CIG-Water Quality Credit Trading Markets Funding Opportunity

Post Date

January 13th 2012

Application Due Date

March 2nd 2012

Funding Opportunity Number

USDA-NRCS-NHQ-12-02

CFDA Number(s)

10.912

Funding Instrument Type(s)

Grant

Funding Activity Categories

Agriculture
Environment
Natural Resources

Number of Awards

25

Eligibility Categories

State Governments
County Governments
City or Township Governments
Special District Governments
Public and State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
Federally Recognized Native American Tribal Governments
Non-Profits With 501 (c) (3) Status With The IRS (Except Higher Education Institutions)
Private Institutions of Higher Education
Individuals
For-Profit Organizations (Except Small Businesses)
Small Businesses

Funding

• Estimated Total Funding:

  $10000000

• Award Range:

  $0 - $2000000

Grant Description

Overview: The purpose of CIG is to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies, while leveraging the Federal investment in environmental enhancement and protection in conjunction with agricultural production. CIG projects are expected to lead to the transfer of conservation technologies, management systems, and innovative approaches (such as market-based systems) into NRCS policy, technical manuals, guides, and references or to the private sector. CIG does not fund research projects. Projects intended to test hypotheses do not qualify. CIG is used to apply or demonstrate previously proven technology. It is a vehicle to stimulate development and adoption of conservation approaches or technologies that have been studied sufficiently to indicate a high likelihood of success, and to be a candidate for eventual technology transfer or institutionalization. CIG promotes sharing of skills, knowledge, technologies, and facilities among communities, governments, and other institutions to ensure that scientific and technological developments are accessible to a wider range of users. CIG funds projects targeting innovative, on-the-ground conservation, including pilot projects and field demonstrations. In FY 2012, CIG is offering a water quality credit trading systems funding category. Water quality credit trading markets are an emerging means to meet existing or potential Federal and State level water quality requirements. The overall goal of these grants is to support State agencies and/or other cooperating entities seeking to design and launch water quality credit trading markets between point and non-point sources. NRCS will accept applications for single or multi-year projects, not to exceed 3 years, submitted to NRCS from eligible entities including Federally recognized Indian tribes, State and local units of government, and non-governmental organizations and individuals. Applications are accepted from all 50 States, the Caribbean Area (Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands), and the Pacific Islands Area (Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). Applications will be screened for completeness and compliance with the provisions of this notice. Incomplete applications will be eliminated from competition, and notification of elimination will be mailed to the applicant. Complete applications received by applicable deadlines will be evaluated by a technical peer review panel based on the Criteria for Application Evaluation identified in the application instructions in section V.B. Applications, along with their associated technical peer review, will be forwarded to the Grants Review Board. The Grants Review Board will make recommendations for project approval to the NRCS Chief who will make the final selections.

Contact Information

• Agency

  Department of Agriculture

• Office:

  Natural Resources Conservation Service

• Agency Contact:

  Gregorio Cruz, National CIG Program Manager
  USDA, NRCS
  P.O. Box 2890, Rm. 6227-S
  Washingnton, DC 20013-2890
  Tel.: 202-720-8071 Fax: 202-720-4839
  

• Agency Mailing Address:

  CIG Contact

• Agency Email Address:

  Gregorio.Cruz@wdc.usda.gov

• More Information:

  NRCS Homepage