This is your weekly grant opportunities update from The National Special Districts Association. Special districts are either eligible to apply directly, or able to partner with a qualifying entity to apply for any of the grants listed. 

New Grant Opportunities

Department of Commerce

FY 2025 Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program (Tech Hubs)

• WHAT DOES IT FUND? This program seeks to strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness and national security through place-based investments in regions with the assets, resources, capacity, and potential to become globally competitive in the technologies and industries of the future within approximately 10 years, and for those industries, companies, and the jobs they create to start, grow, and remain in the United States. 
• WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Only 19 applicants are eligible to apply for this program. These are Tech Hub consortia that were designated in October 2023 as Tech Hubs, have received Consortium Accelerator Awards (CAAs), and have not received any other EDA Tech Hubs Implementation funds.
• TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $220 million
• WHEN IS IT DUE? November 7, 2025 (Stage I); February 18, 2026 (Stage II) 

Department of Justice

FY 2025 Emergency Planning for Juvenile Justice Residential Facilities

• WHAT DOES IT FUND? This program supports the development, implementation and improvement of emergency planning activities for state, Tribal, county, and local juvenile justice residential facilities. Funding will help ensure that facilities are prepared to prioritize the safety and well-being of youth and staff, keep families informed, continue operations, and reduce risk to the facility during and after an emergency. 
• WHO'S ELIGIBLE? State, special district, tribal, county, city, or township governments; institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations; independent school districts; for-profit organizations, including small businesses
• TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $400,000
• WHEN IS IT DUE? October 27, 2025 (Grants.gov); October 17, 2025 (JustGrants)

Department of Justice

FY 2025 Missing and Unidentified Human Remains Program

• WHAT DOES IT FUND? The purpose of this program is to increase public safety by providing resources to locate and identify missing persons (MP) and unidentified human remains (UHR) in the United States. 
• WHO'S ELIGIBLE? State, county, city, or township governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; nonprofits, other than institutions of higher education, with or without a 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service; accredited, publicly funded, Combined DNA Index System forensic laboratories; medical examiner offices; accredited, publicly funded toxicology laboratories; and accredited, publicly funded crime laboratories
• TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $5,472,691 
• WHEN IS IT DUE? October 10, 2025 (Grants.gov); October 17, 2025 (JustGrants)

Department of Justice

FY 2025 Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence Program

• WHAT DOES IT FUND? This program aims to prevent and reduce school violence by equipping K–12 students, teachers, and staff with tools to recognize, respond to, and prevent acts of violence. The program supports training, the development of threat assessment and intervention teams, and the implementation of technologies like anonymous reporting tools. 
• WHO'S ELIGIBLE? State, county, city or town, special district, and Native American tribal governments; independent school districts; public, state, and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits; other units of local government; private K-12 schools, including private charter schools; and public charter schools
• TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $83 million
• WHEN IS IT DUE? October 27, 2025 (Grants.gov); November 3, 2025 (JustGrants)

Department of Transportation

FY 2024-25 Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program – National

• WHAT DOES IT FUND? The purpose of this program is to improve American passenger rail assets by funding projects that enhance safety, such as grade crossing projects on a passenger rail route; reduce the State of Good Repair backlog; improve performance; or expand or establish new intercity passenger rail service, including privately operated intercity passenger rail service. 
• WHO'S ELIGIBLE? States or groups of states; an Interstate Compact; a public agency or publicly chartered authority established by one or more states; a political subdivision of a state; Amtrak (acting on its own behalf or under a cooperative agreement with one or more states; a Federally recognized Indian tribe; or any combination of the entities described above
• TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $5,070,784,989
• WHEN IS IT DUE? January 7, 2026

Latest Grant News

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USDA Invests in 58 Community Projects to Reduce Wildfire Risk