United States: 2022 NRCS’s Wetland Mitigation Banking Program

Deadline: 16-Aug-21

The Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is pleased to announce the 2022 Wetland Mitigation Banking Program (WMBP) to support the establishment and development of wetland mitigation banks to make credits available for USDA program participants.

WMBP awardees work with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to develop a mitigation banking instrument that provides details for development, establishment, and operation of a mitigation banking program. Mitigation banking instruments are developed in conjunction with national and State NRCS staff technical oversight and are subject to NRCS approval. Awardees must ensure the following wetland types receive priority for mitigation under the NRCS WMBP:

Farmed Wetland (FW).
Farmed Wetland Pasture (FWP).
Wetland (W) less than 5 acres in size that is predominantly bordered by land that has been cropped 8 of the past 10 years when the wetland is designated as degraded according to a functional assessment tool.
Converted Wetland (CW) that, prior to conversion, qualified under one of the types, as determined by NRCS staff.

Funding Information

Estimated Funding: The total amount of Federal funding the agency expects to award through this opportunity is $5 million.
Start Dates and Performance Periods: Projects may be up to 4 years in duration. Applicants should plan their projects based on an estimated project start date of January 1, 2022.
Number of Awards: The agency expects to make 5-10 awards.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applicants are qualified applicants with the expertise and capacity to operate and manage all aspects of a wetland mitigation bank.
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.
Eligibility for this opportunity is limited to the following entity types:
- City or township governments
- County governments
- For profit organizations other than small businesses
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- 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)
- Small businesses
- Special district governments
- State governments