Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS CA 13 0007
Apply for USDA NRCS CA 13 0007
- The California State Office in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "CA State 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 Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 26, 2013 and posted on Feb 26, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 22, 2013 Pre proposals are due 3/22/2013 no later than 400 pm. Selected applicants will then be required to submit a full proposal package by 5/17/2013.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $375,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $75,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Special district governments County governments State governments City or township governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Individuals Small businesses Private institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).
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Opportunity Summary:
The CA State Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) is a competitive funding opportunity run by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California (CFDA 10.912, under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program). The overall goal is to speed up the real-world adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies that improve environmental outcomes while supporting agricultural production. The emphasis is on practical, on-the-ground demonstrations and pilot efforts that can be replicated and scaled, and that are strong candidates for technology transfer into NRCS guidance (for example, practice standards, technical manuals, and field office tools) or into broader private-sector use.
A central feature of this program is that it is not a research grant in the traditional sense. Projects that are primarily designed to test hypotheses or conduct early-stage research are not considered a fit. Instead, CIG is intended to apply, demonstrate, adapt, and validate conservation technologies or systems that are already proven or have been studied enough to show a high likelihood of success. In other words, the grant is aimed at moving workable ideas from “it should work†to “it is working in the field, here is how, here is the cost, and here is what it delivers,†including monitoring and documentation of results.
For FY 2013 in California, NRCS anticipated up to $375,000 total available funding, with individual awards capped at $75,000 (award floor listed at $20,000). Projects can run from 1 to 3 years, with an anticipated start date of September 1, 2013. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, and there is a cost-share or matching requirement, meaning applicants should expect to contribute non-federal resources (cash and/or in-kind, depending on program rules) to help complete the work.
Eligibility is broad and includes federally recognized Tribal governments, state and local governments (including special districts, counties, and cities/townships), nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), private institutions of higher education, individuals, and small businesses. Applications are accepted from California, and projects are expected to be designed with awareness of NRCS practice standards so that successful outcomes can realistically plug into NRCS technical guidance and be used by conservation planners and producers.
The application process is structured as a two-phase statewide competition. First, applicants submit a pre-proposal. NRCS screens these submissions for completeness and compliance; incomplete applications are removed from consideration. NRCS evaluates complete pre-proposals based on how well they present an innovative approach or technology and how they address at least one of the state priority topics listed in the notice. Only applicants selected from this pre-proposal stage are invited to submit a full proposal. Full proposals then go through a technical peer review panel using published evaluation criteria, followed by review at a higher level, with final selections made by the NRCS State Conservationist.
California’s FY 2013 priority topics focus on applied solutions in several resource areas. In water quality, priorities include demonstrating systems such as bioreactors and agricultural use of reclaimed water to reduce nutrients, pesticides, and sediment leaving irrigated cropland; tools that monitor and document practice impacts to support water-quality trading credits; and improved manure application timing, uniformity, and rates. In water quantity, priorities include innovative on-farm irrigation flow measurement methods used for scheduling or performance evaluation, as well as new irrigation scheduling tools and systems. In climate change-related work, NRCS highlights field-ready approaches such as using organic soil amendments like compost or biochar to improve soil water holding capacity and soil organic matter, paired with monitoring methods to estimate greenhouse gas reductions, carbon sequestration, or soil decontamination benefits. It also calls for practical drought adaptation strategies (including issues like salinity intrusion and pollination timing mismatches) and demonstrations of conservation tillage that quantify benefits such as improved soil water capacity, reduced fuel use, and greenhouse gas reductions.
Energy conservation priorities include demonstrations of on-farm renewable energy systems that reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing fossil energy (such as solar, wind, geothermal, or hydropower), and strategies to expand energy efficiency through improved use of energy audits and adoption of upgrades across both facilities and field operations. The notice also encourages feasibility demonstrations for biomass-to-energy pathways (including anaerobic digestion and thermal conversion), irrigation-related energy savings using telemetry-enabled soil moisture networks and automated controls, and cropping systems that increase nutrient cycling and energy savings through adaptive management and long-term no-till rotations. Another specific topic is evaluating low-head hydropower turbine use in surface water settings like in-stream installations or small dams.
