USDA-NRCS Conservation Collaboration Cooperative Agreements FY 2021 – NEBRASKA

SUMMARY INFORMATION

Federal Awarding Agency Name: U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service

Funding Opportunity Title: Conservation Collaboration Cooperative Agreements Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Announcement for Program Funding – NEBRASKA

Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NRCS-NE-CCA-21-NOFO0001076

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number (also known as Assistance Listing):

10.902 Soil and Water Conservation

10.912 Environmental Quality Incentives Program 10.924 Conservation Stewardship Program

10.069 Conservation Reserve Program

Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement Summary

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is announcing potential availability of cooperative agreements for the purpose of leveraging NRCS resources, addressing local natural resource issues, encouraging collaboration and developing state- and community-level conservation leadership. Proposals will be accepted for projects located in Nebraska.

Proposals are requested for competitive consideration for cooperative agreement awards for projects between 1 and 3 years in duration. Applicants must be a tribal government or organization, State or local unit of government, special service district, non-profits with a 501 (c) (3) with status, or institution of higher learning. Entities may submit more than one application as long as the proposals are for different projects and entities may receive more than one award.

This notice identifies the objectives, eligibility criteria, and application instructions for projects. Proposals will be screened for completeness and compliance with the provisions of this notice. Incomplete and/or noncompliant proposals will be eliminated from competition, and notification of elimination will be sent to the applicant.

For new users of Grants.gov, see Section D.1. for information about steps required before submitting an application via Grants.gov.

Key Dates

Applications must be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on May 10, 2021.

For technical issues with Grants.gov, please contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518- 4726 or support@grants.gov. Awarding agency staff cannot support applicants regarding

Grants.gov accounts. Questions regarding this notice of funding opportunity (NFO) may be submitted until April 9, 2021. Responses to questions posed will be posted on Grants.gov approximately two weeks before the application due date.

The agency anticipates making selections by June 30, 2021 and expects to execute awards by September 15, 2021.

Federal Funding Floor and Ceiling Amounts

NRCS anticipates that the amount available for support of this program in FY 2021 is identified below, although the availability and composition of available funds has not yet been determined.

The funding floor means the minimum agreement funding amount for the Federal share per agreement awarded. The ceiling is the maximum agreement funding amount for the Federal share per agreement awarded. These numbers refer to the total agreement amount, not any specific budget period.

The anticipated funding floor for this opportunity is $20,000 and the anticipated funding ceiling is $1,000,000. The funding floor means the minimum agreement funding amount for the Federal share per agreement awarded. The ceiling is the maximum agreement funding amount for the Federal share per agreement awarded. These numbers refer to the total agreement amount, not any specific budget period.

Federal Financial Assistance Training

The funding available through this NFO is Federal financial assistance. Grants 101 Training is highly recommended for those seeking knowledge about Federal financial assistance. The training is free and available to the public via https://www.cfo.gov/grants-training/. It consists of five modules covering each of the following topics: 1) laws, regulations, and guidance; 2) financial assistance mechanisms; 3) uniform guidance administrative requirements; 4) cost principles; and 5) risk management and single audit. FPAC agencies also apply Federal financial assistance regulations to certain non-assistance awards (e.g., non-assistance cooperative agreements).