Announcement for proposals to provide NRCS easement programs restoration assistance. | USDA NRCS US WRP ACEP EWPP HFRP 18 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS US WRP ACEP EWPP HFRP 18 01

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), a USDA agency, released a discretionary funding opportunity for cooperative agreements focused on helping restore and improve degraded natural landscapes tied to NRCS easement programs. The core purpose is to direct resources toward on-the-ground restoration of wetlands, floodplains, forestlands, and related upland areas, with an emphasis on repairing ecological function in places that have been damaged or diminished over time. In practical terms, the work supported under this announcement is meant to strengthen habitat and natural infrastructure, improve water-related functions that wetlands and floodplains provide, and enhance resilience and environmental benefits on lands connected to NRCS easement program goals.

Funding is available nationally and is not limited to a small set of jurisdictions. Applicants may be located in any of the 50 states as well as the District of Columbia. The announcement also explicitly includes U.S. territories and affiliated areas: the Caribbean Area (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and the Pacific Islands Area (Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). NRCS is open to applications from a wide range of non-federal applicants, and it specifically encourages participation from non-federal entities (NFEs) of all sizes along with individuals. The single major restriction called out is that federal agencies are not eligible, making this opportunity broadly accessible to state and local partners, tribes and tribal organizations where applicable under non-federal status, conservation organizations, academic institutions, and other qualified U.S.-based non-federal applicants.

The assistance is being provided through a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates an active partnership role for NRCS during the project period rather than a hands-off grant relationship. The announced agreement length is three years, giving selected recipients a multi-year window to plan, implement, and complete restoration activities and associated deliverables. The total funding amount noted for fiscal year 2018 is up to $250,000,000, indicating a large national investment and the potential for multiple awards, although the specific number of expected awards is not stated in the source information provided.

The opportunity is identified as “Announcement for proposals to provide NRCS easement programs restoration assistance,” with the funding opportunity number USDA NRCS US WRP ACEP EWPP HFRP 18 01. It is categorized under agriculture, disaster prevention and relief, environment, and natural resources, reflecting the way wetland and floodplain restoration can support both conservation outcomes and risk reduction from flooding and other hazards. The CFDA numbers associated with the announcement are 10.072, 10.922, 10.923, 10.928, and 10.931, which correspond to NRCS program authorities tied to easements and related conservation and restoration efforts.

Key dates and administrative details are straightforward. The opportunity was created on March 20, 2018, and applications were required to be received no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on May 18, 2018. NRCS also points applicants to additional program background and context through its easements webpage and related NRCS program pages, which outline how NRCS easement programs operate and the types of restoration and stewardship activities commonly supported under those authorities.

• The Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, disaster prevention and relief, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Announcement for proposals to provide NRCS easement programs restoration assistance." and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.072, 10.922, 10.923, 10.928, 10.931.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-03-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-05-18. (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 $250,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for USDA NRCS US WRP ACEP EWPP HFRP 18 01

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