Pacific Islands Area Conservation Innovation Grants | USDA NRCS PIA CIG 21 NOFO0001065

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS PIA CIG 21 NOFO0001065

The Pacific Islands Area Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) opportunity is a competitive federal grant program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), with funding associated with the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). It is released as the FY 2021 Pacific Islands Area announcement under Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) number USDA-NRCS-PIA-CIG-21-NOFO0001065, and it is listed under Assistance Listings (formerly CFDA) 10.912, Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The core purpose of the program is to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies, meaning the emphasis is on trying, demonstrating, and moving forward new or improved conservation methods that can be replicated or scaled across working lands and related landscapes in the Pacific Islands Area.

Funding for this competition is limited to a total pool of up to $150,000 for FY 2021, and the agency expects to make about three awards. Individual awards are intended to fall between a federal share minimum (floor) of $10,000 and a maximum (ceiling) of $150,000. In practical terms, that means the smallest likely grant would be around $10,000, and the largest possible single grant could take the entire available pot of $150,000, depending on the number and size of awards NRCS selects. Projects can run from one to three years, giving applicants some flexibility to propose either shorter pilot demonstrations or multi-year efforts that require more time to implement, monitor, and share results.

Eligibility is broad as long as the applicant is not a federal agency. The solicitation invites applications from non-federal entities and individuals, including state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (including those other than small businesses); small businesses; and individuals. The projects themselves must be carried out in the Pacific Islands Area, which is the geographic focus of this particular CIG competition.

Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov, and the deadline is April 26, 2021 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. Because Grants.gov registration and setup can take time (especially for new users), the notice points new applicants to the section of the NOFO that outlines the steps required before submission. The agency also makes clear that NRCS program staff cannot troubleshoot Grants.gov account or submission problems; applicants experiencing technical issues are directed to Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.

The opportunity includes set milestones for questions and applicant support. Questions about the NOFO could be submitted up to April 7, 2021, and NRCS planned to post responses to those questions on Grants.gov roughly two weeks before the application deadline to help applicants adjust proposals before final submission. NRCS also scheduled an informational webinar for prospective CIG applicants on March 10, 2021 at 1:00 pm Hawaii Standard Time, with participation details to be posted on the Pacific Islands Area CIG website. For program-specific questions, the notice provides a direct point of contact: Susan Kubo (susan.kubo@usda.gov, 808-600-2921).

Finally, NRCS provided an expected timeline for decisions and awards. The agency anticipated making selection decisions by May 21, 2021, with awards expected to be executed by September 15, 2021. This gap between selection and execution is typical for federal awards and reflects the time needed for final reviews, negotiations, and administrative processing before the grant agreement is officially in place.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Pacific Islands Area Conservation Innovation Grants" 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 22, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 26, 2021. (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 $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, 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, Individuals, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for USDA NRCS PIA CIG 21 NOFO0001065

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