Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS GA 14 0001
Apply for USDA NRCS GA 14 0001
- The Georgia State Office in the agriculture energy environment natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "GA Conservation Innovation Grant 2014" 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 Apr 11, 2014 and posted on Mar 14, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 9, 2014. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $150,000.00 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 3 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Small businesses Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education City or township governments Individuals County governments State governments For profit organizations other than small businesses Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
The GA Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) 2014 opportunity is a competitive USDA-NRCS funding program aimed at speeding up real-world adoption of practical, field-ready conservation innovations in Georgia. It sits under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) authority and is designed to leverage federal dollars alongside partner capacity to improve environmental outcomes while maintaining agricultural productivity. The core idea is to take conservation technologies, systems, and approaches that are already proven or sufficiently validated, then demonstrate, implement, evaluate, and monitor them under working conditions so they can be scaled, replicated, and ultimately transferred into NRCS technical guidance and policy (or widely adopted through the private sector). A key boundary is that this program is not meant to fund basic research: projects centered on testing hypotheses or conducting research for its own sake are not eligible. Instead, NRCS is looking for pilots, demonstrations, and on-the-ground implementations that show utility, affordability, usability, and measurable conservation benefits.
For FY 2014, Georgia NRCS anticipated up to $150,000 total available funding, with an expectation of about three awards. Individual awards were projected to fall between $25,000 (floor) and $75,000 (ceiling). The funding instrument type is a cooperative agreement, and proposals could be structured as single-year or multi-year projects, as long as the project period does not exceed three years. Cost sharing or matching is required, meaning applicants should plan to bring non-federal contributions (cash and/or in-kind, as allowed in the full announcement) to help carry the project and demonstrate commitment and scalability.
Eligibility is broad and includes both governmental and non-governmental applicants. Entities listed as eligible include federally recognized Tribal governments, state and local governments (including city/township and county governments), nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, other for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and individuals. Applications were to be submitted to Georgia NRCS and were screened first for completeness and compliance; incomplete applications were removed from consideration and applicants would be notified. Complete proposals were then technically reviewed and scored by a Georgia Review Board using evaluation criteria described in the full application instructions. The Review Board would recommend projects for selection, but the final decision rested with the NRCS State Conservationist.
The grant places a strong emphasis on what NRCS considers “innovative conservation projects or activities.” In practice, that means the proposal should include a clear plan to develop and demonstrate adoption approaches (such as incentive systems), or to deploy promising conservation practices and technologies, while showing environmental soundness and direct natural resource benefits. Priority projects are expected to comply with all federal, state, and local regulations throughout the project term and to do at least one of the following well: apply a proven or well-studied technology with a high likelihood of success; demonstrate and verify environmental outcomes across resources like soil, water, air, plants, energy, and animals; adapt or refine conservation practices and management systems to improve performance and encourage adoption; transfer approaches that have worked in other regions or agricultural sectors; and show that knowledge and methods can be replicated by others.
Georgia’s FY 2014 state component highlighted four main focus areas: Energy, Adaptation to Drought, Specialty Crops, and Soil Health. Applicants needed to identify which topic their innovation best addressed, and while other topics could be considered at the State Conservationist’s discretion, they had to be clearly labeled as additional topics in the proposal. Under Energy, the objective was to conserve energy and expand renewable energy production while sustaining farm productivity. Example subtopics included better systems for implementing energy audits (including audits that cover cropland, not just buildings and equipment), new on-farm energy conservation technologies, renewable energy applications that displace fossil fuels, sustainable biomass production and handling methods, and demonstrations of fast-growing woody biomass species integrated into agroforestry systems such as alley cropping, riparian buffers, and windbreaks.
The Adaptation to Drought category focused on technologies and approaches that improve resilience under drought and water stress, including both cropping and livestock systems. Suggested projects ranged from demonstrating drought-resilient cropping or grazing systems through improved soil health; measuring changes in soil water-holding capacity tied to soil properties, management, and climate; and testing drought-resistant plant materials and water-conserving agronomic configurations (often coordinated with NRCS Plant Materials Centers). The notice also encouraged innovations in irrigation and soil moisture management, post-drought nutrient management recommendations, and Georgia region-specific evaluations of how different enterprise and conservation systems perform during drought from both economic and natural resource perspectives. Additional examples included learning from successful drought-adapted practices used historically or in low-precipitation regions globally, and improving confined animal operations through alternative feeding systems using drought-tolerant feedstocks, improved housing and HVAC to maintain animal productivity during temperature extremes, and manure management approaches that reduce water use and promote recycling or reduced evaporation. Technology transfer efforts serving beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged or limited resource producers, Tribes, land-grant institutions, or community-based organizations were also explicitly called out as a drought resilience priority.
