2012 Conservation Innovation Grants - WA Component

" Updated " 05/25/2012

Washington's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is participating in the 2012 Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) State Component. CIG is a voluntary program intended to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies while leveraging Federal investment in environmental enhancement and protection, in conjunction with agricultural production. Under CIG, Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funds are used to award competitive grants to eligible entities including Federal recognized Indian Tribes, state and local units of government and nongovernmental individuals and organizations.

CIG enables NRCS to work with other public and private entities to accelerate technology transfer and adoption of promising technologies and approaches to address some of the nation's most pressing natural resource concerns. CIG will benefit agricultural producers by providing more options for environmental enhancement and compliance with Federal, State, and local regulations. NRCS administers the CIG program. The CIG requires a 50-50 match between the agency and the applicant.  The CIG has two funding components - national and state.

The CIG National Component proposal deadline closed April 27, 2012.

WA CIG State Component

• Washington NRCS anticipates that the amount available for support of this program in FY 2012 will be $150,000. Funds will be awarded through a statewide competitive grants process.
• Applications are requested from entities including Federal recognized Indian Tribes, state and local units of government and non-governmental organizations or individuals for competitive consideration of grant awards for projects between 1 and 3 years in duration.
• This notice identifies the objectives for CIG projects, the eligibility criteria for projects, and provides the instructions needed to apply to CIG.

Deadline for submitting proposals for the WA CIG State component is June 15, 2012.

Packets must be received at Washington NRCS State Office by 4 P.M., Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on June 15, 2012.
 

2012 Program Facts

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 formulate hypothesis do not qualify. CIG is to apply proven technology which has been shown to work previously. It is a vehicle to stimulate the development and adoption of conservation approaches or technologies that have been studied sufficiently to indicate a likelihood of success, and to be candidates 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.

NRCS will accept applications for single or multi-year projects, not to exceed three years, submitted to NRCS from eligible entities, including Federally-recognized Indian Tribes, State and local governments, and nongovernmental organizations and individuals. Applications will only be accepted for projects that will take place in Washington State.

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 will be forwarded to a Grant Review Board. The Grant Review Board will make recommendations for project approval to the Washington State Conservationist. Final award selections will be made by the State Conservationist. The State Conservationist reserves the right to not fund any or all proposals.

Innovative Conservation Projects or Activities

For the purposes of CIG, the proposed innovative project or activity must encompass the development, field testing, evaluation, and implementation, and monitoring of:
• Conservation adoption approaches or incentive systems including market-based systems; or
• Promising conservation technologies, practices, systems, procedures, or approaches; and
• Environmental soundness with goals of environmental protection and natural resource enhancement.

To be given priority consideration, the innovative project or activity should:
• Make use of a proven technology or a technology that has been studied sufficiently to indicate a high probability for success;
• Demonstrate and verify environmental (soil, water, air, plants, energy use, and animal) effectiveness, utility, affordability, and usability of conservation technology in the field;
• Adapt conservation technologies, practices, systems, procedures, approaches, and incentive systems to improve performance and encourage adoption;
• Introduce conservation systems, approaches, and procedures from another geographic area or agricultural sector;
• Adapt conservation technology, management, or incentive systems to improve performance; and
• Demonstrate transferability of knowledge.
 

2012 Washington State Grant Application Materials

2012 WA CIG Application Package
 
    WA State Announcement Number: USDA_NRCS-WA-12-01
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number 10.912

All forms necessary for CIG submission are available at Grants.gov.
These forms are found in the Full Announcement link. Each of these forms will be available in a form-fillable format within the above application package document:
    SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance
    SF-424a, Budget Information
    424b, Assurances
    WA State CIG Announcement
   
Obtaining a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) Number

Rules, Notices, and Additional Information

Up-to-date information regarding CIG program rules, notices and information can be found on the NRCS National CIG webpage.

More Information

Refer to the National NRCS Conservation Innovation Grants webpage.
Review the CIG Announcement of Program Funding on the Grants.gov webpage.
Or contact one of the Washington NRCS personnel listed below.

Bonda Habets
NRCS State Resource Conservationist - Technical
509-323-2961

Jeff Harlow
NRCS Assistant State Conservationist - Programs
509-323-2971

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