Federal Department of Agriculture Community Conservation and Agriculture Grants

Notice of Funding Opportunity Summary

The purpose of this NFO is to encourage and promote conservation planning and conservation practice demonstrations in urban, suburban, and other small-scale type agricultural operations. Emphasis will be placed on projects that establish new community gardens, or enhance and expand existing community agriculture projects. Proposals should seek to:

1.     Provide conservation learning experiences to urban, suburban, and Tribal communities.

2.     Address concerns regarding food deserts.

3.     Advance Tribal food sovereignty.

4.     Achieve positive and measurable natural resources conservation outcomes.

For new users of Grants.gov, see Section D. 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 July 07, 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). 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 September 01, 2023 and expects to execute awards by September 30, 2023. These dates are estimates and are subject to change.

Federal Funding Floor and Ceiling Amounts

The estimated funding floor for this opportunity is $5,000, and the estimated funding ceiling is $250,000. 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).