Browse Ambrook’s collection of funding programs by InterTribal Buffalo Council

If you are interested in participating, please reach out to the contacts listed on the "Contact Coordinator" button. 


Michael

PCSC Coordinator

General office

ITBC Headquarters

**Notice**: _On April 14, 2025, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the cancellation of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC). The USDA plans to reform the program into the Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) initiative. Contact your local USDA&#x2004;Farm Service Agency (FSA) for more information on how to apply to the AMP initiative. _


Partners plan to distribute project funding to 76 Tribes to incentivize their use of climate-smart practices related to buffalo herds. The Tribal Buffalo Market Initiative (TBMI) plans to assist Tribes in marketing their buffalo as a climate-smart commodity, develop sustainable programs for historically underserved Tribal buffalo producers and create a Tribally led national strategy for education and outreach of buffalo as a climate-smart agricultural product.



Notice: On April 14, 2025, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the cancellation of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC). The USDA plans to reform the program into the Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) initiative. Contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) for more information on how to apply to the AMP initiative. 

Partners plan to distribute project funding to 76 Tribes to incentivize their use of climate-smart practices related to buffalo herds. The Tribal Buffalo Market Initiative (TBMI) plans to assist Tribes in marketing their buffalo as a climate-smart commodity, develop sustainable programs for historically underserved Tribal buffalo producers and create a Tribally led national strategy for education and outreach of buffalo as a climate-smart agricultural product.

Individual producers cannot enroll. This project enrolls Tribes, not individuals — participation runs through the InterTribal Buffalo Council (ITBC) and its member Tribal nations.

The scope statement, verbatim: "This project will expand Tribally-managed buffalo meat markets in ITBC's 86-member Tribal nations' lands." Every project activity is described at the level of the enrolled Tribe — "Conducting field measurements including biological surveys on each enrolled site" — and the market platform is "a standalone website for enrolled Tribes to sell their buffalo meat to external markets, if they so choose." Outreach materials go to "InterTribal Buffalo Council Member Tribes and their 1 milion+ enrolled Tribal members."

What must be produced: Tribally-managed buffalo (bison). ITBC states that "Tribally-managed buffalo programs represent a wide range of geographies, climates, herd sizes, goals, and available resources," and that current NRCS conservation practices "will be reviewed by the team and ones that relate to Tribal buffalo production will be adopted into the program" — so no fixed practice list, herd-size floor, or acreage minimum exists to meet.

No eligibility criteria, application, or deadline are published, and there is no public application round. Enrollment is by inquiry and assessed case by case: "If you interested in participating in the Advancing Markets for Tribal Buffalo project, please contact" Michael Borucke, Grant Coordinator, michael@itbcbuffalonation.org, (605) 394-9730. ITBC's site also carries a membership route for Tribes that are not members ("JOIN ITBC"), though whether ITBC membership is a hard requirement for this project is not stated.

Status. The project is now funded under USDA's Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) initiative, the successor to Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities: "The USDA has awarded the InterTribal Buffalo Council a grant of approximately $5 million over a three-year period." There is no open intake window — ask the grant coordinator whether enrollment is still being taken.

A lump sum of money for a specific purpose that does not need to be paid back.

Grant

Buffalo

Specialty Livestock

Livestock

No producer-facing award size, payment rate, cost-share percentage, or match requirement is published for this project.

The only dollar figure on the page is the award to the lead organization: "The USDA has awarded the InterTribal Buffalo Council a grant of approximately $5 million over a three-year period. This project will expand Tribally-managed buffalo meat markets in ITBC's 86-member Tribal nations' lands." (For context on the wider initiative: "USDA is investing more than $3.1 billion for 141 projects through this effort and all the projects require meaningful involvement of small and under-served producers.")

What an enrolled Tribe gets is described only in kind, never in dollars: field measurements and biological surveys on each enrolled site to "track and verify land restoration benefits associated with Tribally managed buffalo herds"; technical assistance for market development; outreach and education materials marketing buffalo as Tribally-managed; support for "a Native graduate student and rangeland managers on conservation practices during all phases of the project"; and "a standalone website for enrolled Tribes to sell their buffalo meat to external markets, if they so choose."

There is no published application with terms attached — interested Tribes are told: "If you interested in participating in the Advancing Markets for Tribal Buffalo project, please contact" the grant coordinator (Michael Borucke, michael@itbcbuffalonation.org).

Apply through ITBC's online portal (https://itbc.fluxx.io/user_sessions/new) — create an account if new. Regional project directors assist: Cassie Powell (Northern Great Plains), Paige Schmidt (Southeast), Beth Baragary (Southwest).

Deadline text on the page: No deadline posted; 'APPLY NOW' links to https://itbc.fluxx.io/user_sessions/new. Informational webinar held 15 April 2026 (slide deck PDF). Applications are being accepted through ITBC's online portal (outreach flyer).

Cassie Powell

Northern Great Plains RCPP Project Director (MT, ND, SD, WY)

Paige Schmidt

Southeast RCPP Project Director (NE, KS, OK, FL)

Beth Baragary

Southwest RCPP Project Director (AZ, CO, NM, UT)

**Institutional program — your Tribe applies.** USDA-NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program funding administered by ITBC exclusively for Tribally managed buffalo herds on Tribally controlled land in a 12-state area (Northern Great Plains MT/ND/SD/WY; Southeast NE/KS/OK/FL; Southwest AZ/NM/CO/UT), about $16 million per region. Pays for NRCS conservation practices — prescribed grazing, prescribed burning, range planting, fencing, water facilities, brush management, herbaceous weed control. Your Tribe applies; individuals are not eligible.



