Kansas – Conservation Collaboration Agreements | USDA NRCS KS MULTI 22 NOFO0001201

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS KS MULTI 22 NOFO0001201

The Kansas - Conservation Collaboration Agreements opportunity is a competitive federal funding announcement from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) focused on supporting conservation work across Kansas through cooperative agreements. The main idea is to help partners and communities tackle local natural resource concerns by combining NRCS expertise and resources with on-the-ground capacity from other organizations. NRCS is looking for projects that strengthen collaboration, address priority conservation challenges, and build conservation leadership at the state and community level, with projects typically running from 1 to 3 years.

For fiscal year 2022, NRCS indicated up to $4 million total may be available in Kansas for projects described in the full announcement (Section A in the full NOFO materials). The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally means NRCS expects to be actively involved during the project period rather than simply issuing funds and stepping back. The opportunity is listed as discretionary funding under CFDA 10.902 and is categorized under agriculture, environment, and natural resources. NRCS anticipates making around 6 awards, and the listed award ceiling is $2,500,000 per award, meaning individual awards can be significant depending on the project scope and the priorities laid out in the full announcement.

Eligibility is broad and includes Federally recognized Tribal governments, state governments, and local units of government (including counties, cities/townships, and special districts). It also includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they meet the program requirements). The notice also references an "Others" category, with additional eligibility clarification provided in the full announcement, so applicants that do not neatly fit the main categories would need to confirm eligibility there. Overall, NRCS is clearly aiming to attract a wide range of partners that can help deliver conservation outcomes, coordinate stakeholders, and expand conservation leadership in Kansas communities.

Applications were required to be submitted through Grants.gov, and the deadline stated in the notice was 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The announcement emphasizes that applicants are responsible for managing their own Grants.gov registrations and submission process, and that technical issues should be directed to Grants.gov Applicant Support (1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov), since NRCS staff will not troubleshoot Grants.gov account problems. For questions about the NOFO itself, NRCS directed applicants to the federal awarding agency contact listed in Section G of the NOFO, and specifically limited those questions to clarifications about the notice content (for example, dates, page references, or resolving discrepancies). They also noted that questions about whether a particular applicant is eligible or whether a specific project idea is strong were not going to be answered through that inquiry channel.

NRCS provided an estimated review and award timeline as well. They anticipated making selections by May 31, 2022, with the expectation of executing awards by September 30, 2022, while also noting these dates were estimates and could change. In practical terms, that signals a relatively fast selection window after the application deadline, followed by a longer period to finalize the cooperative agreement paperwork and get projects formally started before the end of the federal fiscal year.

Key identifying details for the opportunity include the title "Kansas - Conservation Collaboration Agreements" and the funding opportunity number "USDA NRCS KS MULTI 22 NOFO0001201." The original posting date was April 12, 2022, with the closing date of May 12, 2022. The overall purpose is partnership-driven conservation in Kansas, with NRCS using this competitive process to invest in projects that leverage multiple organizations, address local natural resource priorities, and develop durable conservation leadership and collaboration capacity beyond a single project cycle.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Kansas – Conservation Collaboration Agreements" 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 Apr 12, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 12, 2022. (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 $2,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), 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, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for USDA NRCS KS MULTI 22 NOFO0001201

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