity in the territory; and
• the degree to which the proposal is identified and supported in the territory’s Strategic Energy Plan and/or Energy Action Plan

Funding for EIC is appropriated annually by the U.S. Congress.

Energizing Insular Communities Application Instructions