New Mexico Conservation Technical Assistance for Outreach and Education | USDA NRCS NM CTA 24 NOFO0001350

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS NM CTA 24 NOFO0001350

The New Mexico Conservation Technical Assistance for Outreach and Education opportunity is a competitive federal grant offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), New Mexico State Office, under Assistance Listing (CFDA) 10.902, Soil and Water Conservation. Its main purpose is to strengthen conservation outcomes across New Mexico by partnering with organizations that can deliver practical outreach, education, workshops, and training that increase public awareness and on-the-ground adoption of conservation activities. The program is geared toward helping New Mexico's agricultural community and other local stakeholders better understand and implement conservation practices, with an emphasis on real-world technical assistance and education rather than academic or scientific study.

Projects funded through this notice must be based in New Mexico and must focus on conservation. The emphasis is on engagement and capacity-building activities such as conservation outreach events, trainings, and workshops that support producers, private landowners, conservation organizations, cooperating agencies, and community-based entities like acequias and land grants. A key restriction is that research proposals are not allowed under this announcement; applications centered on research will not be accepted or considered. The grant is designed for single-year projects, meaning the proposed work plan and budget should fit within a 1-year period of performance.

Eligible applicants include Federally recognized Native American tribal governments and tribal organizations, state governments, local governments (including county and city or township governments), nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, and public or state-controlled institutions of higher education. NRCS will review submissions competitively, screening first for completeness and compliance with the Notice of Funding Opportunity requirements. Applications that are incomplete or do not follow the rules laid out in the notice can be removed from consideration, and applicants will be notified if that happens. NRCS also notes that the New Mexico State Conservationist retains the discretion not to fund some or all applications, even if they are eligible.

Funding levels for individual awards are relatively small and targeted: the federal share is expected to range from a minimum (floor) of $10,000 to a maximum (ceiling) of $20,000 per agreement. The notice indicates an expectation of around five awards. These amounts refer to the total federal funding for the agreement rather than being broken into multiple budget periods, which aligns with the single-year structure of the projects.

Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on April 13, 2024. Applicants experiencing technical issues with Grants.gov are directed to contact Grants.gov Applicant Support (phone and email are provided in the notice), and NRCS staff are not able to help troubleshoot Grants.gov account problems. For questions about the content of the notice itself, applicants are directed to the federal awarding agency contact listed in the notice (Section G), but questions are expected to be limited to clarifying specific information in the NFO (for example, dates, page references, or inconsistencies). The agency explicitly states it will not address questions about applicant eligibility in a hypothetical sense or provide feedback on the strength or merits of a proposed project concept before submission.

The timeline provided indicates NRCS anticipates making selections by April 29, 2024, with awards expected to be executed by June 30, 2024, though these dates are estimates and may change. Because this opportunity is categorized as federal financial assistance, the notice encourages applicants, especially those new to federal grants, to take the free "Grants 101" federal financial assistance training available through the CFO.gov resource page. This training covers the core topics that often determine whether a project runs smoothly after award, including the major laws and regulations, administrative requirements under Uniform Guidance, cost principles, and risk management and single audit considerations.

• The Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "New Mexico Conservation Technical Assistance for Outreach and Education" 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 2024-02-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-04-13. (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 $20,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for USDA NRCS NM CTA 24 NOFO0001350

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