Deadline: 10-Mar-25
The Natural Resources Conservation Service has launched its applications for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grant Program to support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production.
The UAIP grants being made available for application under this NFO support planning and implementation activities. Planning activities will initiate, develop, or support the efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools, members of tribal communities, and other stakeholders in areas where access to fresh foods are limited or unavailable. Implementation activities will accelerate existing and emerging models of urban and/or innovative agricultural practices that serve multiple farmers or gardeners. Innovation may include new and emerging, as well as indigenous or non-traditional agricultural practices.
Goals and Objectives
- The goals and objectives of this program include:
- To support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production to any of the eligible entities.
- To improve access to local foods in areas where access to fresh, healthy food is limited or unavailable through urban and/or innovative agricultural practices, including, but not limited to, community gardens, urban farms, rooftop farms, urban agroforests, food forests, orchards, outdoor vertical production, green walls, indoor farms, controlled environment agricultural production, greenhouses, high-tech vertical technology farms, and hydroponic, aeroponic, and aquaponic farm facilities.
- Support multiple farmers or gardeners, impacting underserved areas that are lacking access to fresh, healthy foods, and promote urban and/or innovative agricultural practices with planning and implementation activities.
Factors
- The agency plans to select reviewers based on their training and experience in relevant fields, considering the following factors:
- The level of relevant formal experience of the individual, as well as the extent to which an individual is engaged in relevant activities.
- The need to include experts from various areas of specialization within relevant fields.
- The need to include other experts (e.g., producers, range or forest managers/operators, and consumers) who can assess relevance of the applications to targeted audiences and to program needs.
- The need to include experts from a variety of organizational types (e.g., colleges, universities, industry, state and federal agencies, and private profit and non-profit organizations) and geographic locations.
- The need to maintain a balanced composition regarding minority and female representation and an equitable age distribution; and
- The need to include reviewers who can judge the effective usefulness of each application to producers and the public.
Funding Information
- The amount of Federal funding expected to be available for award(s) is $2,500,000.
- The agency expects the amount of each award to range from $100,000 to $250,000.
- Projects of 24 months in duration (2 years). Applicants should plan their projects based on an estimated project start date of September 30, 2025.
Eligible Activities
- Planning activities support one or more of the following:
- Assessments of underserved community needs within the local food system to identify how food is grown, distributed, or marketed and what existing needs related to food access, nutrition education, conservation, and economic development can be addressed by urban and/or innovative agriculture.
- Planning activities and community partnerships to improve how food is grown, distributed, or marketed in the target area using urban and/or innovative agriculture.
- Business planning, feasibility studies, and other strategies, such as community resource development.
- Policy development to make municipal policies and zoning laws in the target area more supportive of the needs of urban and/or innovative agriculture.
- Creating educational materials and programs that will increase knowledge about food and agriculture and encourage careers in agriculture and innovative production in the impacted community; example topics include nutrition, crop and biology science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
- Ensuring safe growing conditions (e.g., soil tests, environmental assessments).
- Implementation activities support one or more of the following:
- Increasing food production in small, urban, and/or controlled environment spaces which may include emerging or innovative technology such as hydroponics, aquaponics, vertical farming, indoor, rooftop, etc.
- Promoting agricultural businesses through job training and providing resources to help underserved communities access land and equipment, mentoring, and other assistance to beginning farmers in the local community.
- Implementation of best practices to address food access, zoning, compost, land access, soil health, emerging technologies, infrastructure needs (such as access to water and utilities) at the State, county, local, municipal, or school level to meet the needs of target community and local agricultural producers.
- Educating the impacted community about food systems, nutrition, agricultural production, and environmental impacts
- Operating community gardens or nonprofit farms that offer hands-on training in farming or gardening through virtual or web-based formats.
- Providing schools (K-12) with educational resources or programs that increase student knowledge of and access to locally grown foods, emphasize the importance of consuming nutritious and locally grown foods, and train students for careers in agriculture or innovative production.
Eligibility Criteria
- The following entity types are eligible to apply:
- City or township governments
- County governments
- Independent school districts
- 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)
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Special district governments
Ineligibility Criteria
- The following applicants are considered ineligible:
- Foreign organizations and foreign public entities
- “Partnerships” or other similar groupings (i.e., application must be submitted by a single entity; a partner may serve as a subrecipient).
- Individuals
- For profit organizations other than small businesses
- Private institutions of higher education
- Public and State-controlled institutions of higher education
- Small businesses
- State governments
Application Requirements
- To be considered for funding under this opportunity, an application must contain the documents identified below:
- Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)
- Project Narrative Attachment Form
- Project Abstract
- Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs
- Budget Narrative Attachment Form
- Other Attachments Form
- Current and Pending Support
- Applicant Contact(s) Information
- NICRA, as applicable
- Attachments
- Subawards, as applicable
- Conflict of Interest, as applicable
- Lobbying Form
- Disclosure of Lobbying Activities
For more information, visit Grants.gov.