Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS NY CIG 21 NOFO0001070
The Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) New York State Program is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The purpose of this competition is to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies, with projects specifically carried out in New York State. The program is aimed at advancing practical, on-the-ground conservation solutions in agriculture, environmental protection, and natural resource management, aligning with the broader CIG mission of testing, demonstrating, and helping scale promising conservation practices.
For FY 2021, NRCS set aside up to $500,000 total for the New York CIG competition and anticipated making about five awards. Individual awards can range from a federal share of $10,000 (the funding floor) up to $200,000 (the funding ceiling and also the maximum award size for a single project in this cycle). Projects can run from one to three years, giving applicants flexibility to propose shorter pilot efforts or multi-season demonstrations and evaluations. The dollar limits apply to the total federal share over the entire project period, rather than being tied to any single year or budget period.
Eligibility is broadly open. All non-federal entities and individuals are invited to apply, with federal agencies being the only group explicitly excluded. This “open” eligibility means proposals may come from a wide range of applicants, such as nonprofits, universities, state and local governments, tribal organizations, private businesses, farmer-led groups, and individual innovators, so long as the proposed work is conducted within New York State and meets the program’s intent of advancing innovative conservation.
Applications were required to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov, and the deadline for submission was 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Friday, April 2, 2021. NRCS emphasized that agency staff could not help with Grants.gov account or submission issues; applicants experiencing technical difficulties were directed to Grants.gov Applicant Support (1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov). For prospective applicants who wanted clarification about the funding notice itself, questions could be submitted up to February 26, 2021, with responses posted on Grants.gov roughly two weeks before the application deadline to ensure all applicants had access to the same information.
NRCS expected to make selection decisions by June 1, 2021 and to execute awards by October 1, 2021, reflecting the typical federal timeline between application review, selection, and final award processing. Applicants were also encouraged to consult the New York State CIG website for additional program context and to contact the listed program representative, Emily Armstrong (Emily.armstrong@usda.gov, 315-477-6535), for questions specific to the announcement rather than the Grants.gov system.
Finally, NRCS highlighted that awards under this notice are considered federal financial assistance and pointed applicants to a free “Grants 101” training hosted at https://www.cfo.gov/grants-training/. The training covers core topics that frequently affect compliance and project management, including the basic legal and regulatory framework, financial assistance mechanisms, Uniform Guidance administrative requirements, federal cost principles, and risk management and single audit considerations. In short, this opportunity provided New York applicants with a relatively targeted pool of funding to pilot and expand innovative conservation ideas, with clear award limits, a defined submission window, and an emphasis on readiness to manage federal assistance responsibly.Apply for USDA NRCS NY CIG 21 NOFO0001070
- The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Conservation Innovation Grants New York State Program National Funding Opportunity" 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 04, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 02, 2021. (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 $200,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): FY 2021 Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) - New York State Program
What is the FY 2021 CIG New York State Program?
The Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) New York State Program is a discretionary grant competition offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). It supports projects carried out in New York State that test, demonstrate, and help scale innovative conservation approaches and technologies.
What is the purpose of this grant competition?
The purpose is to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative, practical, on-the-ground conservation solutions. The focus is on agriculture, environmental protection, and natural resource management, consistent with the broader CIG mission of advancing promising conservation practices through testing and demonstration.
Is this a formula grant or a competitive/discretionary grant?
This opportunity is a discretionary (competitive) grant program administered by USDA NRCS.
Is this program limited to projects in New York State?
Yes. Projects are specifically intended to be carried out in New York State under the FY 2021 New York State CIG competition.
How much total funding was available for the FY 2021 New York CIG competition?
NRCS set aside up to $500,000 total for the New York State CIG competition in FY 2021.
About how many awards did NRCS expect to make?
NRCS anticipated making about five awards under this funding opportunity.
What is the minimum and maximum award amount for a single project?
The federal share for an individual award could range from $10,000 (the funding floor) up to $200,000 (the funding ceiling). The $200,000 limit is the maximum federal award size for a single project in this cycle.
Do the award limits apply per year or over the full project period?
The stated dollar limits apply to the total federal share over the entire project period, not to a single year or budget period.
How long can a funded project last?
Projects could run from one to three years, allowing applicants to propose either shorter pilot projects or longer multi-season demonstrations and evaluations.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broadly open to all non-federal entities and individuals. Federal agencies were explicitly excluded.
Are individuals allowed to apply, or is it limited to organizations?
Individuals were invited to apply, as long as they are non-federal and the proposed project aligns with the program intent and is carried out in New York State.
What types of applicants could potentially apply under this open eligibility?
Because eligibility was open to all non-federal entities and individuals, potential applicants could include (for example) nonprofits, universities, state and local governments, tribal organizations, private businesses, farmer-led groups, and individual innovators, provided the project is conducted in New York State and fits the program purpose.
Are federal agencies eligible to apply?
No. Federal agencies were the only group explicitly excluded from eligibility.
How were applications required to be submitted?
Applications were required to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov.
What was the application deadline?
The submission deadline was 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Friday, April 2, 2021.
Could NRCS staff help applicants with Grants.gov registration or submission problems?
No. NRCS emphasized that agency staff could not help with Grants.gov account or submission issues.
Who should applicants contact for Grants.gov technical support?
Applicants experiencing technical difficulties were directed to Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.
Could applicants ask questions about the funding notice, and what was the deadline for questions?
Yes. Prospective applicants could submit questions about the funding notice itself up to February 26, 2021.
Where were responses to notice-related questions posted?
Responses were posted on Grants.gov, roughly two weeks before the application deadline, so that all applicants had access to the same information.
When did NRCS expect to make selection decisions?
NRCS expected to make selection decisions by June 1, 2021.
When did NRCS expect to execute awards?
NRCS expected to execute awards by October 1, 2021.
Who was the program representative listed for announcement-specific questions?
The listed program representative was Emily Armstrong. For questions specific to the announcement (not Grants.gov system issues), applicants were encouraged to contact her at Emily.armstrong@usda.gov or 315-477-6535.
Was there an additional website applicants were encouraged to consult?
Yes. Applicants were encouraged to consult the New York State CIG website for additional program context.
Are awards under this notice considered federal financial assistance?
Yes. NRCS highlighted that awards under this notice are considered federal financial assistance.
Was any training resource recommended for understanding federal grants and compliance basics?
Yes. NRCS pointed applicants to a free "Grants 101" training hosted at https://www.cfo.gov/grants-training/.
What topics does the recommended "Grants 101" training cover?
The training covers core topics that affect compliance and project management, including the basic legal and regulatory framework, financial assistance mechanisms, Uniform Guidance administrative requirements, federal cost principles, and risk management and single audit considerations.
What kinds of projects did NRCS want to support through this opportunity?
The opportunity was intended to support innovative conservation approaches and technologies, with an emphasis on testing, demonstrating, and helping scale promising conservation practices that produce practical, on-the-ground results in agriculture, environmental protection, and natural resource management in New York State.
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