$12.5 Million Available for Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG)National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
$12.5 Million Available for Conservation Innovation Grants
May 31, 2019
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced the availability of $12.5 million for the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. This funding is in addition to the $25 million in funding that was announced last week for on-farm trials (a new CIG sub-program established under the 2018 Farm Bill). This week’s funding announcement is the traditional CIG option that has been offered in the past and is now being referred to as “Classic CIG”.
The deadline to apply for fiscal year (FY) 2019 funding for Classic CIG is July 30, 2019 at 5 pm EST.
CIG Basics
Part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the CIG program is administered by NRCS and provides grant funding for the development, application, and demonstration of innovative conservation technologies and approaches. Through CIG, public and private grantees work to develop the tools, technologies, and strategies to support future conservation efforts on working lands as well as develop market-based solutions to resource challenges.
CIG projects are a critical
tool in the effort to transfer innovative conservation management systems,
approaches, and technologies to farmers and ranchers. CIGs also help to share
conservation research, findings, and best practices with NRCS (for use in technical
manuals and guides), as well as the private sector.
CIGs bring a wide range of partners to the table to support innovation – state, local, and tribal governments, non-governmental organizations, and individuals are all eligible to apply. Grantees must match 50 percent of the funds provided by the CIG award through non-federal contributions, which can be either in-kind or cash contributions. Grantees are also responsible for providing the necessary technical assistance; NRCS provides technical oversight for the project.
Successful applications must include conservation approaches or projects that directly involve EQIP-eligible farmers or ranchers. For this FY 2019 CIG application period, up to 10 percent of national funds are set aside for projects targeting historically underserved and veteran farmers or ranchers.
The Classic CIG program has two components – national and state. Yesterday’s announcement is for the national component; it is up to each state office to choose to administer its own CIG competition in FY 2019, using a portion of its state EQIP funds. Several states have already announced funding availability for this year.
FY 2019 CIG Priorities
Each year, NRCS identifies priority categories within CIG that can advance new or emerging high priority natural resource issues. This year’s announcement for Classic CIG included four priority areas: increasing the pace and scale of conservation adoption; water quantity, pollinator habitat, and urban agriculture.
The full funding announcement is available online through grants.gov and includes the details of each priority listed above.
Awards and Eligibility
Awards for
national projects can range between $150,000 and $2 million. State, local, and tribal
governments, non-governmental organizations, and individuals are all eligible
to apply for CIGs. The 2018 Farm Bill expands eligibility to also allow community
colleges that are carrying out demonstration projects on the college’s land to
apply.
All Grantees
must match 50 percent of the funds provided by the CIG award through
non-federal in-kind or cash contributions, and are also responsible for
providing the necessary technical assistance; NRCS provides technical oversight
for the project. All proposed conservation approaches or technologies of the
CIG application must involve EQIP-eligible farmers or ranchers.
How to Apply
The application deadline for FY 2019 Classic CIG funds is July 30, 2019, 5:00 pm EST. Applications can be submitted through www.grants.gov. NRCS will be holding a webinar for anyone interested in applying to the CIG program on June 11, 2019 at 12:00 pm EST. You can also learn about the CIG program through the NRCS website, and via NSAC’s Grassroots Guide.
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