NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG)

Grants to USA and territories nonprofits, for-profits, non-federal agencies, tribes, and individuals to promote the adoption and development of innovative approaches to conservation in agriculture. Applicants are advised that required registrations may take several weeks to complete. Priority funding areas include water quality, water reuse, wildlife, air quality, and energy conservation.

The purpose of CIG is to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies 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) to agricultural producers, into NRCS technical manuals and guides, or to the private sector. CIG generally funds pilot projects, field demonstrations, and on-farm conservation research. On-farm conservation research is defined as an investigation conducted to answer a specific applied conservation question using a statistically valid design while employing farm-scale equipment on farms, ranches, or private forest lands.

Innovative Conservation Projects or Activities: CIG funds the development and field testing, on-farm research and demonstration, evaluation, or implementation of:

• Approaches to incentivizing conservation adoption, including market-based and conservation finance approaches; and
• Conservation technologies, practices, and systems.

Projects or activities under CIG must:

• Comply with all applicable Federal, Tribal, State, and local laws and regulations throughout the duration of the project;
• Use a technology or approach that was studied sufficiently to indicate a high probability for success;
• Demonstrate, evaluate, and verify the effectiveness, utility, affordability, and usability of natural resource conservation technologies and approaches in the field;
• Adapt and transfer conservation technologies, management, practices, systems, approaches, and incentive systems to improve performance and encourage adoption; and
• Introduce proven conservation technologies and approaches to a geographic area or agricultural sector where that technology or approach is not currently in use. 

Up to 10 percent of the total funds available for CIG in FY 2020 is set-aside for proposals from historically underserved producers, veteran farmers or ranchers, or community-based organizations comprised of or representing these entities. 

CIG Priorities for FY 2020:

1. Water Quality: NRCS is seeking proposals that demonstrate innovative approaches that improve water quality while maintaining agricultural productivity. 
2. Water Reuse:  NRCS is seeking proposals that demonstrate innovative approaches that incorporate water reuse and maintain or improve water quality and agricultural productivity. 
3. Wildlife:  To improve and demonstrate the effectiveness of conservation planning and Farm Bill implementation for wildlife benefit, NRCS requests proposals for innovative tools to help plan for and measure the collective contribution of the individual landowners providing and managing wildlife habitat. 
4. Air Quality: NRCS currently works with agricultural producers to address the following five air quality resource concerns:
• Emissions of particulate matter (PM) and PM precursors
• Emissions of ozone precursors
• Emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs)
• Emissions of airborne reactive nitrogen
• Objectionable odors 
5. Energy Conservation: NRCS began to formally address energy resource concerns in 2010 and has recently embarked on a path to improve methods to more efficiently and effectively help producers implement energy conservation practices across the country. To augment that internal effort, NRCS seeks proposals for innovative ways to increase energy conservation on agricultural operations. 

For additional information and sub-priorites for each priority area, see pages 3-6 of the NOFO document in Attached Files below.