Conservation Collaboration Grants Agreements Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Announcement for Program Funding – NORTH DAKOTA | USDA NRCS ND MULTI 21 NOFO0001042

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS ND MULTI 21 NOFO0001042

The Conservation Collaboration Grants Agreements FY 2021 Announcement for Program Funding - North Dakota is a competitive USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) funding opportunity designed to support conservation work in North Dakota by leveraging NRCS resources and building strong local partnerships. The overall purpose is to help address local natural resource concerns while encouraging collaboration among organizations and strengthening conservation leadership at the state and community levels. Projects funded under this notice are expected to be practical, locally relevant efforts that align with NRCS conservation priorities and demonstrate clear benefits to natural resources in the state.

This opportunity is offered as a discretionary grant program (CFDA 10.902) and is open to a range of eligible applicant types, including federally recognized Native American tribal governments, state governments, county governments, city or township governments, nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, and both public and private institutions of higher education. NRCS also allows applicants to submit more than one proposal as long as each application is for a different project. An entity may also receive more than one award, which creates room for larger organizations or multi-partner groups to propose multiple distinct initiatives rather than forcing everything into a single project.

Projects are expected to run between 1 and 3 years. While the notice emphasizes conservation collaboration and leadership development, the framing is broad enough to accommodate many kinds of on-the-ground or capacity-building conservation efforts, as long as they clearly address local natural resource issues in North Dakota and make effective use of NRCS resources and partnerships. Proposals are reviewed competitively, and NRCS will screen submissions for completeness and compliance with the requirements in the notice. Applications that are incomplete or do not meet the stated requirements will be removed from consideration, and the applicant will be notified that the proposal was eliminated from competition.

Key dates and administrative details are clearly laid out. The funding opportunity was posted January 18, 2021, with applications due by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on March 1, 2021. Questions about the notice could be submitted up to February 10, 2021, and NRCS planned to post responses to those questions on Grants.gov about two weeks before the application deadline. NRCS anticipated making selections by May 1, 2021, and expected to execute awards by September 30, 2021. The opportunity lists an award ceiling of up to $1,000,000 per award and anticipates roughly 20 awards, indicating NRCS intended to fund a mix of projects that may vary in size and scope.

Applications are submitted through Grants.gov, and the notice makes a practical distinction between program questions and technical platform issues. For Grants.gov technical problems (accounts, submission errors, site issues), applicants are directed to contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov, with the reminder that NRCS staff cannot troubleshoot Grants.gov account or system problems. Program and eligibility questions, on the other hand, are handled through the question period described in the notice, with answers published publicly on Grants.gov to ensure all applicants have equal access to the same clarifications.

In short, this NRCS North Dakota funding opportunity supports collaborative, partner-driven conservation projects lasting up to three years, offers eligibility to governments, tribes, nonprofits, and higher education institutions, allows multiple distinct applications per organization, and provides potentially substantial awards (up to $1 million) across an anticipated portfolio of about 20 selected projects, with a firm application deadline of March 1, 2021 and awards expected to be finalized by the end of FY 2021.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Conservation Collaboration Grants Agreements Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Announcement for Program Funding – NORTH DAKOTA" 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 Jan 18, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 01, 2021 Applications must be received by 1159 pm Eastern Time on March 1, 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 $1,000,000.00 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, 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.

Apply for USDA NRCS ND MULTI 21 NOFO0001042

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