USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Minnesota FY23 Grant for Tribal Conservation and Underserved Client Assistance

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) is being released prior to appropriation and/or apportionment of funds for fiscal year 2023. Enactment of additional continuing resolutions or an appropriations act may affect the availability or level of funding for this program.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is announcing potential availability of Grant Agreements for the purpose of leveraging NRCS resources, addressing local natural resource

issues, encouraging collaboration and developing Tribal and community-level conservation leadership in Minnesota. Proposals are requested from Federally recognized tribal governments for competitive consideration of grant agreement awards for projects for up to 3 years in duration for the following initiatives:

Tribal Food Sovereignty and Food Production Grants:

Tribal food sovereignty is the right of American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians to produce their own traditional foods on their own lands to sustain themselves, their families and their communities. The overall objectives of these grants are to increase Tribal food sovereignty in Minnesota by supporting best practices that enhance the following:

·      Production of food, fiber, wildlife and forestry products using conservation systems to support American Indian culture and sovereignty.

·      Creation or enhancement of sustainably produced and processed food markets.

·      Conservation education, traditional food production education, stewardship and natural resource management.

Reaching Out to Historically Underserved Clients and providing Technical and Financial Assistance.

The overall objective of this category is to provide outreach to historically underserved clients to increase technical and programmatic conservation delivery by:

·      Identifying cultural and program barriers that limit NRCS assistance

·      Providing outreach and education to underserved clients on NRCS programs and technical materials

·      Assisting underserved clients in seeking and obtaining NRCS Assistance

·      Providing planning assistance to underserved clients

NRCS anticipates that the amount available for support of this program in fiscal year 2023 will be

$1,000,000. 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

Applicants must submit their applications via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on February 21, 2023. 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). Questions regarding this notice of funding opportunity (NFO) may be submitted until January 20, 2023. 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 March 21, 2023 and expects to execute awards by June 1, 2023. These dates are estimates and subject to change.