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Notice of Funding Opportunity - Iowa Partners for Conservation Agreements

The Iowa NRCS is announcing the availability of funding for agreements for the purpose of leveraging NRCS resources, addressing local natural resource issues, encouraging collaboration and developing state-and-community-level conservation leadership.

Iowa Partners for Conservation (IPC) Award

IPC Submission Information

FY2024 IPC Notice of Funding Opportunity (1.02 MB)

IPC proposals and required documents must be submitted by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on May 7, 2024. Applicants must submit submission packages via Grants.gov. An application submitted or resubmitted after the deadline is late (an application is considered on time at 11:59.59 pm ET, but it is late at 12:00 am ET). See the full Notice of Funding Opportunity for list of required documents and the correct formatting procedures for submitting the package to Iowa NRCS. Late submissions will not be reviewed or considered.  

Overview

The Iowa Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is announcing the availability of funding for agreements for the purpose of leveraging NRCS resources, addressing local natural resource issues, encouraging collaboration and developing state-and-community-level conservation leadership. Successful applicant proposals must be Iowa-based projects and focus on the Iowa-specific conservation issues as noted below. The total amount of Federal funding the agency expects to award through this announcement is $5,000,000.00 in FY 2024. The funding floor for this opportunity $75,000.00, and the funding ceiling is $3,200,000.00.

All proposals that include conservation planning assistance MUST specifically state:

  • What steps of the 9-step NRCS conservation planning process are included in the project proposal,
  • Who will have responsibility for the completion of each step, and 
  • Provide sufficient detail in the project methodology documenting how each step will be executed.

Proposals do not require matching or in-kind contributions, but this factor is considered in the review process. Proposals containing matching or in-kind funding may receive up to 10 additional points in the review process.

Research proposals will not be accepted or considered. Incomplete, noncompliant, and/or proposals not meeting the formatting criteria will be eliminated from competition, and notification of elimination will be sent to the applicant. NRCS staff will evaluate complete proposals based on these Proposal Evaluation Criteria prior to submitting scoring data to the Iowa NRCS State Conservationist for final award selection.

Entities must obtain a UEI and register in SAM prior to registering with Grants.gov. A description of each is provided in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. Entities are strongly encouraged to apply early for their UEI number and SAM registration. Grants.gov requires a complex and set-up registration process. For assistance with the registration process, contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.

IPC FY2024 Priorities and Emphasis

Successful IPC proposals must address one or more of the following considerations:

  1. Result in Soil Health engagement in the agronomic community (private sector) with the help of conservation agronomists.
  2. Conduct on-site (field) practice certifications and follow-up with producers on conservation seeding establishment.
  3. Conduct inventory and quantify benefits of conservation practices.
  4. Provide engineering planning and design for wetland restoration on easements.

Priority will be placed on projects that address Soil Health/Climate Smart Ag, Water Quality and Quantity, Habitat, Urban Agriculture, and Racial Equity; and will be executed through:

  1. Providing high quality technical services that help our customers achieve their conservation goals.
  2. Increasing adoption of conservation in Iowa.

IPC Resources

Iowa IPC Fact Sheet (1.3 MB)
NRCS General Terms and Conditions for Grants and Cooperative Agreements (299.02 KB)
NRCS Indirect Cost Policy (1.48 MB)
De Minimis Indirect Cost Rate Form (545.75 KB)
Sample Letter of Support - Cash (27.05 KB)
Sample Letter of Support - In-Kind (26.92 KB)
Sample Budget Narrative (257.2 KB)

Forms and Documents Required for Submission

Federal forms for submission must be downloaded from your Grants.gov Workspace to complete your application.

  1. Letters of Support from all entities providing 3rd party contributions. These must meet the criteria specified in the NFO.
  2. SF-424 Application
  3. SF-424A Budget
  4. Separate Budget Narrative
  5. Certification and Disclosure of Lobbying Activities
  6. NICRA or De Minimis Indirect Cost Rate Agreement
  7. Single Audit report if required (refer to NFO)

Post-Award Documentation Requirements: Applicants may be required to resubmit any of the above documents for date changes, new signatures, or document corrections once a notification of intent to award has been made to the organization. Failure to comply with requested changes within the requested time period may result in rescinding of the award offer.

Submission

Applicants interested in submitting an application in response to this NFO must submit it via Grants.gov. You are encouraged to keep the name of your proposal short. Attachments must be named as separate documents. Do not send as one adobe document or as compressed (i.e. zipped) files. Attachment names must reflect the name of the organization and the form name (Example: Cambridge University_SF-424A).

Contact

Breanna Satterfield
Grants Management Specialist
Grants and Agreements Division
Farm Production and Conservation Business Center
Email: breanna.satterfield@usda.gov with a copy to FPAC.BC.GAD@USDA.GOV