Federal grant programs / Department of the Interior

Economic, Social, and Political Development of the Territories (15.875)

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$3.0 billion
• Grant awards979
• Typical award$360,000
• Awarded in FY 2025$867 million
• Size rank123 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceFormula grants, project grants, direct payments with unrestricted use

Key findings

• Annual funding rose from $333 million in fiscal 2021 to $867 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 123rd largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 98% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 19 states and territories.

What the program funds

The Office of Insular Affairs carries out the Secretary of the Interior's responsibilities for U.S.-affiliated insular areas. These include the territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). Additionally, OIA administers and oversees Federal assistance to three freely associated states (FAS): the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) and the Republic of Palau (Palau).

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

U.S. Territories and possessions (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals) Eligible applicants are the U.S. territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands; the state of Hawaii; the Freely Associated States of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau; and any non-profit institutions/organizations whose missions directly benefit the seven insular areas.

What the money can and cannot pay for

Financial assistance is limited to the U.S. territories of the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Freely Associated States which are Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, and to non-profit organizations whose missions directly benefit these seven insular areas. Financial assistance is used for a variety of activities including Technical Assistance, Maintenance Assistance, Coral Reef and Natural Resources(CRNR) (including invasive species mitigation efforts), Energizing Insular Communities (EIC) and the Brown Treesnake Program (BTS). Technical Assistance priorities include disaster planning and response, energy production, natural resources, health initiatives, and health IT systems, public safety / emergencies, data improvements, invasive species management, accountability, financial management, economic development, education, management control initiative, capacity building, and information technology. Maintenance Assistance funding is used to support, develop, improve, and institutionalize infrastructure maintenance practices in the seven areas. Funding may also be used for minor renovations and critical repairs to infrastructure. CRNR provides funding to improve the health of coral reef ecosystems, to improve coastal resilience, to protect other natural resources, and to eradicate, mitigate invasive aquatic and terrestrial species. EICccessible in every state and territory of the Nation.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Deadlines

Mar 16, 2026 to Jun 08, 2026

Award range and average, in the agency's words

There is no minimum or maximum award. OIA financial assistance awards range from a few thousand dollars to tens of millions annually. The average award amount varies annually.

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

State and local governments received 26% of the money, nonprofits 8.6% and colleges and universities 0.4%.

By state

12 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.