New Hampshire Partners for Conservation | USDA NRCS NH MULTI 23 NOFO0001300

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS NH MULTI 23 NOFO0001300

The New Hampshire Partners for Conservation opportunity is a competitive federal funding announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). It offers cooperative agreements to support conservation work in New Hampshire by pairing NRCS resources with partner capacity. The overall purpose is to leverage shared resources to address locally identified natural resource concerns, strengthen collaboration among conservation stakeholders, and build conservation leadership at the state and community levels. Projects must be located in New Hampshire, and the program is designed around applied, on-the-ground conservation delivery rather than academic or scientific research; research proposals are explicitly not allowed.

Funding is provided through a cooperative agreement mechanism, meaning NRCS expects to be meaningfully involved in the project (as is typical for cooperative agreements) rather than simply issuing a pass-through grant with minimal federal engagement. The notice ties the work to several NRCS-related Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA) program areas found on SAM.gov, including 10.902 Conservation Technical Assistance, 10.912 Environmental Quality Incentives Program, 10.924 Conservation Stewardship Program, and 10.931 Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. In practical terms, this signals that projects should align with NRCS conservation priorities and activities that help landowners and communities plan and implement conservation practices, improve environmental outcomes, and support stewardship and easements where applicable.

Eligible applicants are broad and include various levels of government (state, county, city/township, and special districts), independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized Tribal governments, other Tribal organizations, and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education when claiming nonprofit status). The competition anticipates making a small number of awards (the notice indicates an expected two awards) with an award ceiling of up to $1,000,000, and projects may run from 1 to 5 years in duration. Applicants should plan proposals that fit within that timeframe and budget cap while clearly demonstrating conservation outcomes, partner roles, and a credible workplan that complements NRCS priorities in New Hampshire.

Applications had to be submitted through Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on June 22, 2023. The notice emphasizes that applications are screened first for completeness and compliance with the instructions; proposals that are incomplete or do not follow the notice requirements are removed from consideration, and the applicant is notified. For Grants.gov technical problems, applicants are directed to Grants.gov Applicant Support (phone and email are provided in the notice), and the NRCS awarding staff will not assist with Grants.gov account issues. For questions about the content of the notice itself, applicants are instructed to contact the federal agency point of contact listed in the notice, but only for clarifying information within the document (for example, date or instruction clarifications), not for feedback on eligibility edge cases or the strength of a proposed project concept.

For applicant support, NRCS also offered an informational webinar for potential applicants on May 2, 2023, which was recorded and posted publicly on YouTube. The agency projected an internal timeline of selecting projects by early July 2023 and executing awards by September 1, 2023, while noting those dates were estimates and could change. Overall, the opportunity is aimed at organizations that can partner with NRCS to deliver tangible conservation assistance and outcomes in New Hampshire over a multi-year period, with strong coordination and shared implementation responsibilities.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "New Hampshire Partners for Conservation" 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 May 08, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 22, 2023 Applications must be received by 1159 pm Eastern Time.. (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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for USDA NRCS NH MULTI 23 NOFO0001300

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