The Specialty Crops focus area targeted conservation challenges unique to specialty crop systems, including development of tools and field data that strengthen conservation planning and help evaluate how NRCS practice standards fit specialty crop production. The notice listed practical technology needs such as conservation systems for seasonal tunnels incorporating rotations, cover crops, reduced tillage, nutrient and pest management, and irrigation; new tools for measuring soil carbon in specialty crop and organic systems; non-chemical pest suppression strategies through crop selection and sequencing; alternatives to plasticulture using rotations, cover crops, mulches, and conservation tillage; improved nutrient cycling through crop sequencing; harvest timing/techniques to reduce pest damage; habitat planning that supports beneficial insects and biological control; and integrated cover crop and agroforestry approaches for orchards and vineyards that deliver erosion control, nutrient recycling, soil quality benefits, and pollinator habitat. The notice also left room for conservation planning related to shellfish production, including identifying conservation needs and recommending actions.
Under Soil Health, NRCS signaled interest in demonstrations that connect management decisions to measurable soil improvements and downstream water quality benefits. Priority concepts included quantifying how cover crops, rotations, tillage choices, and amendments affect soil chemical, physical, and biological properties and how those changes influence nutrient cycling, water availability, and plant growth. The solicitation emphasized measuring increases in soil water-holding capacity, designing optimal cover crop mixes and seeding methods (including interseeding, intercropping, and frost seeding), and evaluating nutrient losses in both tile-drained and non-drained contexts. It also encouraged decision-support tool development, especially tools that account for residue and cover crop quality (for example cellulose, lignin, and carbon-to-nitrogen ratios) to better predict decomposition, nutrient turnover, disease pressure, and water availability. Additional priorities included linking cover crop management (species mix, termination timing, tillage practice) to soil moisture and yields across different climates, analyzing yield variability and economics of soil health systems, and watershed-scale demonstrations that quantify water quality outcomes from conservation systems designed to build soil health.
Administratively, this opportunity was posted March 14, 2014, and ultimately closed May 9, 2014, with a hard deadline of 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Applicants could submit through Grants.gov, by email to dale.bogardus@ga.usda.gov, or by mail/courier to USDA NRCS, CIG Program, 355 East Hancock Avenue, Mail Stop 200, Athens, GA 30601. The listed contact for assistance was Dale Bogardus (Management Analyst) at 706-546-2059. The funding opportunity number was USDA NRCS GA 14 0001, the CFDA number referenced was 10.912 (Environmental Quality Incentives Program), and additional details were available via the Georgia NRCS CIG webpage linked in the announcement.
GA Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) 2014 - FAQs
1) What is the Georgia Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) 2014?
The GA CIG 2014 is a competitive USDA-NRCS funding opportunity designed to speed up real-world adoption of practical, field-ready conservation innovations in Georgia. It operates under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) authority and focuses on demonstrating and implementing conservation technologies, systems, and approaches under working conditions so they can be scaled and replicated.
2) What is the main goal of this grant program?
The program aims to leverage federal funding alongside partner capacity to improve environmental outcomes while maintaining agricultural productivity. The emphasis is on taking proven or sufficiently validated conservation innovations and demonstrating, implementing, evaluating, and monitoring them so they can be transferred into NRCS technical guidance and policy or widely adopted through the private sector.
3) Is this grant intended to fund basic research?
No. Projects centered on testing hypotheses or conducting research for its own sake are not eligible. NRCS is looking for pilots, demonstrations, and on-the-ground implementations that show utility, affordability, usability, and measurable conservation benefits.
4) How much funding was available for Georgia in FY 2014?
Georgia NRCS anticipated up to $150,000 total available funding for FY 2014, with an expectation of about three awards.
5) What was the expected award size?
Individual awards were projected to range from $25,000 (minimum) to $75,000 (maximum).
6) What type of funding agreement is used?
The funding instrument type is a cooperative agreement.
7) How long can a project last?
Proposals could be structured as single-year or multi-year projects, but the total project period cannot exceed three years.
8) Is cost sharing or matching required?
Yes. Cost sharing (matching) is required. Applicants should plan to provide non-federal contributions (cash and/or in-kind, as allowed in the full announcement) to support the project and demonstrate commitment and scalability.
9) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility includes a wide range of applicants, including:
- Federally recognized Tribal governments
- State and local governments (including city/township and county governments)
- Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status
- Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
- Other for-profit organizations (including small businesses)
- Individuals
10) Where does this program fit within USDA-NRCS programs?
The GA CIG 2014 sits under EQIP authority. The announcement references CFDA 10.912 (Environmental Quality Incentives Program).
11) What kinds of projects does NRCS consider "innovative" under this opportunity?
The grant emphasizes "innovative conservation projects or activities," meaning proposals should include a clear plan to demonstrate adoption approaches (such as incentive systems) or deploy promising conservation practices and technologies, while showing environmental soundness and direct natural resource benefits.
12) What are examples of activities that align with the program's priorities?
Priority projects were expected to do at least one of the following well:
- Apply a proven or well-studied technology with a high likelihood of success
- Demonstrate and verify environmental outcomes across soil, water, air, plants, energy, and animals
- Adapt or refine conservation practices and management systems to improve performance and encourage adoption
- Transfer approaches that have worked in other regions or agricultural sectors
- Show that knowledge and methods can be replicated by others
13) Are projects required to comply with regulations?
Yes. Priority projects are expected to comply with all federal, state, and local regulations throughout the project term.
