Conservation Collaboration Grant Agreements Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Announcement for Program Funding – NORTH DAKOTA | USDA NRCS ND MULTI 22 NOFO0001127

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS ND MULTI 22 NOFO0001127

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is offering Conservation Collaboration Grant Agreements for fiscal year 2022 to support conservation-focused projects located in North Dakota. The purpose of this opportunity is to stretch and complement NRCS resources by partnering with outside organizations to tackle local natural resource concerns, strengthen collaboration across groups working in conservation, and build conservation leadership at the state and community level. The program is competitive, meaning proposals are reviewed against each other rather than funded on a first-come basis, and it is structured as a discretionary grant program under CFDA 10.902.

Projects can be proposed for a period of performance ranging from 1 to 4 years. Applicants are allowed to submit more than one application as long as each application is for a different project, and an organization can receive more than one award if multiple proposals are selected. NRCS makes it clear that applications will be screened for completeness and compliance with the Notice of Funding Opportunity requirements. Any proposal that is missing required elements or does not follow the rules laid out in the notice can be removed from consideration without further review, and the applicant will be notified if that happens.

A wide range of applicants are eligible, reflecting the collaboration emphasis of the program. Eligible applicant types include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other tribal organizations; and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education). This mix signals that NRCS is looking for partnerships that can combine technical expertise, local reach, and on-the-ground implementation capacity in ways that directly address natural resource needs in North Dakota.

From a funding standpoint, the listed award ceiling is $1,000,000, and NRCS expected to make about 15 awards under this announcement. The notice also states that it was released prior to final appropriation and/or apportionment of FY 2022 funds, which is a standard federal caution that actual funding levels or availability could shift depending on congressional budget actions (for example, continuing resolutions or a final appropriations act).

Applications had to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov, with a deadline of 11:59 pm Eastern Time on April 1, 2022. Any technical problems with Grants.gov were to be directed to Grants.gov Applicant Support (1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov), since NRCS staff do not troubleshoot Grants.gov accounts. Questions about the content of the funding notice itself were limited to clarifying what is written in the NFO (such as dates, section references, or inconsistencies) rather than asking NRCS to judge eligibility edge cases or provide feedback on the strength of a specific project idea. NRCS estimated selections would be made by May 2, 2022, with awards expected to be executed by September 1, 2022, while noting those dates were subject to change.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Conservation Collaboration Grant Agreements Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Announcement for Program Funding – NORTH DAKOTA" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.902.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 01, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 01, 2022 Applications must be received by 1159 pm Eastern Time.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for USDA NRCS ND MULTI 22 NOFO0001127

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: