2022 - California Conservation Cooperative Agreements | USDA NRCS CA 22 MULTI NOFO0001194

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS CA 22 MULTI NOFO0001194

The 2022 California Conservation Cooperative Agreements opportunity (USDA-NRCS-CA-22-MULTI-NOFO0001194) is a discretionary federal funding announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California. It is structured as cooperative agreements, meaning NRCS expects an active partnership role rather than simply issuing a pass-through grant. The overall purpose is to strengthen implementation of NRCS conservation programs across California by funding outreach and conservation organizations that can help NRCS deliver Farm Bill conservation assistance and expand conservation outcomes on the ground.

Funding is expected to be relatively small per project but spread across multiple awards. Individual awards are anticipated to range from $25,000 to $75,000 (federal share), with up to $1,000,000 potentially available under the announcement and an estimated 15 awards. NRCS notes the announcement was released prior to final appropriation or apportionment for fiscal year 2022, so final funding levels could shift depending on continuing resolutions or a final appropriations act. The stated floor and ceiling refer to the total federal amount per agreement rather than being limited to a single budget period.

Project proposals are expected to align with NRCS California priorities focused on making California agriculture more resilient through climate-smart approaches. NRCS indicates it will prioritize projects that address six specific resource concerns: plant productivity and forest health, air quality, water quality, water quantity, soil health/soil quality, and wildlife habitat. These focus areas are tied directly to the NRCS California Strategic Plan, and proposals that clearly connect planned activities to measurable improvements in one or more of these areas are positioned as stronger matches for the solicitation.

A major emphasis of the opportunity is direct technical assistance that supports NRCS staff and accelerates delivery of Farm Bill conservation programs. While the notice does not list every eligible activity in the excerpt provided, the framing signals that NRCS wants partners who can help with program implementation in practical ways, such as landowner or producer outreach, application assistance, conservation planning support, and coordination that helps move producers from interest to enrollment and implementation. The notice also explicitly warns applicants not to submit Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) proposals under this announcement, since CIG is advertised separately and has different goals and requirements.

Eligibility is broad and designed to encourage a wide partnership network. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; other tribal organizations; and nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status. NRCS also highlights an ongoing priority to build a full spectrum of partnerships that includes Tribes, urban producers, and organizations serving Historically Underserved farming, ranching, and forestry communities, reflecting an intent to expand conservation participation and benefits across all California communities.

Applications were required to be submitted through Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time (8:59 pm Pacific Time) on June 1, 2022. NRCS advises that applicants experiencing technical problems must work directly with Grants.gov Applicant Support, and that NRCS awarding agency staff cannot help with Grants.gov account issues. For questions about the notice itself, applicants are directed to the federal awarding agency contact listed in the NFO, with the caveat that NRCS will generally only answer questions that clarify the published requirements (for example, dates or discrepancies) and will not provide feedback on eligibility edge-cases or the competitiveness of a specific project concept. NRCS projected an internal timeline of selections by June 15, 2022, with awards expected to be executed by September 15, 2022, while noting these dates were estimates and could change.

The opportunity is connected to multiple NRCS Assistance Listings (formerly CFDA) program areas listed on SAM.gov, including the Conservation Reserve Program (10.069), Conservation Technical Assistance (10.902), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (10.912), Conservation Stewardship Program (10.924), and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (10.931). This signals that funded cooperative agreements may support outreach and implementation work that complements these program authorities, even if the agreement itself is not identical to a direct producer cost-share contract under those programs.

Finally, NRCS emphasizes that this funding is federal financial assistance and points applicants to free "Grants 101" training hosted by the CFO Council (cfo.gov) covering laws and regulations, assistance mechanisms, Uniform Guidance administrative requirements, cost principles, and risk management and single audit. This is a practical hint that applicants, especially those newer to federal assistance, should be prepared for standard compliance expectations around budgeting, allowable costs, reporting, and documentation that typically accompany cooperative agreements.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2022 - California Conservation Cooperative Agreements" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.902.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 08, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 01, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $75,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for USDA NRCS CA 22 MULTI NOFO0001194

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