1,000+ Opportunities
Find the right grant
Search federal, foundation, and corporate grants with AI — or browse by agency, topic, and state.
Between funding cycles — FY2026 CIG applications closed July 27, 2026. NRCS issues a CIG funding notice each year; check the NRCS CIG page for the next round.
Historical funding: CIG Classic national awards typically $200,000 to $2,000,000. CIG On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials up to $2,500,000. State-level CIG awards vary. All awards require at least 1:1 non-federal matching funds. Recent AI-focused awards include a $2.4 million project for AI-enhanced weather-based irrigation scheduling.
Prior eligibility: Federally recognized Indian Tribes, state and local units of government, non-governmental organizations, and individuals. For-profit entities are eligible. All applicants must propose projects on non-federal lands. Projects must address natural resource conservation challenges on agricultural land. Cost share of at least 1:1 with non-federal funds is required.
The USDA NRCS Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program is a competitive program that drives public and private sector innovation in natural resource conservation through projects that develop new tools, approaches, practices, and technologies for application on private lands. The program has three components: CIG Classic for national-scale innovation projects, CIG On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials for field-testing new conservation approaches with farmers, and state-level CIG for localized innovation. CIG is increasingly funding AI and precision agriculture technologies, including machine learning-based irrigation scheduling, AI-enhanced soil health monitoring, precision application systems, drone and satellite-based crop monitoring using computer vision, and predictive analytics for conservation planning. Recent awards have included a $2.4 million University of Hawaii project for an AI-enhanced weather-based irrigation scheduling tool that uses machine learning to optimize water use. The program specifically targets innovative technologies not yet commonly adopted, making cutting-edge AI agricultural tools a strong fit. Projects must demonstrate on-the-ground conservation benefits addressing water quality, air quality, soil health, or wildlife habitat while improving agricultural operations. The 2026 cycle deadline has not yet been announced but typically falls in spring-summer, with announcements on Grants.gov. All projects require at least 1:1 non-federal matching funds, and NRCS evaluates proposals based on innovation, conservation impact, scalability, and partnership quality.
The Rural Utilities Service is putting $410 million of Section 22001 budget authority back in the market through the Powering Affordable Reliable Technology program. Letters of Interest open September 8 and close October 9, 2026 — both at 11:59 a.m., not p.m. — and RUS evaluates them on a rolling basis in the order received.
Read articleThe Cold Chain Grants for Emergency Food Assistance Program closes October 1, 2026, funding cold storage equipment at up to $200,000 per project with a 10% cash match. But USDA is not awarding to food banks — it is awarding to nonprofit intermediaries who will run competitive subaward programs. Two audiences, two entirely different jobs, and one of them has 43 days.
Read articleOn July 30, 2026, five food and farming nonprofits sued USDA in the Western District of Washington over grant terms and conditions that restrict what grantees may say and do — including with money that never came from the federal government. Twenty states and DC filed a parallel challenge in March. Here is what the conditions actually say and what recipients should do before their next award letter arrives.
Read article