NRCS Georgia Conservation Innovation Grant | USDA NRCS GA CIG 17 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS GA CIG 17 01

The NRCS Georgia Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) is a discretionary grant program run by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to speed up the real-world use of innovative conservation practices and technologies in agriculture. The central idea is not to fund basic research, but to help proven or promising conservation tools and approaches get adopted more widely by producers and land managers in Georgia. The program is designed to leverage federal conservation investments to deliver measurable environmental benefits while keeping agricultural operations productive, and it places a strong emphasis on projects that can be scaled beyond a small trial into broader, repeatable use.

CIG-funded projects are expected to focus on practical, on-the-ground conservation work such as pilot projects, field demonstrations, and implementation efforts that show how a practice works under farm conditions. The outcomes should be transferable, meaning the results can be integrated into NRCS technical manuals and guidance or moved into the private sector so the approach can continue after the grant ends. The opportunity also highlights innovation that can include not only technical practices (equipment, methods, management systems) but also innovative approaches like market-based systems, as long as they help drive conservation adoption.

Research is generally not supported under this program, with one clear exception: on-farm conservation research. This is narrowly defined as research conducted on working farms to answer a specific conservation question using a statistically valid study design. That means using farm-scale equipment on real fields, building in an appropriate number of replications, and analyzing results statistically. Even then, NRCS indicates it will only support research through CIG when it clearly stimulates innovative approaches to natural resource management tied to agricultural production, rather than functioning as open-ended or lab-style research.

Projects may be single-year or multi-year, but the total project period cannot exceed three years. The competition is limited to proposals submitted by eligible entities from Georgia. Eligible applicants are broad and include federally recognized Tribal governments, state and local governments (including counties, cities/townships, and special districts), public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, individuals, for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits that are not small businesses). The program’s framing also stresses collaboration and the sharing of skills, knowledge, technologies, and facilities among communities, governments, and institutions so that conservation innovations are accessible to a wider range of users.

Applications go through a structured screening and review process. First, NRCS screens submissions for completeness and compliance with the notice requirements; incomplete or noncompliant proposals are removed from consideration and applicants are notified. Proposals that pass screening are then evaluated by a technical peer review panel using the published proposal evaluation criteria referenced in the solicitation instructions. Those peer-reviewed proposals, along with the panel’s feedback, are forwarded to the Georgia Review Board, which develops recommendations for funding. Final award decisions are made by the NRCS State Conservationist for Georgia.

For this specific funding notice (Funding Opportunity Number USDA NRCS GA CIG 17 01, CFDA 10.912), the maximum award amount listed is $75,000, and the opportunity anticipated up to 50 awards. The funding activity categories are agriculture, environment, and natural resources, reflecting the program’s intent to support conservation practices that deliver environmental protection and enhancement alongside agricultural production. The posting indicates an original closing date of February 28, 2017, and a creation date of December 16, 2016, which is useful context for understanding that this is a dated notice even though the program itself continues under updated cycles in different years.

• The Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NRCS Georgia Conservation Innovation Grant" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.912.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-12-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-02-28. (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 $75,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 50 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, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for USDA NRCS GA CIG 17 01

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