Arkansas FY19 APF | USDA NRCS AR 19 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS AR 19 01

The Arkansas FY19 APF opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number USDA NRCS AR 19 01) is a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Arkansas State Office funding solicitation designed to build partnerships with organizations that can help deliver on-the-ground conservation assistance to agricultural producers across Arkansas. The main purpose is practical and service-focused: NRCS is looking for partners that can provide direct technical services that help producers plan conservation work and/or implement conservation practices, in line with NRCS priorities and objectives for the state. Rather than being a research-only or planning-only program, the emphasis is on expanding capacity and getting conservation assistance to landowners and operators in a way that results in real conservation outcomes.

Funding is offered through cooperative agreements, meaning NRCS expects an active partnership relationship rather than a hands-off grant. The total amount NRCS anticipated making available for FY 2019 was about $5,000,000, with an individual award ceiling of $2,000,000 and an estimated 35 awards. Projects can be proposed for periods ranging from one to five years, and applicants may submit either single-year or multi-year proposals, as long as they meet the requirements described in the notice. Because the program is discretionary and competitive, proposals are evaluated against the solicitation criteria and funded based on merit and alignment with NRCS goals.

Eligibility is broad in the sense that multiple organization types can apply, including nonprofits, governmental or nongovernmental organizations, and institutions of higher education. The opportunity is specifically oriented to work occurring in Arkansas, and proposals are accepted from Arkansas, reflecting the state-office scope of the solicitation. The funding activity areas listed for the opportunity include agriculture, natural resources, environment, community development, education, and business and commerce, which signals that NRCS is open to partnerships that combine conservation practice delivery with producer support, education, and other services that strengthen implementation.

The application process is compliance-driven as well as competitive. NRCS stated that applications would be screened for completeness and adherence to the notice requirements before any programmatic review, and that incomplete or noncompliant submissions would be removed from consideration, with applicants notified of elimination. The opportunity was created on November 30, 2018, and the original closing deadline was January 30, 2019 at 4:00 PM CST. Overall, the grant is best understood as a state-level NRCS partnership mechanism to increase technical assistance capacity and accelerate conservation planning and implementation for producers throughout Arkansas.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, business and commerce, community development, education, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Arkansas FY19 APF" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.902, 10.912, 10.924, 10.931.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 30, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 30, 2019 400 PM CST. (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 $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 35 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.

Apply for USDA NRCS AR 19 01

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