In waste recycling and resource conservation, the program seeks projects that evaluate and demonstrate recycling of excess biomass into useful products (for example biochar, gasification outputs, or other energy products), and systems that reduce fire hazard and conserve resources through better biomass salvage and recycling tied to a waste management system plan or equivalent. A notable California-specific item is demonstrating the use of NRCS Conservation Practice Standard 633 (Waste Recycling) for forestland biomass recycling, including producing practical implementation materials such as specifications, job sheets, and a waste management system plan example. Wildlife-related priorities include integrating habitat management into working agricultural landscapes through ecosystem-based planning, testing durable alternatives or modifications to fence corner posts to provide raptor perches, reducing wildlife trapping risk by improving caps on open pipes used in NRCS practices, building a California ecological site description database linking wildlife species to land resource units, assessing grazing as a sage grouse habitat management tool, and documenting benefits of pollinator habitat and structural habitat features like downed wood and snags for amphibians and reptiles.
Key deadlines for this FY 2013 announcement were a pre-proposal due by 4:00 p.m. on March 22, 2013, notification of selected pre-proposals by April 5, 2013, and full proposals due by 4:00 p.m. on May 17, 2013 for those invited. Submissions could be delivered by mail/courier to the USDA NRCS CIG Program address in Davis, California, or submitted electronically through Grants.gov or via email as indicated in the notice. The main program contact listed was Erik Beardsley, the State CIG Program Manager, with additional grants management support contact information provided for administrative access issues.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - CA State Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG), FY 2013 (NRCS California)
What is the California State Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG)?
The CA State Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) is a competitive funding opportunity run by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California (CFDA 10.912) under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). It supports projects that speed up real-world adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies that improve environmental outcomes while supporting agricultural production.
What is the overall goal of this grant program?
The goal is to move workable conservation innovations into practical use by demonstrating and validating them in real field conditions. NRCS emphasizes on-the-ground pilots and demonstrations that can be replicated and scaled and that are strong candidates for technology transfer into NRCS guidance (such as practice standards, technical manuals, and field office tools) or broader private-sector use.
Is CIG a research grant?
No. A central feature of CIG is that it is not a traditional research grant. Projects that are mainly designed to test hypotheses or conduct early-stage research are not considered a good fit. Instead, CIG supports applying, demonstrating, adapting, and validating approaches or systems that are already proven or sufficiently studied to show a high likelihood of success.
What kinds of activities does CIG support?
CIG supports practical demonstration and pilot efforts that show how an innovation works in the field, what it costs, and what it delivers. Projects are expected to include monitoring and documentation of results so outcomes can be understood and replicated.
How much funding was available for FY 2013 in California?
For FY 2013 in California, NRCS anticipated up to $375,000 in total available funding.
What is the minimum and maximum award size?
Individual awards were capped at $75,000, with an award floor listed at $20,000.
How long can a project last?
Projects can run from 1 to 3 years.
What was the anticipated start date for FY 2013 projects?
The anticipated start date was September 1, 2013.
What type of funding agreement is used?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement.
Is there a cost-share or match requirement?
Yes. There is a cost-share or matching requirement. Applicants should expect to contribute non-federal resources (cash and/or in-kind, depending on program rules) to complete the work.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility includes federally recognized Tribal governments; state and local governments (including special districts, counties, and cities/townships); nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); private institutions of higher education; individuals; and small businesses.
Is this opportunity specific to California?
Yes. Applications are accepted from California, and the priorities described are California FY 2013 state priority topics.
Do projects need to align with NRCS practice standards?
Projects are expected to be designed with awareness of NRCS practice standards so that successful outcomes can realistically be incorporated into NRCS technical guidance and used by conservation planners and producers.
How does the application process work?
The process is a two-phase statewide competition. Applicants first submit a pre-proposal. NRCS screens pre-proposals for completeness and compliance, and incomplete submissions are removed from consideration. NRCS evaluates complete pre-proposals based on the innovation and how they address at least one state priority topic. Only applicants selected at this stage are invited to submit a full proposal. Full proposals receive technical peer review using published evaluation criteria, followed by higher-level review, with final selections made by the NRCS State Conservationist.
