Deadline: 1-Aug-22
The U.S. Department of Agriculture – FPAC Business Center is announcing the availability of cooperative agreement funding to assess why critical data about land that could be or that is enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is not readily available to inform program-related decisions made by producers and the Farm Service Agency, and how best to address these data needs going forward.
CRP is a Federally-funded voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to convert marginal or environmentally sensitive cropland to a perennial cover of grass, forbs, shrubs, and/or trees, or to safeguard high value grazing land from conversion to other uses. In general, contracts last 10 to 15 years, and program participants receive annual payments, cost-share assistance, and sometimes, additional incentives.
CRP generates significant conservation benefits. The program enhances soil health and effectively eliminates soil erosion on each acre enrolled. The enrollments also impact water quality and quantity by intercepting sediment and nutrient losses from upland fields before they reach surface waters, and contribute to aquifer recharge. CRP restores critical habitat, such as prairie, wetlands, and longleaf pine, supporting waterfowl, songbird, and pollinator populations, along with other wildlife species.
Funding Information
- The Federal funding agency expects to award approximately $8,000,000 through this opportunity.
- Award Ceiling: $2,000,000
- Award Floor: $1,000,000
- Projects may be between 1 and 2 years in duration. Applicants should plan their projects based on an estimated project start date of September 30, 2022.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible Applicants
- 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)).
- Eligibility for this opportunity is limited to the following entity types:
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS (other than institutions of higher education)
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS (other than institutions of higher education)
- Private institutions of higher education
- Public and State-controlled institutions of higher education
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=341238