Deadline: 22-May-23
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is announcing the availability of Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) State Program funding to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies.
The purpose of CIG is to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies in conjunction with agricultural production. CIG projects are expected to lead to the transfer of conservation technologies, management systems, and innovative approaches (such as market-based systems) to agricultural producers, into government technical manuals and guides, or to the private sector. CIG generally funds pilot projects, field demonstrations, and on-farm conservation research. On-farm conservation research is defined as an investigation conducted to answer a specific applied conservation question using a statistically valid design while employing farm-scale equipment on farms, ranches or private forest lands.
CIG Priorities for FY 2023:
- Soil Health
- NRCS is advertising funding opportunities for Soil Health Management Systems (SHMS), are a collection of NRCS conservation practices that focus on maintaining or enhancing soil health. This is achieved by addressing all four soil health planning principles such as minimizing disturbance, maximizing soil cover, maximizing biodiversity and maximizing the presence of living roots. A SHMS is a specific cropping system and contains practices that treat the entire field.
- NRCS invites proposals that support the adoption of SHMS in the following areas:
- Economic/Financial case studies on successful Soil Health Management Systems across varied production systems that include quantifying on-site net profit and offsite impacts (e.g., soil erosion, nutrient losses, water and air quality).
- Develop, demonstrate, inform, and promote design and implementation of Soil Health Management Systems that are location and production system appropriate, economically viable, and improve soil health (e.g., optimize nutrient availability, optimize productivity, control soil-borne diseases, increase plant available water, increase resilience to extreme weather), including:
- Implementation strategies for feasible transition from degraded soils in varied production systems.
- Integration of livestock into existing cropping systems, including applicable technologies such as fencing and water system innovations.
- Innovative techniques and technologies that support the transition to more diverse cropping rotations and grazing systems.
- Optimal species mixes, seeding rates and seeding methods (e.g., inter-seeding, intercropping, frost-seeding) to enhance cover crop establishment/survival, as well as management and termination.
- Innovative approaches to incorporating cover crops in high intensity/high value cropping systems that address concerns such as delayed planting, pest issues, residue challenges and nitrogen availability challenges.
- Develop methods that support clients who are implementing SHMS such as:
- Addressing Nitrogen variability issues – research Nitrogen loss and runoff on a variety of land uses and landscapes in order to develop more specific Nitrogen recommendations.
- Fund Soil Organic Matter tests for clients who are implementing SHMS. This will reduce the financial burden of monitoring soil organic matter percentages on SHMS. Completion timeframes will vary.
- Pollinator Habitat Enhancement
- Provide demonstration sites and training for the establishment of native grasses and pollinators in the different ecoregions of Georgia. Emphasis on evaluating success of different planting dates and techniques for dormant season planting and spring planting, temperature requirements, and stratification requirements.
- Wildlife Habitat Enhancement
- Provide training, demonstration sites, and technical assistance to restore, enhance, and create habitat for at-risk/declining wildlife species and associated habitats, with emphasis on Northern Bobwhite Quail, Gopher Tortoise, and early successional habitats on working lands. This will be achieved by providing guidance/training to incorporate innovative ways to use conservation practices for wildlife habitat. This technical assistance would be a 2-3 years project.
Proposed projects must be performed in Georgia.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $150,000
- Award Ceiling: $75,000
- Award Floor: $25,000
- Projects may be between 1 and 3 years in duration. Applicants should plan their projects based on an estimated project start date of September 15, 2023.
Activities
Innovative Conservation Projects or Activities
CIG funds the development and field testing, on-farm research and demonstration, evaluation, or implementation of:
- Approaches to incentivizing conservation adoption, including market-based and conservation finance approaches; and
- Conservation technologies, practices, and systems. Projects or activities under CIG must comply with all applicable federal, tribal, state, and local laws and regulations throughout the duration of the project; and
- Use a technology or approach that was studied sufficiently to indicate a high probability for success;
- Demonstrate, evaluate, and verify the effectiveness, utility, affordability, and usability of natural resource conservation technologies and approaches in the field;
- Adapt and transfer conservation technologies, management, practices, systems, approaches, and incentive systems to improve performance and encourage adoption;
- Introduce proven conservation technologies and approaches to a geographic area or agricultural sector where that technology or approach is not currently in use.
Eligibility Criteria
- Special district governments.
- For-profit organizations other than small businesses.
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities.
- Small businesses.
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
- Private institutions of higher education.
- State governments.
- City or township governments.
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).
- County governments.
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
- Independent school districts.
- Applicants and applications must meet eligibility criteria by the application deadline to be considered for award. Eligible applicant type is determined by the implementing program statute. Applicant entities identified in the SAM.gov exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted, or excluded from receiving Federal contracts and certain Federal assistance and benefits will not be considered for Federal funding, as applicable to the funding being requested under this Federal program (2 CFR 200.206(d)). Neither foreign entities nor foreign individuals are eligible to apply for this opportunity.
- All U.S. domestic, non-Federal entities and individuals are eligible to apply for projects carried out in Georgia. US Federal agencies are not eligible to apply to this opportunity or impart their work to non-federal portion of the budget.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.