Announcement for Program Funding for NRCS’ Conservation Easement Restoration | USDA NRCS IA 18 03

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS IA 18 03

This grant opportunity is a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) cooperative agreement focused on restoring degraded wetlands and floodplains in Iowa through NRCS conservation easement programs. The work is tied to three voluntary federal programs: the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and the Emergency Watershed Protection Program - Floodplain Easements (EWP-FPE). The core purpose is to conserve, protect, and enhance wetland and floodplain ecosystems by supporting restoration, enhancement, protection, maintenance, and long-term management actions that improve wetland functions and values. In practice, that means helping landowners and communities put conservation plans into action on eligible easement lands, including both wetland or floodplain areas and adjacent uplands that directly affect how those wet systems function.

NRCS is seeking proposals from qualified individuals and organizations that can provide specialized technical or implementation support needed to carry out conservation plans under these easement programs. The announcement emphasizes that USDA policy allows the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with non-federal partners to deliver this kind of specialized assistance. In other words, NRCS is not only funding on-the-ground restoration; it is also investing in partner capacity to design, coordinate, and implement the restoration and management practices that easement projects require. The targeted outcomes are improvements in wetland and floodplain condition and performance, such as better hydrology, improved habitat and biodiversity, stronger flood storage and attenuation, and enhanced water quality benefits, achieved by restoring natural processes and stabilizing affected landscapes.

The opportunity is structured as a discretionary funding cooperative agreement (Funding Opportunity Number USDA NRCS IA 18 03) administered by USDA NRCS. It was released May 25, 2018, with an original application deadline of June 25, 2018. The agreement framework described is five years, with the notice referencing approximately $8 million in funding over that period if funds are available, while listing an award ceiling of $3,000,000 and an expectation of one award. That combination suggests NRCS intended a major, multi-year partnership arrangement, potentially with phased funding, task orders, or work components delivered across the five-year period, while still maintaining a maximum amount per award as stated in the posting.

Eligibility is broad and includes a wide mix of public, private, and nonprofit entities, as well as individuals. Eligible applicants include county governments, cities or townships, special district governments, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, other tribal organizations, nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, small businesses, and individuals. The activity area is categorized under agriculture, environment, and natural resources, and the assistance is associated with CFDA numbers 10.923, 10.931, and 10.932, reflecting the federal program areas connected to easements and watershed or conservation work.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a partner-driven restoration initiative for Iowa easement lands, where NRCS is looking to fund one major cooperative partner to help deliver wetland and floodplain restoration at scale. The partner is expected to share NRCS goals for wetland and floodplain conservation and to bring the technical expertise, staffing, and operational capability needed to move restoration projects from planning to implementation, including structural and vegetative practices and associated upland work that supports wetland and floodplain health.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Announcement for Program Funding for NRCS’ Conservation Easement Restoration" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.923, 10.931, 10.932.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 25, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 25, 2018. (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 $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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, Individuals, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for USDA NRCS IA 18 03

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