Institutional program — your Tribe applies. USDA-NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program funding administered by ITBC exclusively for Tribally managed buffalo herds on Tribally controlled land in a 12-state area (Northern Great Plains MT/ND/SD/WY; Southeast NE/KS/OK/FL; Southwest AZ/NM/CO/UT), about $16 million per region. Pays for NRCS conservation practices — prescribed grazing, prescribed burning, range planting, fencing, water facilities, brush management, herbaceous weed control. Your Tribe applies; individuals are not eligible.

Applications will only be accepted from Federally recognized Tribes. Individuals are not eligible to apply. Applicants must meet NRCS eligibility requirements. Eligible land under this project will consist of Tribally controlled land within the 12 State region.

A payment that requires some percentage of matching contributions by the recipient.

Cost Share

NRCS financial assistance for approved conservation practices on enrolled Tribal buffalo lands; ITBC conducts field inventories to NRCS standards and coordinates compliance.

Published amounts: Approximately $16 million has been allocated for each region to implement conservation practices. Outreach flyer: making $47.8 million in financial assistance available to Federally recognized Tribes to improve buffalo grazing programs.

Annual Bison Surplus Application posted on the surplus-program page each spring; 2026 round closed July 31, 2026. Questions to CeCe Big Crow, Herd Dev. Grant & Surplus Coordinator.

Deadline text on the page: The 2026 Bison Surplus Application closed on July 31st, 2026. Please visit this page next Spring for the 2027 Bison Surplus Application.

CeCe Big Crow

Herd Dev. Grant & Surplus Coordinator

**Institutional program — your Tribe applies.** Each year ITBC member Tribes apply to receive surplus live bison dispositioned from National Park Service units, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges and partner herds (The Nature Conservancy, USFS Midewin, The Wilds). Demand exceeds supply every year. Your Tribe applies through ITBC's annual spring application; the 2026 application closed July 31, 2026 and the 2027 application is expected next spring. Individual producers do not apply.



Institutional program — your Tribe applies. Each year ITBC member Tribes apply to receive surplus live bison dispositioned from National Park Service units, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges and partner herds (The Nature Conservancy, USFS Midewin, The Wilds). Demand exceeds supply every year. Your Tribe applies through ITBC's annual spring application; the 2026 application closed July 31, 2026 and the 2027 application is expected next spring. Individual producers do not apply.

ITBC member Tribes (membership requires Tribal resolution, application, Board approval and dues).

A reduction or waiving of fees for meeting a certain criteria.

Discount

In-kind transfer of live animals; ITBC arranges trucking via RFP.

Published amounts: In-kind: surplus live bison (no dollar amount); ITBC separately contracts trucking (2026 Bison Surplus Trucking RFP).

This is an in-kind transfer of live animals (no cash award); filed under the Discount instrument because the library vocabulary has no in-kind-livestock option.

Submit through the ITBC grant portal https://itbc.fluxx.io by 5pm MST on the posted deadline. Proposal = Tribal Council Resolution (signed, stating the FY) + online narrative (Tribal contact, number of buffalo, pasture/infrastructure, staff, annual operating budget, five-year goals, proposal summary, key personnel, budget narrative and funding request).

Deadline text on the page: All proposals and submission documents must be submitted through the ITBC grant portal https://itbc.fluxx.io , by the close of business (5pm MST) on March 15, 2026. (FY2025 guidelines). Project Period May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027. Prior cycle (FY2024) deadline was May 15, 2025 — deadline month moves year to year.

**Institutional program — your Tribe applies.** Annual competitive grant from the InterTribal Buffalo Council to its member Tribes for one-year buffalo herd projects: establishing a new Tribally managed herd, long-term sustainability of the Tribal buffalo program, infrastructure and rangeland (fencing, water sources, corrals and handling facilities, trucks and trailers, meat processing), or spiritual and cultural practices. Your Tribe applies (Tribal Council resolution required); individual ranchers are not eligible. About 40 Tribes are funded each year from at least $1.3 million.



Institutional program — your Tribe applies. Annual competitive grant from the InterTribal Buffalo Council to its member Tribes for one-year buffalo herd projects: establishing a new Tribally managed herd, long-term sustainability of the Tribal buffalo program, infrastructure and rangeland (fencing, water sources, corrals and handling facilities, trucks and trailers, meat processing), or spiritual and cultural practices. Your Tribe applies (Tribal Council resolution required); individual ranchers are not eligible. About 40 Tribes are funded each year from at least $1.3 million.

Member Tribes must pay their membership dues for the FY2025 (October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025) prior to grant application. Herd Development Grant funds must be used for a buffalo herd which is owned by the Member Tribe. Tribes submitting an application must be in good standing with their previous grant reports, if applicable, as well as Federal eligibility (via www.sams.gov). Grants cannot be in the No Cost Extension status to be eligible to apply.

One-year project period (May 1, 2026 – April 30, 2027); funds must be used for a Tribe-owned buffalo herd; 10-day appeal period after award letter; final payment after signed grant agreement.

Published amounts: There is no maximum cap for funding requests for the FY2024 Herd Development Grant. However, expected funding levels are between $0-$100,000. ITBC distributes at least 1.3 million dollars annually directly to tribes in the form of herd development funds.

List of InterTribal Buffalo Council Funding Opportunities