REPI Challenge

The REPI Challenge is a competition with dedicated funding for conservation partners to advance project outcomes outside installations and ranges through large-scale innovation, conservation, and climate resilience actions.  From its pilot project in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, the REPI Program designed the REPI Challenge for partners and installations to cultivate innovative projects that harness creativity and protect critical testing and training capabilities.  Since FY 2012, the REPI Program has distributed over $169 million in program funds to REPI Challenge projects in 63 locations.  REPI Challenge projects have leveraged more than $477 million in partner contributions that promote compatible land use, enhance military installation resilience, and relieve current or anticipated environmental restrictions on military testing, training, or operations in areas of strategic importance.

REPI Challenge FY 2025 Request for Proposals Released

On May 6, 2024, the DOD's REPI Program announced the release of the REPI Challenge FY 2025 Request for Proposals (RFP). For the FY 2025 REPI Challenge, the DOD's REPI Program may provide up to $30 million in funding for land conservation, improvement, or management activities that limit incompatible development in the vicinity of DOD installations and ranges; enhance military installation resilience to climate change or extreme weather events; or relieve current or anticipated environmental restrictions in support of key mission capabilities of strategic importance. Additional consideration will be given to those projects that leverage multiple authorities to accomplish project goals. Selected projects will demonstrate their ability to preserve and/or enhance key mission capabilities of strategic importance to DOD. The FY 2025 REPI Challenge is designed to encourage conservation at a greater scale and to promote the use of new and diverse sources of funding.  Innovative partnerships that bring new ideas to the REPI process are strongly encouraged. State and local governments, corporations, private investors, and conservation groups are welcome to participate in the FY 2025 REPI Challenge. 
 
Eligibility Requirements:
Eligible applicants vary depending on the authority being leveraged for a REPI project but may include states, local governments, Indian Tribes, non-governmental organizations, and individuals through cooperative agreements, as well as heads of Federal departments and agencies through interagency agreements or a private entity that has as its stated principle organizational purpose or goal of conservation, restoration, or preservation of land and natural resources or a similar purpose or goal.
 
Interested applicants are required to request an account to complete their FY 2025 REPI Challenge preproposal in the program’s REPI Challenge Online Portal, available at:  https://repi.osd.mil. Existing users are not required to request a new account in the Online Portal.  A user guide is available in the REPI Challenge Online Portal to navigate the proposal process. 

Resources: 

FY 2024 REPI Challenge Recipients

For the FY 2024 REPI Challenge, the REPI Program contributed over $23 million in funds, coupled with over $36 million in partner contributions to advance innovative projects that promote compatible land uses, enhance military installation resilience, and relieve current or anticipated environmental restrictions on military testing, training, or operations.  By distributing funds across 17 projects, the REPI Challenge contributed to initiatives benefiting 22 installations and their communities across the country. 

To learn more about this year’s 17 REPI Challenge funding recipients, explore the 2024 REPI Challenge Story Map below for project highlights, partnerships, and funding information.

FY 2024 REPI Challenge Story Map

Partnerships in the Pacific and Across Sentinel Landscapes

In Hawaiʻi, Guam, and Alaska, the REPI Program has seen rapid project growth and beneficial outcomes through strengthening relationships, partnerships, and impactful collaboration across each region.  Across the Pacific region, the REPI Challenge contributed funding to ten projects to help implement partnership efforts and improve coastal and forest resilience, which benefits long-term sustainability for local communities and their neighboring installation. 

For more information on partnerships across the entire Pacific region, visit the  REPI Pacific Region page.

The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership also represents locations of strategic importance for DOD, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of the Interior.  Four selected projects fall within the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape, Fort Huachuca Sentinel Landscape, South Carolina Low Country Sentinel Landscape, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord Sentinel Landscape, all of which contribute directly to the goals of the  Sentinel Landscapes Partnership .

Previous Years' REPI Challenge Recipients

The REPI Challenge initiated its pilot effort in 2012 to offer funding for REPI buffer land transactions at eligible military bases. The Challenge's goals are to cultivate projects that conserve land at a greater scale, test promising ways to finance land protection, and harness the creativity of the private sector and market‐based approaches.

Explore previous years' recipients below: