Soil Health Outreach in Utah | USDA NRCS UT CTA 23 NOFO0001279

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS UT CTA 23 NOFO0001279

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is offering a competitive cooperative agreement opportunity called "Soil Health Outreach in Utah" aimed at expanding soil health knowledge and encouraging the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices across the state. The core purpose is outreach and education: funded projects are expected to showcase, demonstrate, and spread practical, innovative soil health methods that also support broader natural resource protection goals. Rather than funding on-the-ground cost-share or construction, this opportunity is centered on organizing and delivering learning experiences that help producers and partners understand and implement better soil health practices.

Funded applicants will be responsible for planning and running outreach events in Utah, using a mix of in-person and virtual formats. NRCS is looking for strong, well-organized efforts such as workshops, conventions, field days, and trainings that directly engage Utah farmers, ranchers, producers, NRCS staff, and partner organizations. Proposals are encouraged to bring in high-quality content and speakers, including keynote presenters, technical experts, and "champion" farmers who can speak from real-world experience. NRCS emphasizes collaboration and partnerships, including meaningful engagement with historically underserved communities and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, with the goal of making soil health information more accessible and widely adopted.

Eligible applicants are a broad range of non-federal entities, including state, county, and local governments; special district governments; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. Applications will be screened first for completeness and compliance with the notice requirements, and incomplete or noncompliant submissions can be removed from consideration. NRCS will evaluate proposals based on practical criteria such as the ability to produce measurable outcomes, the strength of collaboration and partnerships, and how effectively the project will use available resources. NRCS also notes that it may choose not to fund some or all applications, depending on the results of the competition and agency priorities.

Awards under this solicitation can run from one to five years, covering a period from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2028, and all project work must take place in Utah. Applicants may request up to $550,000, and NRCS anticipates making about four awards. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates active involvement from the federal agency during the project period (for example, coordination, technical input, or shared planning), rather than a more hands-off grant structure.

Applications had to be submitted through Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on July 8, 2023. For submission or system issues, applicants were directed to Grants.gov Applicant Support (1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov), and NRCS staff specifically noted they cannot help troubleshoot Grants.gov accounts. Questions about the notice itself were limited to clarifying specific information within the funding announcement (such as dates or discrepancies), and the agency would not provide feedback on eligibility edge cases or the competitiveness of a particular project idea. NRCS estimated selections by August 11, 2023, with awards expected to be executed in September 2023, noting that these dates were subject to change.

Key identifiers from the announcement include the opportunity title "Soil Health Outreach in Utah," funding opportunity number USDA NRCS UT CTA 23 NOFO0001279, CFDA number 10.902, and activity areas spanning agriculture, environment, and natural resources.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Soil Health Outreach in Utah" 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 May 08, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 08, 2023. (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 $550,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for USDA NRCS UT CTA 23 NOFO0001279

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