Office of Insular Affairs Announces $3.8 Million in Technical Assistance Program Grants that support the U.S. Territories and the Freely Associated States

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs today announced $3,764,070 in fiscal year 2024 Technical Assistance Program (TAP) funding will be awarded to various programs for American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. The cross-cutting funds will support civic and higher education programs for students, continue retiree benefits, provide water quality technical support and training, support natural resource conservation, and fund judicial training.   

“We are very pleased to support these important programs and especially the benefits that they will provide across the various Insular Areas, ranging from civic education for youth, to retiree benefits, to judiciary training and the promotion of natural resource conservation in the Mariana Islands region,” said Carmen G. Cantor, Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs.  

The Technical Assistance Program financial assistance provided is described as follows:

• Close Up Foundation - $1,000,000 will support participation by students from the U.S. territories and the freely associated states in the Close Up Washington Student Program and related activities.
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - $794,959 will continue the EPA Freely Associated States Circuit Rider program for water quality technical support and capacity building, as well as support laboratory certification programs in the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.
• Prior Service Trust Fund Administration - $644,900 will provide continued benefit payments to retirees of the former administration of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
• Junior State of America Foundation - $501,692 will support academic, college preparation programs for students from the U.S. territories and the freely associated states.
• Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) - $399,300 will fund membership to WICHE for American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau, which will provide increased postsecondary opportunities at reduced tuition costs for students from these areas at schools in the WICHE network.
• Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit Pacific Islands Committee - $339,839 will fund essential judicial education training programs for the judiciaries of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.
• Tåno Tåsi yan Todu - $83,380 will support the Marianas Islands Conservation Conference in Guam.

The Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs and the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) carry out the Secretary of the Interior’s responsibilities for the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Additionally, OIA administers and oversees federal assistance under the Compacts of Free Association to the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. OIA also administers a discretionary Technical Assistance Program for all the Insular Areas. Find information about OIA and its work on www.doi.gov/oia, Facebook, X, and YouTube.

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