NRCS is offering a Grant for Technical Assistance in Wildlife Habitat Improvement

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO)

SUMMARY INFORMATION

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

Notice of Funding Opportunity Title: NRCS Technical Assistance for Habitat Improvement

Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NRCS-VT-MULTI-22-NOFO0001193

Assistance Listing: This program is listed in the Assistance Listings on Sam.gov under 10.912 Environmental Quality Incentive Program and 10.924 Conservation Stewardship Program.

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

NRCS is in search of a cooperative undertaking with an organization that will assist NRCS with strong technical assistance for wildlife habitat improvement practices. This cooperative effort is intended to provide field office staff access to local wildlife professionals preferably with experience in planning, development/implementation and certification of wildlife habitat related conservation practices. The successful applicant will assist with site visits, documentation of resource concerns, habitat plans, develop and layout of conservation plans, certification of implemented conservation practices, and associated documentation. Successful applicants must have or achieve proper certifications and licensures to complete the desired work. The work will provide planning for various Farm Bill Conservation Programs and specific implementation will primarily be through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

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 June 17, 2022.  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 June 30, 2022 and expects to execute awards by September 15, 2022.  These dates are estimates and are subject to change.

Federal Funding Floor and Ceiling Amounts

The estimated funding floor for this opportunity is $80,000 and the estimated funding ceiling is $280,000. 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).