Mississippi Conservation Delivery Technical Assistance – FY2022

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. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is seeking support from natural resource conservation partners to work together to help enhance conservation delivery in the State of Mississippi. The overall intent of this announcement is to solicit partnerships to help enhance the implementation of key conservation objectives and priorities outlined further in this document. Proposals will be accepted from eligible entities delivering conservation programs and services in Mississippi for competitive consideration of awards for projects between one (1) and five (5) years in duration. NRCS anticipates the amount of funding available for this announcement will be approximately $5,000,000 which will be awarded to multiple recipients. All applicants must be capable of providing support in the State of Mississippi. Proposals are requested from city or township governments, county governments, federally recognized Native American 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, public and State-controlled institutions of higher education, special district governments, or State governments. Entities may use this opportunity to request additional funding for existing Mississippi partnership agreements. 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 notice. Incomplete and/or noncompliant applications may be eliminated from competition and notification of elimination will be sent to the applicant. The Mississippi State Conservationist reserves the right not to fund any or all applications. NRCS will accept applications under this notice for single or multiyear applications submitted by eligible entities. 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 May 23, 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 17, 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 $50,000, 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).

Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NRCS-MS-CONTA-22-NOFO0001196. Assistance Listing: 10.902. Funding Instrument: CA. Category: AG,ENV,NR. Award Amount: $50K – $1M per award.