Announcement for Program Funding for NRCS' Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2018 - Virginia | USDA NRCS VA CIG 18 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS VA CIG 18 01

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced a Virginia-specific Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) funding opportunity for federal fiscal year 2018 to encourage new and creative conservation solutions that can be used alongside working agricultural operations. The program is meant to push forward practical, on-the-ground innovations that help producers conserve natural resources while maintaining or improving agricultural production. In general, the emphasis is on ideas that can be tested, proven, and then moved into broader use, either by being incorporated into NRCS technical references (like manuals and guides) or by being adopted and carried forward through private-sector channels.

This opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number USDA NRCS VA CIG 18 01) is a discretionary grant program in the agriculture, environment, natural resources, and science/technology research and development space (CFDA 10.912). It supports projects that take innovative conservation approaches and turn them into real-world applications, especially through pilot projects, field demonstrations, and on-farm conservation research. The announcement highlights that on-farm conservation research has a specific meaning here: it is applied research designed to answer a focused conservation question using a statistically valid study design, carried out with farm-scale equipment on actual farms, ranches, or private forest lands. That detail signals that NRCS is looking for work that is rigorous enough to be credible, but still grounded in day-to-day production conditions rather than lab-only experimentation.

Funding for Virginia under this FY 2018 announcement totals up to $450,000, with an award ceiling of $75,000 per project. NRCS anticipated making about six awards, which implies a competitive process with limited slots and a need for strong, clearly defined proposals. Project periods can range from one to three years, allowing applicants to propose shorter demonstrations or multi-season efforts where results depend on timing, field conditions, or repeated measurement.

Eligibility is broad as long as the applicant is not a federal agency. NRCS invited applications from non-federal entities and individuals, including county governments, city or township governments, independent school districts, federally recognized tribal governments, other tribal organizations, nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education), individuals, and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. This wide eligibility reflects the program's practical focus: innovations can come from many places, such as local governments managing conservation priorities, nonprofit conservation groups partnering with producers, private companies piloting new tools or systems, or individual practitioners testing new management approaches.

The timeline for this specific announcement shows it was created on February 12, 2018, with an original application closing date of April 6, 2018. Overall, the program is designed to move beyond theory and into adoption by agricultural producers, with funding aimed at proving conservation technologies, management systems, and innovative approaches (including market-based ideas) that can scale into standard practice across Virginia and beyond.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Announcement for Program Funding for NRCS' Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2018 - Virginia" 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 Feb 12, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 06, 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 $75,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: County governments, City or township governments, Independent school districts, 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, Individuals, For profit organizations other than small businesses.

Apply for USDA NRCS VA CIG 18 01

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