How To Apply
National Competition
A CIG funding notice is announced each year. Funds for single- or multi-year projects are awarded through a nationwide competitive grants process. Projects may be watershed-based, regional, multi-state or nationwide in scope. The natural resource concerns eligible for funding through CIG are identified in the funding announcement and may change annually to focus on new and emerging, high-priority natural resource concerns.
Notices of funding for CIG Classic and CIG On-Farm Trials are available on Grants.gov. Applications are being accepted now through July 27, 2026.
State Competition
The CIG state component emphasizes projects that benefit a limited geographical area. Participating states announce their funding availability for CIG competitions through their state NRCS offices. For additional information about State CIG competitions, please contact your State NRCS office.
On-Farm Trials
Up to $50 million annually is available for On Farm Trials, which support more widespread adoption of innovative approaches, practices and systems on working lands. On-Farm Trials projects feature collaboration between NRCS and partners to implement on-the-ground conservation activities and then evaluate their impact. Incentive payments are provided to producers to offset the risk of implementing innovative approaches. There are no open competitions at this time. When a competition opens, information on the competition and instructions for how to apply will be posted on grants.gov.
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