Description

1. Federal Awarding Agency Name

U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service - Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) Title: Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) Competitive Grants Program

2. Announcement Type

Initial Announcement

3. Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) Number

USDA- NRCS-NHQ-UAIP-25-NOFO0001415

4. Assistance Listing

This opportunity is included under This program is listed in the Assistance Listings (previously referred to as the Catalog of Federal Financial Assistance) on Sam.gov under 10.935, Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production, searchable at:https://sam.gov/content/home.

5. Funding Details

The amount of Federal funding expected to be available for award(s) is $2,500,000. However, the agency retains the discretion to award a larger or lesser amount.

This opportunity is being released prior to appropriation and/or apportionment of funds for fiscal year 2025. Enactment of additional continuing resolutions or an appropriations act may affect the availability or level of funding for this program.

There is no commitment to make a specific number of award(s).

The agency expects the amount of each award to range from $100,000 to $250,000.

Projects of 24 months in duration (2 years). Applicants should plan their projects based on an estimated project start date of September 30, 2025.

6. Key Dates

Application deadline: Submit via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on March 10, 2025.

A webinar has been pre-recorded and the presentation and supporting information can be found at this link https://youtu.be/63snY3AZrvc. The recorded webinar can also be found in the “Related Documents” tab of this opportunity and in the program website.

The agency anticipates making selections by July 1, 2025, and expects to execute awards by September 30, 2025. These dates are estimates and are subject to change.

7. Executive Summary

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.

8. Contact Information

Grants.gov issues - Contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.

For all other questions, email FPAC-BC Grants and Agreements Division (GAD):

Email: Jose.Berna@usda.gov with a copy to NFO.FPAC@USDA.GOV

Subject line of email: USDA- NRCS-NHQ-UAIP-25-NOFO0001415

Name: Jose A. Berna, Grants Management Specialist, FPAC Business Center (FPAC-BC)

The agency will not address questions about a potential applicant’s eligibility nor the merits of a specific proposal.

To protect the integrity of the competitive process, applicants must not contact agency program staff with questions; contact GAD staff as directed above.

Subscribe to receive correspondence issued by GAD. Topics may highlight award-management issues, announce implementation of new policies or procedures, provide guides and tools for applying for awards, etc. To subscribe, visit

https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAFARMERS/subscriber/new?topic_id=USDAFARMERS_4170

9. Training

Applicants can access highly recommended, free Grants 101 Training via https://www.cfo.gov/coffa/training-coffa/. The training consists of five modules: 1) laws, regulations, and guidance; 2) financial assistance mechanisms; 3) uniform guidance administrative requirements; 4) cost principles; and 5) risk management and single audit.