Veterans Cemetery Grants | VA NCA VCGP 2024

Opportunity Information: Apply for VA NCA VCGP 2024

The Veterans Cemetery Grants program (Funding Opportunity Number VA NCA VCGP 2024, CFDA 64.203) is a discretionary grant opportunity run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, focused on helping eligible public entities develop veterans cemeteries. Historically, VA reports awarding more than $1 billion through this program to support 122 veterans cemeteries across 49 states and various U.S. territories and locations, including tribal trust lands, Guam, and Saipan. These grant-supported cemeteries play a major role in providing burial access closer to home, with state cemeteries funded by NCA conducting more than 45,000 interments in fiscal year 2022.

Funding is tightly limited to specific types of applicants and projects. Eligible applicants are state governments, U.S. territorial governments, and federally recognized tribal governments (for cemeteries located on trust land). The program does not fund private organizations or local governments such as counties or cities, and it also does not extend to other types of agencies outside the eligible categories. Grant funds may be used only to establish a new veterans cemetery or to expand or improve an existing veterans cemetery, as long as that cemetery is owned and operated by the state, territory, or qualifying tribal government. A key limitation is that VA grant funds cannot be used to acquire land, so applicants must already control the land needed for the project. For new cemetery establishment projects, VA may also fund certain operating equipment in addition to development costs.

A major benefit of the program is the potential cost coverage: VA can fund up to 100 percent of the development cost for an approved project. That said, approval comes with strict federal design and compliance expectations. Cemeteries built or improved with these funds must meet VA standards and guidelines for site selection, planning, and construction. In addition, projects must comply with the Build America, Buy America Act (BABAA) requirements in Title IX, Sections 70901-70952 of Public Law 117-58. Practically, that means recipients must certify that grant funds will be used in a way that follows domestic content procurement preferences. All iron, steel, and construction materials used in VA-funded projects must be produced or manufactured in the United States, and all manufactured products used in the project must be produced in the U.S. Under the described standard, a manufactured product generally qualifies as U.S.-produced only if the cost of its U.S.-made components exceeds 55 percent of the total component cost.

Operationally, the cemetery must be dedicated to serving veterans and eligible family members under VA rules. Grant-funded cemeteries must be operated solely for the interment of veterans as defined in 38 CFR 39.2 and eligible family members as described in 38 CFR 39.10. The opportunity also notes a recent legal change allowing grantee cemeteries to inter certain individuals defined in 38 U.S.C. 2408(i)(2), even though those individuals are not eligible for burial in a VA National Cemetery; additional details are available through the NCA Notices webpage referenced in the announcement.

Finally, while VA can heavily support development, it does not take over ongoing responsibilities. The administration, operation, and maintenance of a VA-supported state, territorial, or tribal cemetery remains solely the responsibility of the grantee government. Separately from the construction grant assistance, VA is also authorized to reimburse states a "plot allowance" of up to $828.00 for expenses related to the burial of certain eligible veterans. The posted closing date for this opportunity is July 1, 2024, and the listed award ceiling is $60,000,000.

• The VA National Cemetery Administration in the community development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Veterans Cemetery Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 64.203.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-10-31.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-01. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $60,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).

Apply for VA NCA VCGP 2024

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: