Announcement for Program Funding for NRCS’ Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2022 – UTAH | USDA NRCS UT CIG 22 NOFO0001145

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS UT CIG 22 NOFO0001145

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is offering Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) funding for federal fiscal year 2022 specifically for projects carried out in Utah. This opportunity is meant to spur the development, testing, and broader adoption of new or improved conservation approaches and technologies, particularly those that can be demonstrated and then replicated or scaled up to deliver real conservation benefits. In practical terms, NRCS is looking to fund projects that push beyond standard practices and help producers, communities, or partner organizations try innovative methods that improve natural resource outcomes.

For the Utah FY 2022 CIG competition, NRCS expects to have up to $200,000 total available statewide, with an estimated three awards anticipated. Individual projects can run from one to three years, and the maximum federal award amount for any single project is $200,000. The notice also lists a federal funding floor of $20,000 and a ceiling of $200,000, meaning proposed federal shares generally need to be at least $20,000 and cannot exceed $200,000 per agreement. These figures refer to the total federal share across the full agreement period, not per year or per budget segment.

Eligibility is broad: all non-federal entities and individuals may apply, with federal agencies being the only category explicitly excluded. The listing describes eligible applicants as "Others" and points applicants to the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) for any additional eligibility clarifications, but the main takeaway is that most non-federal organizations and individuals with a qualifying Utah-based project are invited to submit an application. This is a discretionary grant competition, and the applicable CFDA (now commonly referred to as Assistance Listing) number is 10.912, which corresponds to the Conservation Innovation Grants program.

Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time on April 29, 2022. NRCS emphasizes that applicants should use Grants.gov for submission and that agency staff will not provide support for setting up or troubleshooting Grants.gov accounts. If applicants run into technical issues with Grants.gov itself, they are directed to Grants.gov Applicant Support (1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov). NRCS also notes that questions should be limited to clarifying information contained in the NFO (such as confirming dates or resolving discrepancies). They will not respond to questions about whether an applicant is eligible in a borderline case or about the competitiveness or merits of a particular project concept.

To help applicants navigate the program and expectations, NRCS scheduled an informational webinar for March 22, 2022, from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm Mountain Standard Time, hosted via ZoomGov with dial-in options available. Applicants are also encouraged to review the Utah State CIG website for additional context and state-specific guidance on the program. On the agency timeline, NRCS estimated that selections would be made by June 2022 and that awards would be executed by September 2022, while noting these dates are projections and may shift.

Finally, NRCS flags that awards under this opportunity are federal financial assistance and encourages prospective applicants, especially those new to federal grants, to complete the free "Grants 101" training hosted at cfo.gov. That training covers core topics that frequently affect award management and compliance, including the basic legal framework, types of financial assistance mechanisms, Uniform Guidance administrative requirements, cost principles, and risk management and Single Audit considerations. This emphasis is a reminder that applicants should be prepared not only to propose a strong innovation project, but also to manage the award under standard federal assistance rules if selected.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Announcement for Program Funding for NRCS’ Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2022 – UTAH" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.912.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 28, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 29, 2022 Applicants must submit their applications via Grants.gov by 1159 pm Eastern Time on April 29, 2022.. (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 $200,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for USDA NRCS UT CIG 22 NOFO0001145

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