Conservation Collaboration Cooperative Agreements Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Notice of Funding Announcement SOUTH DAKOTA | USDA NRCS SD MULTI 24 NOFO0001327

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS SD MULTI 24 NOFO0001327

The Conservation Collaboration Cooperative Agreements FY 2024 Notice of Funding Announcement for South Dakota is a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) funding opportunity intended to support conservation work through cooperative agreements. The main idea is to use NRCS resources more effectively by partnering with eligible organizations to tackle locally important natural resource concerns, strengthen collaboration across groups, and build conservation leadership at the state and community level. All proposed work must take place in South Dakota, and projects are expected to run between 1 and 3 years.

This opportunity is being announced before final FY 2024 funding is fully appropriated and/or apportioned, which means the actual availability of funds (or the total amount NRCS can award) could change depending on future continuing resolutions or a final appropriations act. Even with that uncertainty, NRCS is moving forward with the competitive process so applicants can prepare and submit proposals on the timeline laid out in the notice.

A wide range of entities are eligible to apply, with a strong emphasis on public and community-serving organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (in both cases, other than institutions of higher education). The program is structured to encourage partnerships that can bring local knowledge, capacity, and relationships together with NRCS technical expertise and program priorities.

Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov, and the deadline is April 29, 2024 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. The notice emphasizes that proposals will first be screened for completeness and compliance with the NFO requirements. Applications that are incomplete or do not follow the stated rules can be removed from consideration without being scored for competitiveness, and applicants will be notified if their proposal is eliminated at that stage. For organizations that are new to Grants.gov, the notice points applicants to the section that explains the steps needed to register and submit successfully, which matters because Grants.gov setup can take time and agency staff will not troubleshoot account or system issues.

For support, the notice draws a clear line between technical submission help and program-content questions. Technical problems with Grants.gov are handled by Grants.gov Applicant Support (1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov), and NRCS staff cannot assist with Grants.gov account matters. Questions about the funding announcement itself are directed to the federal awarding agency contact listed in the NFO, but questions are expected to be narrow and specific (for example, clarifying dates, page references, or resolving inconsistencies). The agency will not provide feedback on whether an applicant is eligible in a particular situation or on the strengths and weaknesses of a draft proposal.

In terms of scale and timing, the opportunity is listed as a discretionary program using cooperative agreements as the funding instrument, under CFDA number 10.902, and aligned with agriculture, environment, and natural resources goals. The posted award ceiling is $1,200,000, and NRCS expects to make about 8 awards. The agency anticipates selecting projects by May 29, 2024 and expects to execute awards by September 15, 2024, with the reminder that these are estimated dates and could change. Overall, the program is designed for organizations that can deliver practical, collaborative conservation outcomes in South Dakota while also helping strengthen longer-term local conservation capacity and leadership.

• The Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Conservation Collaboration Cooperative Agreements Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Notice of Funding Announcement SOUTH DAKOTA" 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 2024-03-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-04-29. (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 $1,200,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, 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 SD MULTI 24 NOFO0001327

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