Texas Partners for Conservation | USDA NRCS TX NOFO0001238

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS TX NOFO0001238

Texas Partners for Conservation is a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) funding opportunity focused on supporting practical, Texas-based conservation work through cooperative agreements. The program is designed to help NRCS stretch its resources by partnering with local and state organizations to address locally important natural resource concerns, promote collaboration across communities, and build conservation leadership at the state and community level. Projects must be located in Texas and must align with the conservation priority topics identified in Section A of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO). A major emphasis is placed on collaborative efforts, especially proposals that provide on-the-ground support that directly helps Texas NRCS Field Offices deliver conservation assistance in local areas. This is meant to be implementation-oriented work rather than academic study, and the NFO is explicit that research proposals will not be accepted or considered.

A wide range of entities are eligible to apply, reflecting the program's focus on partnerships and practical delivery capacity. Eligible applicants include city or township governments, county governments, special district governments, and state governments, as well as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education. Tribal participation is also eligible through federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations. Nonprofit organizations may apply whether or not they have 501(c)(3) status, as long as they are not institutions of higher education. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically signals closer involvement and coordination with the federal agency than a standard grant, consistent with the program's emphasis on supporting NRCS field operations and collaborative conservation delivery.

Funding levels are set with a clear minimum and maximum for the federal share of each award. The estimated funding floor is $25,000 and the estimated funding ceiling is $200,000 per agreement, and these amounts refer to the total federal share for the entire agreement rather than being tied to a specific budget period. NRCS anticipated making about 15 awards under this opportunity. The assistance is offered under CFDA (now often referred to as Assistance Listing) 10.902 and is categorized under agriculture, environment, and natural resources activities.

The application process runs through Grants.gov, and applicants were required to submit complete applications by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on April 24, 2023. NRCS noted that technical problems with Grants.gov must be handled through Grants.gov Applicant Support (phone and email provided in the notice), and that agency staff cannot assist with Grants.gov account issues. For questions about the NFO itself, applicants were directed to the federal awarding agency contact listed in Section G, with the reminder that inquiries should be limited to clarifying information in the document (like dates or discrepancies). Questions about whether a specific applicant is eligible or whether a particular project idea is strong were not going to be addressed through that channel. NRCS also scheduled an informational webinar for potential applicants on March 23, 2023, conducted via Microsoft Teams, with participation details and additional agreement information posted on the NRCS Texas Partners for Conservation website.

Finally, NRCS provided an expected review and award timeline to help applicants plan. The agency anticipated making selections by May 24, 2023, and expected to execute awards by September 2023, while noting these dates were estimates and could change. Because this opportunity is federal financial assistance, NRCS recommended that applicants, especially those newer to federal funding, complete the free "Grants 101" training hosted by the CFO Council. That training covers the core federal grants framework, including governing rules and guidance, assistance mechanisms, Uniform Guidance administrative requirements, cost principles, and audit and risk management expectations, all of which are directly relevant to successfully managing an NRCS cooperative agreement.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Texas Partners for Conservation" 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 Feb 23, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 24, 2023 Applications must be received by 1159 pm 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 $200,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 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.

Apply for USDA NRCS TX NOFO0001238

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