Georgia NRCS Technical Outreach and Education for Fiscal Year 2022 | USDA NRCS GA MULTI 22 NOFO0001144

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS GA MULTI 22 NOFO0001144

The Georgia NRCS Technical Outreach and Education for Fiscal Year 2022 opportunity (NOFO number USDA-NRCS-GA-MULTI-22-NOFO0001144) is a discretionary federal grant program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Georgia. The main purpose is to build partnerships with organizations that can help NRCS expand technical outreach and education about USDA-NRCS conservation programs. In practical terms, the funding is meant to support efforts that help people in Georgia better understand NRCS offerings and how to access them, with an emphasis on conservation-related education and outreach tied to agriculture, the environment, and natural resources.

Projects funded under this notice must be carried out in Georgia. NRCS signaled that the notice was released before final FY 2022 appropriations and apportionment decisions, meaning the final amount available could change depending on federal funding decisions (such as continuing resolutions or an appropriations act). Still, NRCS anticipated approximately $500,000 total being available for this round. The agency expected to make around 20 awards, and agreements could run from 1 to 3 years, allowing either single-year or multi-year proposals as long as the applicant meets eligibility requirements and follows the application instructions.

Award sizes were expected to range from a federal share of $25,000 at the low end (the funding floor) to $100,000 at the high end (the funding ceiling). These figures refer to the total federal amount per agreement across the full agreement period, not just one budget year. The Georgia State Conservationist reserved the right to fund all, some, or none of the applications submitted, which is a standard reminder that submission does not guarantee an award even if a proposal is strong.

A wide range of applicants were eligible. This included state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (so long as they are not institutions of higher education in those categories); and even individuals. The funding is tied to Assistance Listings (formerly CFDA) numbers 10.902, 10.912, and 10.924, which are referenced through SAM.gov. The notice also emphasizes SAM.gov as the federal system used to collect and validate entity information for doing business with the government and for supporting grants and payment processes.

Applications had to be submitted through Grants.gov, with a deadline of 11:59 pm Eastern Time on April 20, 2022. Applicants encountering technical issues were directed to contact Grants.gov Applicant Support (phone and email provided in the notice), and the NOFO made clear that NRCS program staff cannot troubleshoot Grants.gov account problems. For questions about the NOFO itself, applicants were told to contact the federal awarding agency point of contact listed in the NOFO (Section G), but only for clarification about the published requirements (for example, dates, page references, or inconsistencies). The agency stated it would not respond to questions about whether a specific applicant is eligible or whether a proposed project idea is likely to be competitive, which is a common limitation intended to keep the competition fair.

The selection and award timeline was presented as an estimate: NRCS anticipated making selections by May 6, 2022, and executing awards by July 30, 2022, with the reminder that these dates could change. The NOFO also highlighted that applications would be screened for completeness and compliance first. Any submission that was incomplete or failed to follow the notice requirements could be removed from consideration, and the applicant would be notified of elimination. That screening step is important because it means administrative accuracy (forms, attachments, required registrations, and formatting rules) can be just as critical as the programmatic content.

Finally, because this is federal financial assistance, the notice encouraged applicants to take formal training on federal grants management. It pointed readers to the free Grants 101 training available through CFO.gov, describing modules that cover the basics of grants laws and regulations, different financial assistance mechanisms, Uniform Guidance administrative requirements, cost principles, and risk management and single audit concepts. This is essentially NRCS signaling that awardees are expected to be prepared to manage federal funds under the usual compliance framework, including budgeting rules and audit-related responsibilities where applicable.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Georgia NRCS Technical Outreach and Education for Fiscal Year 2022" 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 Mar 21, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 20, 2022 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 $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 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), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, 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, Individuals.

Apply for USDA NRCS GA MULTI 22 NOFO0001144

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