Texas Partners for Conservation
Notice of Funding Opportunity Summary The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is announcing the potential availability of funding for agreements for the purpose of leveraging NRCS resources, addressing local natural resource issues, encouraging collaboration and developing state-and-community-level conservation leadership. Proposals must be for projects based in Texas and focus on conservation priority topics as noted in Section A of this notice. Collaborative projects that provide on-the-ground support for Texas NRCS Field Offices are highly encouraged. Eligible applicants include: · City or township governments · County governments · 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 · Public and State-controlled institutions of higher education · Special district governments · State governments Research proposals will not be accepted, nor considered. 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 April 24, 2023. 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. A webinar for potential applicants will be provided on Thursday March 23rd, 2023, from 10:00 – 11:00 am CST via Microsoft Office Teams. Participation. Meeting participation and additional agreement information will be posted on the NRCS Texas Partners for Conservation website. The agency anticipates making selections by May 24, 2023, and expects to execute awards by September 2023. These dates are estimates and are subject to change. Federal Funding Floor and Ceiling Amounts The estimated funding floor for this opportunity is $25,000, and the estimated funding ceiling is $200,000. 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).