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.
American Samoa benefits from:
- $1 million for Close Up Foundation which 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.
- $501,692 for the Junior State of America Foundation – to support academic, college preparation programs for students from the U.S. territories and the freely associated states.
- $399,300 for Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) to 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.
- $399,839 for the Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit Pacific Islands Committee which will fund essential judicial education training programs for the judiciaries of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.
The TA funding for other territories:
- 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.
- Tåno Tåsi yan Todu – $83,380 will support the Marianas Islands Conservation Conference in Guam.
