NRCS in Texas announces funding opportunities through Texas Partners for Conservation Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Texas today announced opportunities for partners to receive funding through agreements as part of the Texas Partners for Conservation Program. Applications must be submitted via grants.gov by May 22, 2024.

"The Texas Partners for Conservation Program encourages collaboration with our network of partners to leverage NRCS resources and develop state and community level conservation leadership,” said NRCS Texas State Conservationist Kristy Oates. “This partner-led approach accelerates the development of conservation plans to address environmental quality issues within Texas and improve outreach and assistance to historically underserved producers.”

Priority will be placed on project topics that address outreach and education to historically underserved producers and customers*.

Priority Overview:

1. Outreach & Education to Historically Underserved Producers/Clients 

• Increase outreach to historically underserved agriculture producers. 

• Expand Conservation Technical Assistance to increase conservation planning and promote USDA NRCS Farm Bill programs. 

2. Farm Bill Operations 

• Support delivery of Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry (CSAF) Mitigation Activities such as conservation planning, implementation, and outreach to new customers. 

• Urban and Small Farm Agriculture – conservation technical assistance, outreach, and training. 

• Increase field office capacity to outreach and assist new customers with conservation planning and implementation of conservation practices. 

• Conservation Technical Assistance – 

   i.  Expand Conservation Technical Assistance to new private landowners. 

   ii. Increase capacity for landscape planning and application to include Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, Watershed Operations, and Emergency Watershed Protection programs. 

* Historically underserved producers are those that fall under the categories of socially disadvantaged, beginning, limited resource, and veteran farmers and ranchers.

Funding

NRCS Texas expects to allocate funding to this effort annually. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement for this opportunity. The funding floor is $25,000, and the ceiling is $300,000. These numbers refer to the total agreement amount, not any specific budget period.

Applicant Information

Applicants and applications must meet eligibility criteria by the application deadline to be considered for award.

Eligibility for this opportunity is limited to the following entity types:

• City or township governments
• County governments
• Native American tribal governments (federally recognized)
• 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
• Public and State-controlled institutions of higher education
• Special district governments
• State governments

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted via grants.gov by May 22, 2024. For assistance with the registration process, contact grants.gov applicant support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.

Training Requirement for Successful Applicants

Successful applicants are required to have an administrative and technical contact participate in the Texas NRCS training for Administration of Federal Agreements. This training is usually held within six months of the award start date.