Deadline: 5-Jun-23
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:
- Water Quality: Water quality activities shall focus on projects that focus on innovative tools, technologies, and approaches that address the core conservation practices in any watershed in South Carolina. The proposal should focus on assessing optional use of enhanced fertilizer products compared to traditional fertilizer products, consider precision application of pesticides.
- Soil Health: Proposals shall focus on projects that demonstrate innovative tools, technologies, and approaches to improve soil health on cropland and pastureland in any watershed in South Carolina. Each proposal shall include the use of In-Field Soil Health Assessment Guides ensure that the tool is relevant to South Carolina, to determine which indicators are most likely to provide useful resource concern assessment information for the climate, soils, and cropping system in SC.
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Air Quality: Proposals shall focus on projects that demonstrate innovative tools, technologies, and approaches to improve air quality on one or more of the following land uses:
- Cropland—row crops,
- Cropland—vegetables, and
- Livestock Operations. Develop model plans that can be used to demonstrate the adoption of mitigation alternatives throughout the state of South Carolina.
Funding Information
- Estimated Funding: NRCS South Carolina expects to award approximately $500,000 through this opportunity. However, the agency retains the discretion to award a larger or lesser amount.
- Start Dates and Performance Periods: Projects may be between 1 and 3 years in duration. Applicants should plan their projects based on an estimated project start date of September 30, 2023.
Innovative Conservation Projects or Activities
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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.
- Technologies and approaches that are eligible for funding in a project’s geographic area using an EQIP contract for an established conservation practice standard are ineligible for CIG funding, except where the use of those technologies and approaches demonstrates clear innovation.
Eligibility Criteria
- 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 South Carolina. U.S. 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.