USDA NRCS Arkansas Grant for Technical Assistance in Natural Resource Conservation

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

Notice of Funding Opportunity Title: FY 24 Arkansas Technical Assistance Projects

Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NRCS-AR-MULTI-24-NOFO0001357

Assistance Listing: This program is listed in the Assistance Listings (previously referred to as the Catalog of Federal Financial Assistance) on Sam.gov under 10.902 Soil and Water Conservation, 10.912 Environmental Quality Incentives Program, 10.924 Conservation Stewardship Program, 10.931 Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, 10.069 Conservation Reserve Program, and 10.905 Plant Materials for Conservation, which can be found at: https://sam.gov/content/home.  

SAM is a web-based, government-wide application that collects, validates, stores, and disseminates business information about the federal government’s trading partners in support of the contract awards, grants, and electronic payment processes.

Notice of Funding Opportunity Summary

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) is being released prior to appropriation and/or apportionment of funds for fiscal year 2024. Enactment of additional continuing resolutions or an appropriations act may affect the availability or level of funding for this program.

The Arkansas Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is seeking support from and opportunities to partner with likeminded natural resource conservation partners in Arkansas. The overall intent of this solicitation is to solicit partnerships to provide technical services that address the key conservation objectives and focus areas described further in this document.

All applicants must demonstrate an established history of working cooperatively with producers in Arkansas, on agricultural land, to address local conservation priorities. All applicants must be capable of providing support in the State of Arkansas, projects are to be carried out within Arkansas. NRCS anticipates that the amount available for support of this opportunity will be approximately $4,000,000.

This notice identifies the objectives, eligibility criteria, and application instructions. Applications will be screened for completeness and compliance with the provisions of this notice. Incomplete and/or noncompliant applications will be eliminated from competition and notification of elimination will be sent to the applicant. The Arkansas State Conservationist reserves the right not to fund any or all applications. NRCS will accept applications under this notice for single or multiyear applications submitted by eligible entities.

For new users of Grants.gov, see Section D. of the full Notice of Funding Opportunity for information about steps required before submitting an application via Grants.gov.

Key Dates

Applicants must submit their applications via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on May 3, 2024. For technical issues with Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov. Awarding agency staff cannot support applicants regarding Grants.gov accounts.

For inquiries specific to the content of the NFO requirements, contact the federal awarding agency contact (section G of this NFO). Please limit questions to those regarding specific information contained in this NFO (such as dates, page numbers, clarification of discrepancies, etc.). Questions related to eligibility, or the merits of a specific proposal will not be addressed.

The agency anticipates making selections by July 1, 2024 and expects to execute awards by September 30, 2024. These dates are estimates and are subject to change.

Federal Funding Floor and Ceiling Amounts

The estimated funding floor for this opportunity is $25,000.00, and the estimated funding ceiling is $3,000,000. 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/resources/federal-financial-assistance-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).