14) What were Georgia's FY 2014 focus areas for this CIG opportunity?
Georgia highlighted four main focus areas:
- Energy
- Adaptation to Drought
- Specialty Crops
- Soil Health
15) Do applicants have to select a focus area?
Yes. Applicants needed to identify which topic their innovation best addressed. Other topics could be considered at the State Conservationist's discretion, but they had to be clearly labeled as additional topics in the proposal.
16) What types of projects were encouraged under the Energy focus area?
The Energy category focused on conserving energy and expanding renewable energy production while sustaining farm productivity. Examples included:
- Improved systems for implementing energy audits (including audits that cover cropland, not just buildings and equipment)
- New on-farm energy conservation technologies
- Renewable energy applications that displace fossil fuels
- Sustainable biomass production and handling methods
- Demonstrations of fast-growing woody biomass species integrated into agroforestry systems (alley cropping, riparian buffers, windbreaks)
17) What types of projects were encouraged under Adaptation to Drought?
The drought category emphasized resilience in cropping and livestock systems under drought and water stress. Examples included:
- Demonstrating drought-resilient cropping or grazing systems through improved soil health
- Measuring changes in soil water-holding capacity tied to soil properties, management, and climate
- Testing drought-resistant plant materials and water-conserving agronomic configurations (often coordinated with NRCS Plant Materials Centers)
- Innovations in irrigation and soil moisture management
- Post-drought nutrient management recommendations
- Georgia region-specific evaluations of economic and natural resource performance during drought
- Learning from drought-adapted practices used historically or in low-precipitation regions globally
- Improving confined animal operations with alternative feeding systems using drought-tolerant feedstocks, improved housing/HVAC for temperature extremes, and manure management approaches that reduce water use and promote recycling or reduced evaporation
18) Were any specific audiences or partnerships emphasized under drought resilience?
Yes. Technology transfer efforts serving beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged or limited resource producers, Tribes, land-grant institutions, or community-based organizations were explicitly identified as a drought resilience priority.
19) What types of projects were encouraged under Specialty Crops?
Specialty Crops focused on conservation challenges unique to specialty crop systems and on tools/field data that strengthen conservation planning and evaluate how NRCS practice standards fit specialty crop production. Examples included:
- Conservation systems for seasonal tunnels (rotations, cover crops, reduced tillage, nutrient/pest management, irrigation)
- Tools for measuring soil carbon in specialty crop and organic systems
- Non-chemical pest suppression strategies through crop selection and sequencing
- Alternatives to plasticulture using rotations, cover crops, mulches, and conservation tillage
- Improved nutrient cycling through crop sequencing
- Harvest timing/techniques to reduce pest damage
- Habitat planning supporting beneficial insects and biological control
- Integrated cover crop and agroforestry approaches for orchards and vineyards (erosion control, nutrient recycling, soil quality, pollinator habitat)
- Conservation planning related to shellfish production (identifying needs and recommending actions)
20) What types of projects were encouraged under Soil Health?
Soil Health emphasized demonstrations linking management decisions to measurable soil improvements and downstream water quality benefits. Examples included:
- Quantifying how cover crops, rotations, tillage, and amendments affect soil chemical, physical, and biological properties
- Measuring increases in soil water-holding capacity
- Designing optimal cover crop mixes and seeding methods (interseeding, intercropping, frost seeding)
- Evaluating nutrient losses in tile-drained and non-drained contexts
- Developing decision-support tools that account for residue and cover crop quality (cellulose, lignin, carbon-to-nitrogen ratios) to predict decomposition, nutrient turnover, disease pressure, and water availability
- Linking cover crop management to soil moisture and yields across different climates
- Analyzing yield variability and economics of soil health systems
- Watershed-scale demonstrations quantifying water quality outcomes from soil-health-focused conservation systems
21) How were applications submitted?
Applications could be submitted through Grants.gov, by email, or by mail/courier to Georgia NRCS.
22) What was the email submission address?
Email submissions could be sent to dale.bogardus@ga.usda.gov.
23) What was the mailing/courier address for submissions?
USDA NRCS, CIG Program
355 East Hancock Avenue, Mail Stop 200
Athens, GA 30601
24) What was the application deadline?
The opportunity closed May 9, 2014, with a hard deadline of 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
25) When was the opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted March 14, 2014.
26) What happens if an application is incomplete?
Applications were first screened for completeness and compliance. Incomplete applications were removed from consideration, and applicants would be notified.
27) How were complete applications evaluated?
Complete proposals were technically reviewed and scored by a Georgia Review Board using evaluation criteria described in the full application instructions.
28) Who makes the final funding decision?
The Georgia Review Board would recommend projects for selection, but the final decision rested with the NRCS State Conservationist.
29) What is the funding opportunity number for this announcement?
The funding opportunity number is USDA NRCS GA 14 0001.
30) Who was the listed contact for questions or assistance?
The listed contact was Dale Bogardus (Management Analyst). Phone: 706-546-2059.
31) Where could applicants find additional details?
Additional details were available via the Georgia NRCS CIG webpage linked in the announcement, and through the full application instructions referenced in the notice.
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