Cooperative Conservation Agreements (Wisconsin) | USDA NRCS WI MULTI 24 NOFO0001329

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS WI MULTI 24 NOFO0001329

The Cooperative Conservation Agreements (Wisconsin) opportunity is a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) discretionary funding program that plans to issue cooperative agreements to support conservation work in Wisconsin. The overall purpose is to leverage NRCS resources by partnering with outside organizations to address local natural resource concerns, strengthen collaboration among stakeholders, and build conservation leadership at the state and community level. NRCS is essentially looking for partner-led projects that align with conservation priorities and can be implemented on the ground in Wisconsin through cooperative, coordinated efforts.

A key detail is that the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) is being released ahead of final federal funding decisions for fiscal year 2024. That means the availability of funds, as well as the final funding level, could change depending on whether Congress passes additional continuing resolutions or a full appropriations act. Applicants should plan accordingly, understanding that selections and award amounts may ultimately depend on final budget actions.

Projects must be located in the state of Wisconsin. NRCS will screen applications first for completeness and compliance with the NFO requirements. Applications that are incomplete or do not follow the stated instructions will be removed from consideration, and the applicant will be notified. This makes formatting, required attachments, and adherence to the NFO rules especially important, since an otherwise strong project can be eliminated for administrative reasons.

Applications have to be submitted through Grants.gov no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time on April 15, 2024. Organizations that are new to Grants.gov are directed to follow the steps in Section D of the full NFO, since registration and setup can take time. If technical problems occur on Grants.gov, applicants must work with Grants.gov Applicant Support (1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov). NRCS staff will not help with Grants.gov account issues. For questions about the content of the NFO itself, applicants are instructed to contact the federal awarding agency contact listed in Section G, but only for clarification on items actually in the notice (for example, deadlines, page references, or resolving inconsistencies). NRCS will not provide feedback on whether a specific applicant is eligible or whether a particular project idea is competitive.

NRCS anticipates making selection decisions by May 15, 2024, and expects to execute awards by September 1, 2024. Both dates are estimates and may shift. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically implies substantial involvement by the federal agency during the project period compared to a standard grant. The assistance listing (CFDA) number associated with this opportunity is 10.902. The opportunity is categorized under agriculture, environment, and natural resources.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations that can carry out conservation partnerships. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); for-profit entities other than small businesses; and small businesses. This wide eligibility suggests NRCS is open to cross-sector collaboration, including public-private partnerships and projects led by nonprofits, universities, tribes, or local units of government.

In terms of scale, the listed award ceiling is $2,000,000, and NRCS expects to make about 10 awards. While individual award sizes can vary up to the ceiling, the combination of a relatively high maximum award and multiple expected awards indicates NRCS may support both moderate and larger partnership efforts, so long as they clearly address Wisconsin conservation needs and align with the objectives in the NFO. The opportunity was created on February 15, 2024, and the original closing date is April 15, 2024, making the application window relatively short and reinforcing the need to start early, especially for Grants.gov registrations and internal approvals.

• The Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Conservation Agreements (Wisconsin)" 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 2024-02-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-04-15. (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 $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, 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, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for USDA NRCS WI MULTI 24 NOFO0001329

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