Grants

Upcoming grant & award deadlines from PA Environment Digest: http://www.paenvironmentdigest.com/newsletter/default.asp?NewsletterArticleID=45853&SubjectID=

Grant Program Fundersort ascending Area of Interest Eligible Region Eligible Applicants Award Amount Date Due
Conservation Collaboration Grants

The purpose of Conservation Outreach Grants or Agreements is to leverage NRCS and partner resources to assist historically underserved farmers and ranchers and assist farmers and ranchers to improve, restore or maintain natural resources that:

  1. Improve soil health.
  2. Improve water quality.
  3. Provide habitat for local wildlife species of concern.
  4. Improve the environmental and economic performance of working agricultural lands.
  5. Assist communities and groups to build and strengthen local food projects that provide healthy food and economic opportunities.
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Funder:
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Area of Interest:
Agriculture, Stormwater
Eligible Region:
U.S.A.
Eligible Applicants:
501(c)(3) nonprofits, higher education, or an individual.
Award Amount:
$250,000 - $1 million
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Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) Competitive Grants Program

The primary goal of the UAIP projects is to support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production. The UAIP grants being made available for application under this NFO support planning and implementation activities. Planning activities will initiate, develop, or support the efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools, members of tribal communities, and other stakeholders in areas where access to fresh foods are limited or unavailable. Implementation activities will accelerate existing and emerging models of urban and/or innovative agricultural practices that serve multiple farmers or gardeners. Innovation may include new and emerging, as well as indigenous or non-traditional agricultural practices.

Grants can include Planning or Implementation activities:

Planning Activities
Planning activities may include:

  • assessing community needs within the local food system;
  • researching how food is grown, distributed, or marketed and/or recommending safe growing practices such as soil tests and environmental assessments.
  • evaluating how urban agriculture and innovative production can address issues of food access, nutrition, education, conservation, and economic development.
  • creating partnerships to improve growing, distributing and marketing of nutritious food;
  • conducting business planning, feasibility studies, and other strategies, such as community resource development;
  • developing local policy on zoning laws supporting urban agriculture and innovative production; and/or
  • creating educational materials and programs that increase knowledge about food and agriculture and encourage careers in urban agriculture and innovative production;

Implementation Activities
Implementation activities may include:

  • increasing food production
  • promoting agricultural businesses
  • providing mentoring, job training, and resources for underserved populations;
  • implementing best practices to address food access, zoning, composting, land access, soil health;
  • integrating emerging technologies, infrastructure needs (such as access to water and utilities);
  • supporting community education about food systems, nutrition, agriculture production, and environment impact;
  • operating community gardens or nonprofit farms that offer hands-on training in farming or gardening through virtual or web-based formats; and/or
  • providing K-12 schools with educational resources or programs that increase student knowledge and access to locally grown foods.

For new users of Grants.gov, see Section D. of the full Notice of Funding Opportunity for information about steps required before applying via Grants.gov.

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Funder:
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Area of Interest:
Agriculture
Eligible Applicants:
City or township governments County governments Special district governments Independent school districts Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Native American tribal organizations
Award Amount:
$75,000 - $350,000
04/09/2024
Agricultural Management Assistance Program

Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) provides funding assistance to help agricultural producers reduce risk by voluntarily installing conservation practices to address issues such as water management, water quality, and erosion control.

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Funder:
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Area of Interest:
Agriculture
Eligible Region:
Pennsylvania
Eligible Applicants:
Applicants must have an interest in an agricultural operation, either as a producer of crops or livestock, or as an owner of land.
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Conservation Stewardship Program

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) helps you build on your existing conservation efforts while strengthening your operation. Whether you are looking to improve grazing conditions, increase crop yields, or develop wildlife habitat, we can custom design a CSP plan to help you meet those goals. We can help you identify natural resource problems in your operation and provide technical and financial assistance to solve those problems or attain higher stewardship levels in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner. If you are already taking steps to improve the condition of the land, chances are CSP can help you find new ways to meet your goals.