What happens if a pre-proposal is incomplete?
NRCS screens pre-proposals for completeness and compliance, and incomplete applications are removed from consideration.
What are the FY 2013 California priority topic areas?
The FY 2013 priorities focus on applied solutions in these areas: water quality, water quantity, climate change-related work, energy conservation, waste recycling and resource conservation, and wildlife-related conservation in working landscapes.
What water quality projects were prioritized?
Water quality priorities included demonstrations such as bioreactors and agricultural use of reclaimed water to reduce nutrients, pesticides, and sediment leaving irrigated cropland; tools to monitor and document impacts to support water-quality trading credits; and improved manure application timing, uniformity, and rates.
What water quantity projects were prioritized?
Water quantity priorities included innovative on-farm irrigation flow measurement methods used for scheduling or performance evaluation, and new irrigation scheduling tools and systems.
What climate change-related projects were prioritized?
Climate-related priorities emphasized field-ready approaches, including using organic soil amendments such as compost or biochar to improve soil water holding capacity and soil organic matter, paired with monitoring methods to estimate greenhouse gas reductions, carbon sequestration, or soil decontamination benefits. The notice also called for practical drought adaptation strategies (including salinity intrusion and pollination timing mismatches) and demonstrations of conservation tillage that quantify benefits like improved soil water capacity, reduced fuel use, and greenhouse gas reductions.
What energy conservation projects were prioritized?
Energy priorities included on-farm renewable energy demonstrations that reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing fossil energy (solar, wind, geothermal, or hydropower) and strategies that expand energy efficiency through improved use of energy audits and adoption of upgrades across facilities and field operations. The notice also encouraged feasibility demonstrations for biomass-to-energy pathways (including anaerobic digestion and thermal conversion), irrigation-related energy savings using telemetry-enabled soil moisture networks and automated controls, cropping systems that increase nutrient cycling and energy savings through adaptive management and long-term no-till rotations, and evaluating low-head hydropower turbine use in surface water settings (in-stream installations or small dams).
What waste recycling and resource conservation projects were prioritized?
Priorities included evaluating and demonstrating recycling of excess biomass into useful products (such as biochar, gasification outputs, or other energy products) and systems that reduce fire hazard and conserve resources through improved biomass salvage and recycling tied to a waste management system plan or equivalent.
Was there a California-specific focus on an NRCS practice standard?
Yes. A notable California-specific item was demonstrating the use of NRCS Conservation Practice Standard 633 (Waste Recycling) for forestland biomass recycling, including producing practical implementation materials such as specifications, job sheets, and a waste management system plan example.
What wildlife-related projects were prioritized?
Wildlife priorities included integrating habitat management into working agricultural landscapes through ecosystem-based planning; testing durable alternatives or modifications to fence corner posts to provide raptor perches; reducing wildlife trapping risk by improving caps on open pipes used in NRCS practices; building a California ecological site description database that links wildlife species to land resource units; assessing grazing as a sage grouse habitat management tool; and documenting benefits of pollinator habitat and structural habitat features (like downed wood and snags) for amphibians and reptiles.
What were the key deadlines for the FY 2013 announcement?
Key deadlines were: pre-proposals due by 4:00 p.m. on March 22, 2013; notification of selected pre-proposals by April 5, 2013; and full proposals due by 4:00 p.m. on May 17, 2013 (for those invited to submit a full proposal).
How could applications be submitted?
Submissions could be delivered by mail or courier to the USDA NRCS CIG Program address in Davis, California, or submitted electronically through Grants.gov or via email as indicated in the notice.
Who was the main program contact?
The main contact listed was Erik Beardsley, the State CIG Program Manager. The notice also included additional grants management support contact information for administrative access issues.
Who makes the final funding selections?
After technical peer review and higher-level review, final selections are made by the NRCS State Conservationist.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number is 10.912.
What is emphasized about scalability and replication?
Projects are expected to be practical demonstrations and pilots that can be replicated and scaled, with results that can support technology transfer into NRCS guidance or broader use.
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