Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS MD CIG 1701
The Maryland Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) opportunity, offered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is a competitive, discretionary grant program designed to speed up the real-world use of innovative conservation practices and technologies that also support agricultural production. The core idea is not to fund early-stage research, but to take conservation approaches that have already been proven or show strong promise and help move them into broader adoption through practical, on-the-ground demonstration. Projects are expected to generate results that can be incorporated into NRCS technical manuals and guides or transferred into the private sector, so the work has a clear pathway from a pilot effort to wider implementation.
CIG specifically emphasizes field-based innovation such as pilot projects and demonstrations that show how conservation systems work under farm conditions and how they can be scaled. The program also aims to strengthen collaboration and knowledge-sharing among communities, government entities, and other institutions, helping ensure that new conservation tools, methods, and systems are accessible to more users. While the program generally does not support research, it does allow on-farm conservation research when it is tightly defined and designed to answer a specific conservation question using statistically valid methods. That means the work must be conducted in real farm settings using farm-scale equipment, with enough replication and appropriate statistical analysis to produce credible conclusions. Even then, NRCS limits support to research that clearly advances innovative natural resource management alongside agricultural production.
Applications may propose single-year or multi-year projects, but the total project period cannot exceed three years. Eligibility is broad and includes federally recognized Tribal governments, state and local governments, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) organizations), public and private institutions of higher education, individuals, and for-profit entities including small businesses. Proposals must come from eligible applicants in Maryland.
The selection process begins with an administrative screening to confirm that each proposal is complete and compliant with the notice requirements; incomplete or noncompliant submissions are removed from consideration and applicants are notified. Proposals that pass screening are then evaluated by a Technical Review Panel using published evaluation criteria (referenced in the solicitation instructions). The panel makes recommendations to the NRCS State Conservationist, who makes the final award selections.
For this specific opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number: USDA NRCS MD CIG 1701; CFDA: 10.912), awards were grants with an expected maximum (ceiling) of $75,000 per award, with roughly 10 awards anticipated. The original closing date listed for applications was May 12, 2017. The program sits at the intersection of agriculture, environment, and natural resources, and is best suited for applicants ready to demonstrate and expand practical conservation solutions rather than conduct basic or exploratory research.Apply for USDA NRCS MD CIG 1701
- The Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Maryland Conservation Innovation Grants" 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 2017-04-05.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-05-12. (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 $75,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.
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| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Assistance with the organization and function of the Pike River - Lake Carmi and Rock River Watersheds Planning Groups (VT) Apply for USDA NRCS VT CTA EQIP 17 03 Funding Number: USDA NRCS VT CTA EQIP 17 03 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $75,000 |
| Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Conservation Innovation Grants State Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) Apply for USDA NRCS MA CIG 23 NOFO0001259 Funding Number: USDA NRCS MA CIG 23 NOFO0001259 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $290,000 |
| Montana Collaborative Cooperative Agreements Apply for USDA NRCS MT CCA 24 NOFO0001322 Funding Number: USDA NRCS MT CCA 24 NOFO0001322 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $3,000,000 |
| Tennessee NRCS General Conservation Agreements Apply for USDA NRCS TN MULTI 24 NOFO0001330 Funding Number: USDA NRCS TN MULTI 24 NOFO0001330 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Conservation Collaboration Grant Agreements Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Announcement for Program Funding – NORTH DAKOTA Apply for USDA NRCS ND MULTI 24 NOFO0001326 Funding Number: USDA NRCS ND MULTI 24 NOFO0001326 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Climate Smart Conservation Collaboration – SOUTH CAROLINA Apply for USDA NRCS SC MULTI 24 NOFO0001344 Funding Number: USDA NRCS SC MULTI 24 NOFO0001344 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Conservation Collaboration Cooperative Agreements Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Announcement for Program Funding – NORTH DAKOTA Apply for USDA NRCS ND MULTI 24 NOFO0001325 Funding Number: USDA NRCS ND MULTI 24 NOFO0001325 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $2,500,000 |
| Georgia NRCS Technical Assistance for Fiscal Year 2024 Apply for USDA NRCS GA MULTI 24 NOFO0001349 Funding Number: USDA NRCS GA MULTI 24 NOFO0001349 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $600,000 |
| Caribbean Partners for Conservation (CPC) Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Announcement for Program Funding – Caribbean Area Apply for USDA NRCS PR MULTI 24 NOFO0001338 Funding Number: USDA NRCS PR MULTI 24 NOFO0001338 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Missouri Conservation Partnership, Outreach, and Education Apply for USDA NRCS MO MULTI 24 NOFO0001345 Funding Number: USDA NRCS MO MULTI 24 NOFO0001345 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| South Carolina Watershed Assessment Services Apply for USDA NRCS SC NWQI 24 NOFO0001353 Funding Number: USDA NRCS SC NWQI 24 NOFO0001353 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $143,000 |
| New Mexico Conservation Technical Assistance for Outreach and Education Apply for USDA NRCS NM CTA 24 NOFO0001350 Funding Number: USDA NRCS NM CTA 24 NOFO0001350 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $20,000 |
| Cooperative Conservation Agreements (Wisconsin) Apply for USDA NRCS WI MULTI 24 NOFO0001329 Funding Number: USDA NRCS WI MULTI 24 NOFO0001329 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $2,000,000 |
| Georgia NRCS Outreach and Education for Fiscal Year 2024 Apply for USDA NRCS GA MULTI 24 NOFO0001348 Funding Number: USDA NRCS GA MULTI 24 NOFO0001348 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| Tribal Conservation Grants (Wisconsin) Apply for USDA NRCS WI MULTI 24 NOFO0001351 Funding Number: USDA NRCS WI MULTI 24 NOFO0001351 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Easement Restoration, Management and Maintenance Assistance New Hampshire Apply for USDA NRCS NH EASE 24 NOFO0001321 Funding Number: USDA NRCS NH EASE 24 NOFO0001321 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Missouri Conservation Partnership and Technical Assistance Apply for USDA NRCS MO MULTI 24 NOFO0001346 Funding Number: USDA NRCS MO MULTI 24 NOFO0001346 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| NFO for Conservation Collaboration Agreements - Kansas Apply for USDA NRCS KS MULTI 24 NOFO0001361 Funding Number: USDA NRCS KS MULTI 24 NOFO0001361 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $3,000,000 |
| Minnesota (MN) Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Grant(s) Notice of Funding Opportunity Apply for USDA NRCS MN MULTI 24 NOFO0001323 Funding Number: USDA NRCS MN MULTI 24 NOFO0001323 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Conservation Collaboration Cooperative Agreements Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Notice of Funding Announcement SOUTH DAKOTA Apply for USDA NRCS SD MULTI 24 NOFO0001327 Funding Number: USDA NRCS SD MULTI 24 NOFO0001327 Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $1,200,000 |
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