Announcement for Program Funding for NRCS’ Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2018 – Iowa

The U.S. Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources conservation Service (NRCS) is announcing the availability of Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies. Applications will be accepted from eligible entities for projects carried out in the state of Iowa. A total of up to $500,000 is available for CIG in FY 2018. All non-Federal entities (NFE) and individuals are invited to apply, with the sole exception of Federal agencies. Projects may be between one and three years in duration. The maximum award amount for a single award in FY 2018 is $75,000. 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.