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Funder:
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Area of Interest:
Agriculture
Eligible Region:
Pennsylvania
Eligible Applicants:
Individuals, Legal Entities, Joint Operations, or Native Tribes
Award Amount:
See annual payment formula
Year-round applications accepted
Conservation Innovation Grants

CIG is a voluntary program 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 to agricultural producers, into NRCS technical manuals and guides, or to the private sector. CIG generally funds pilot projects, field demonstrations, and innovative ways to transfer conservation methods from one geographic area or ag sector to another.

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Funder:
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Area of Interest:
Agriculture
Eligible Region:
Pennsylvania
Eligible Applicants:
Unrestricted
Award Amount:
$5,000 to $75,000
7-19-2021
Environmental Quality Incentives Program

Through EQIPNRCS provides agricultural producers and non-industrial forest managers with financial resources and one-on-one help to plan and implement improvements, or what NRCS calls conservation practices.  Using these practices can lead to cleaner water and air, healthier soil and better wildlife habitat, all while improving agricultural operations.  Through EQIP, you can voluntarily implement conservation practices, and NRCS co-invests in these practices with you.

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Funder:
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Area of Interest:
Agriculture
Eligible Region:
Pennsylvania
Eligible Applicants:
Agricultural producers and owners of non-industrial private forestland
Year-round applications accepted
Conservation Reserve Program

In exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality. Contracts for land enrolled in CRP are 10-15 years in length. The long-term goal of the program is to re-establish valuable land cover to help improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and reduce loss of wildlife habitat.

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Funder:
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Area of Interest:
Agriculture
Eligible Region:
Pennsylvania
Eligible Applicants:
Most rural, unforested areas within 180-feet of streams, ponds, lakes, and wetlands with open water are eligible
Award Amount:
$40-350 per acre per year in rental payment
Rolling Enrollment
Healthy Forest Reserve Program

HFRP provides landowners with 10-year restoration agreements and 30-year or permanent easements for specific conservation actions. For acreage owned by an American Indian tribe, there is an additional enrollment option of a 30-year contract. Some landowners may avoid regulatory restrictions under the Endangered Species Act by restoring or improving habitat on their land for a specified period of time.

HFRP applicants must provide proof of ownership, or an operator (tenant) must provide written concurrence from the landowner of tenancy for the period of the HFRP restoration agreement in order to be eligible. Land enrolled in HFRP easements must be privately owned or owned by Indian tribes and restore, enhance or measurably increase the recovery of threatened or endangered species, improve biological diversity or increase carbon storage.

Land enrolled in HFRP easements - must be privately owned or owned by Indian tribes and restore, enhance or measurably increase the recovery of threatened or endangered species, improve biological diversity or increase carbon storage.

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Funder:
USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service
Area of Interest:
Abandoned Mine Drainage, Agriculture, Engagement & Stewardship, Pathogens and Point Source, Stormwater, Watershed Land Protection
Eligible Region:
U.S. and U.S. Territories
Eligible Applicants:
Landowners
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National Water Quality Initiative

The EQIP National Water Quality Initiative will assist producers to address high-priority water resource concerns in watersheds identified as impaired by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This strategic approach will leverage funds and provide streamlined assistance to help individual agricultural producers take needed actions to reduce the flow of sediment, nutrients and other runoff into impaired waterways.

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Funder:
USDA - NRCS
Area of Interest:
Agriculture
Eligible Region:
priority watersheds
Year-round applications accepted
Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grants

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on May 6th, 2020 the availability of $3 million for grants through its new Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. The competitive grants will support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production projects through two categories: 

  • Planning Projects ($1 million for projects that initiate or expand efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools and other stakeholders in urban areas and suburbs.)
  • Implementation Projects ($2 million for projects that accelerate existing and emerging models of urban, indoor and other agricultural practices that serve multiple farmers.)
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Funder:
USDA
Area of Interest:
Agriculture, Engagement & Stewardship
Eligible Region:
USA
Award Amount:
Varies
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