USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is offering the Montana Partners for Conservation grant to promote natural resource conservation and leadership.

Notice of Funding Opportunity Summary

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is announcing the potential availability of funding for agreements for the purpose of leveraging NRCS resources, addressing local natural resource issues, encouraging collaboration and developing state-and-community-level conservation leadership. The overall intent of this solicitation is to solicit partnerships to help provide outreach, education, and technical assistance on USDA-NRCS programs including, but not limited to, conducting conservation outreach workshops, conferences, and training that will help educate Montana’s agriculture community, private landowners, conservation organizations, cooperating agencies, and general citizenry. Proposals must be for projects based in Montana and focus on conservation issues as noted in Section A of this NFO. Collaborative projects that provide on-the ground support for Montana NRCS Field Offices are highly encouraged.

Research proposals will not be accepted, nor considered. NRCS anticipates that the amount available for support of this program in FY 2022 will be up to $3,000,000.00, however, budget constraints may prevent NRCS from funding 2022 proposals. Proposals are requested from Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS (other than institutions of higher education), and Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS (other than institutions of higher education)  for competitive consideration of awards for projects between 3 and 5 years in duration. Awarded organizations may be required to present project updates in the form of a formal presentation to the Montana NRCS Leadership.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) is being released prior to appropriation and/or apportionment of funds for fiscal year 2022. Enactment of additional continuing resolutions or an appropriations act may affect the availability or level of funding for this program.

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 NFO. 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 of the Notice of Funding Opportunity located in the Related Documents tab of this 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 April 08, 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 6/1/2022 and expects to execute awards by 9/1/2022. These dates are estimates and are subject to change.

Federal Funding Floor and Ceiling Amounts

The estimated funding floor for this opportunity is $100,000 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/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).