U.S. Department of Agriculture NRCS: Wetland Mitigation Banking Grants for Agricultural Producers (FY 2022)

SUMMARY INFORMATION

Federal Awarding Agency Name: U.S. Department of Agriculture – NRCS

Notice of Funding Opportunity Title: Notice of Funding Opportunity for NRCS’s Wetland Mitigation Banking Program for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2022

Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NRCS-NHQ-WMBP-21-NOFO0001116

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA): This program is listed in the Assistance Listings under the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number 10.933

Notice of Funding Opportunity Summary

NRCS is announcing the availability of up to $5 million in Wetland Mitigation Banking Program (WMBP) grant funds for the development and establishment of mitigation banks and banking opportunities solely for agricultural producers with wetlands subject to the Wetland Conservation Compliance provisions of the 1985 Food Security Act (as amended). WMBP is a competitive grants program accepting proposals from qualified applicants with the expertise and capacity to operate and manage all aspects of a wetland mitigation bank. Eligible entities include Federally recognized Native American tribal governments, State and local units of government, for-profit entities, small businesses, special district governments, nonprofits with or without a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS other than institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and public and State controlled institutions of higher education. Applications will be accepted from eligible entities to carry out projects in any of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Caribbean Area (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), and the Pacific Islands Area (Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). Priority will be given to banks based in locations with significant numbers of individual wetlands, wetland acres, and conservation compliance requests. According to NRCS data, these locations include the Prairie Pothole Region, Nebraska Rainwater Basin Region, and the states of Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, South Dakota, Georgia, and Ohio.

For new users of Grants.gov, see Section D.1. of the full announcement 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 August 16, 2021. 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. Questions regarding this notice of funding opportunity (NFO) may be submitted until July 22, 2021.  Responses to questions posed will be posted on Grants.gov approximately two weeks before the application due date. A webinar for potential WMBP applicants is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on July 20, 2021. Participate in the webinar by using the coordinates below:

Step 1: Dial into the conference.

 Dial-in: 888-251-2949 or 215-861-0694

 Access Code: 2318215#

 Need an international dial-in number?

Step 2: Join the conference on your computer.

 Entry Link: https://ems8.intellor.com/login/839421

The agency anticipates making selections by October 1, 2021 and expects to execute awards by January 01, 2022.

Federal Funding Floor and Ceiling Amounts

The estimated funding floor for this opportunity is $400,000 and the estimated 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).

See the Related Documents tab of this opportunity for the full announcement.