Minnesota Fiscal Year 2023 Grant Agreement Notice of Funding Opportunity

ST. PAUL, MINN, Dec. 9, 2023, - The Natural Resources Conservation Service is announcing potential availability of Grant Agreements for the purpose of leveraging NRCS resources, addressing local natural resource issues, encouraging collaboration and developing Tribal and community-level conservation leadership in Minnesota. Proposals are requested from Federally recognized tribal governments for competitive consideration of grant agreement awards for projects for up to 3 years in duration for the following initiatives:

Tribal Food Sovereignty and Food Production Grants

Tribal food sovereignty is the right of American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians to produce their own traditional foods on their own lands to sustain themselves, their families and their communities. The overall objectives of these grants are to increase Tribal food sovereignty in Minnesota by supporting best practices that enhance the following:

·      Production of food, fiber, wildlife and forestry products using conservation systems to support American Indian culture and sovereignty.

·      Creation or enhancement of sustainably produced and processed food markets.

·      Conservation education, traditional food production education, stewardship and natural resource management.

Reaching Out to Historically Underserved Clients and providing Technical and Financial Assistance

The overall objective of this category is to provide outreach to historically underserved clients to increase technical and programmatic conservation delivery by:

·      Identifying cultural and program barriers that limit NRCS assistance

·      Providing outreach and education to underserved clients on NRCS programs and technical materials

·      Assisting underserved clients in seeking and obtaining NRCS Assistance

·      Providing planning assistance to underserved clients

For new users of Grants.gov, see Section D.1. for information about steps required before submitting an application via Grants.gov.

Key Dates

Applicants must submit their applications via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on February 21, 2023. For technical issues with Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518- 4726 or support@grants.gov. Awarding agency staff cannot support applicants regarding Grants.gov accounts.

The agency anticipates making selections by March 21, 2023 and expects to execute awards by June 1, 2023. These dates are estimates and subject to change.

Additional Information

Minnesota Fiscal Year (FY) 23 Grant Agreement Notice of Funding Opportunity