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Conservation Service (NRCS) Notice of Funding Opportunity Title: 2022 California Conservation Agreements Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NRCS-CA-22-MULTI-NOFO0001194 Assistance Listing: This program is listed in the Assistance Listings on Sam.gov under the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance numbers 10.069 Conservation Reserve Program; 10.902 Conservation Technical Assistance; 10.912 Environmental Quality Incentives Program; 10.924 Conservation Stewardship Program; 10.931 Agricultural Conservation Enhancement Program. SAM is a web-based, government-wide application that collects, validates, stores, and disseminates business information about the federal government's trading partners in support of the contract awards, grants, and electronic payment processes. Notice of Funding Opportunity Summary 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 amount of funding available for successful agreements will range between $25,000.00 and $75,000.00 per award. $1,000,000 is potentially available under this announcement. This announcement invites applications from the network of outreach and conservation organizations with a focus on California NRCS Conservation Program implementation. This notice is a solicitation for cooperative agreement proposals to assist the Natural Resources Conservation Service in California in carrying out our mission. Note, Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) are advertised separately and should not be submitted in response to this notice of funding. Proposals focusing on the resiliency of California agriculture by addressing climate smart agriculture through six target resource concerns will be prioritized. The six target resource concerns include plant productivity and forest health, air quality, water quality, water quantity, soil health/soil quality, and wildlife habitat. This prioritization reflects the goals outlined in the NRCS California Strategic Plan. Emphasis will be given to projects that provide direct technical assistance to NRCS staff in the implementation of Farm Bill conservation programs. California NRCS will continue to prioritize a full spectrum of partnerships that includes Tribes, urban producers, and partners working on behalf of Historically Underserved sectors of our farming, ranching and forestry communities. We are continuously working to expand our conservation footprint in all communities in California. Applications for funding are invited through 11:59 pm EST (8:59 pm PST) on June 1, 2022. News Release found at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/news/ca/newsroom/releases/. 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 (8:59 pm Pacific Time) on June 1, 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 15, 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 $25,000 and the estimated funding ceiling is $75,000. 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).

The primary goal of American Rescue Plan Technical Assistance Investment Program is to ensure improved understanding of and equitable participation in the full range of USDA programs and services among underserved farmers, ranchers, forest land owners and operators through supporting the organizational delivery of technical assistance projects and establishment of technical assistance networks. USDA is authorized to support and facilitate the establishment of technical assistance projects toward this goal. Projects must provide a range of technical assistance services to underserved agricultural producers. The term “agricultural producer” is used to refer to agricultural farmers, ranchers, and private forest land owners and operators.

Beginning farmer education for adult and young audiences in the United States can generally be traced back to the advent of the 1862 and 1890 Morrill Land-Grant Acts. But, for the first time, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Pub .L. No. 110-234, Section 7410) appropriated $75 million for FY 2009 to FY 2012 to develop and offer education, training, outreach and mentoring programs to enhance the sustainability of the next generation of farmers. The Agriculture Act of 2014 provided an additional $20 million per year for 2014 through 2018. The reasons for the renewed interest in beginning farmer and rancher programs are as follows: the rising average age of U.S. farmers; the 8% projected decrease in the number of farmers and ranchers between 2008 and 2018; and the growing recognition that new programs are needed to address the needs of the next generation of beginning farmers and ranchers. The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (aka the 2018 Farm Bill) reauthorized the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program and provides mandatory funds for which supports education, mentoring, and technical assistance initiatives for beginning farmers and ranchers.

EPA is announcing a grant competition to fund two-year Pollution Prevention assistance agreements for projects that provide technical assistance (e.g., information, training, tools) to businesses to help them develop and adopt source reduction practices (also known as “pollution prevention” or “P2”). P2 means reducing or eliminating pollutants from entering any waste stream or otherwise being released into the environment prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal. In keeping with the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, EPA is encouraging P2 because implementing these practices can result in reductions in pollutants, and the use of water, energy, and other raw materials, while also lowering business costs. States, state entities, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the U.S., federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia are eligible to apply.