Indiana Partners for Conservation Fiscal Year 2021 Announcement for Program Funding- INDIANA | USDA NRCS IN IPC 21 NOFO0001037

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS IN IPC 21 NOFO0001037

The Indiana Partners for Conservation Fiscal Year 2021 funding announcement is a competitive grant opportunity from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) focused on strengthening conservation work across Indiana through partnerships. The core purpose is to leverage NRCS resources by funding agreements that help address local natural resource concerns, encourage collaboration among organizations working in conservation, and build conservation leadership at the state and community level. Projects must be based in Indiana and must align with the conservation priorities described in the notice (referenced as Section A(2)). A major emphasis is placed on practical, on-the-ground conservation support, especially efforts that directly assist Indiana NRCS Field Offices with implementation and delivery of conservation services.

The program strongly favors collaborative projects that can show real-world outcomes for land and water resources, and it places special value on outreach and service to underserved and minority landowners and farmers. This is a notable priority for applicants designing engagement strategies, technical assistance plans, or delivery models intended to broaden participation in NRCS-supported conservation work. At the same time, the announcement is clear about what it will not fund: research proposals are not accepted and will not be considered, meaning applicants should focus on implementation, technical assistance, outreach, planning support, education tied to adoption of practices, and other applied activities rather than academic or experimental research.

Funding for FY 2021 was anticipated to total up to $1,000,000 across all awards, with an expected number of about 10 awards. The maximum award size (award ceiling) is $500,000. Projects can run between two and five years, allowing for multi-year efforts such as sustained landowner engagement, capacity-building for local conservation delivery, and ongoing field support that would be difficult to accomplish in a short-term grant. The funding instrument is listed as "Other" under a discretionary opportunity, and the program falls under the Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources activity area, with CFDA number 10.902.

Eligible applicants include a broad mix of public and nonprofit entities that can credibly carry out conservation partnership work in Indiana. This includes state governments, county governments, and city or township governments; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; nonprofits with IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education under that nonprofit category); and both public and private institutions of higher education. The notice also allows organizations to request additional funding to expand or continue existing Indiana partnership agreements, which can be useful for groups that already have an established track record and want to scale up successful work.

Applicants are expected to follow the instructions in the notice closely because NRCS will screen proposals for completeness and compliance before any competitive review. Proposals that are incomplete or that do not meet the stated requirements can be removed from consideration, and applicants will be notified if they are eliminated at that stage. Award recipients should also plan for administrative participation after selection, since NRCS may require attendance at administrative training and will require periodic project updates and presentations on progress and results.

The application deadline for this opportunity was January 25, 2021, with submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The opportunity was published under Funding Opportunity Number USDA NRCS IN IPC 21 NOFO0001037, with a creation date of November 19, 2020, through the Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Indiana Partners for Conservation Fiscal Year 2021 Announcement for Program Funding- INDIANA" 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 Nov 19, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 25, 2021 Applications must be received by 1159 p.m. Eastern Time.. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for USDA NRCS IN IPC 21 NOFO0001037

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