South Carolina Urban, Community and Pollinator Garden Projects | USDA NRCS SC MULTI 24 NOFO0001343

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS SC MULTI 24 NOFO0001343

The South Carolina Urban, Community and Pollinator Garden Projects opportunity is a competitive federal funding announcement from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) that plans to support cooperative agreements for projects located in South Carolina. The program is framed around using NRCS resources and partnerships to reduce healthy food gaps, encourage collaboration among conservation and community partners, and address hunger, public health, and neighborhood beautification. The core project concept centers on providing technical assistance tied to the development of demonstration urban gardens, community gardens, and pollinator gardens, meaning the funded work is meant to help plan, establish, and showcase garden models that can be replicated and learned from in local communities.

Funding is offered through cooperative agreements (not standard procurement contracts), which generally indicates NRCS expects active involvement or collaboration during the project rather than simply issuing a grant with minimal agency engagement. The opportunity is labeled discretionary and falls under the Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources funding activity areas, with CFDA number 10.902. Projects are expected to run between 1 and 3 years, giving applicants flexibility to propose shorter demonstration efforts or multi-season efforts that may include planning, installation, education, and maintenance phases.

Eligible applicants are broad and include multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), as long as they are not higher education institutions in that category), and small businesses. The full notice points applicants to Section C.1 for the exact eligible applicant requirements and any conditions or definitions that might apply.

The award ceiling is listed at $100,000, and NRCS expects to make about 10 awards, suggesting a moderate-sized, statewide competition with multiple funded sites or partners rather than a single large project. Applications are submitted through Grants.gov, and proposals will be screened first for completeness and compliance with the notice requirements. Any application considered incomplete or noncompliant will be removed from consideration, and the applicant will be notified. The announcement also flags that agency staff will not assist with Grants.gov account or system issues; applicants must use Grants.gov Applicant Support for technical help.

Timing is a major focus in the notice. Applications must be submitted via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on May 4, 2024. NRCS anticipates making selection decisions by June 1, 2024, and expects to execute awards by August 30, 2024, though both dates are estimates and could shift. Applicants are encouraged to build their workplans around an estimated project start date of September 1, 2024. The notice also emphasizes that the NFO is being released prior to final appropriation and/or apportionment of FY2024 funds, and that continuing resolutions or a final appropriations act could affect whether funding is available and at what level, so applicants should be aware that final funding is contingent on federal budget actions.

For questions, the notice draws a clear boundary: applicants can contact the federal awarding agency point of contact (listed in Section G of the full NFO) for questions limited to clarifying specific information in the notice, such as dates, page references, or resolving apparent discrepancies. Questions about whether an organization is eligible or whether a particular project idea is strong or competitive will not be addressed by the agency, so applicants need to rely on the written eligibility and evaluation criteria in the full NFO when deciding whether and how to apply.

• The Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "South Carolina Urban, Community and Pollinator Garden Projects" 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 2024-03-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-04. (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 $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Small businesses.

Apply for USDA NRCS SC MULTI 24 NOFO0001343

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