Conservation Innovation Grants 2005

LOUISIANA COMPETITION: On Friday, Febuary 25, 2005, the 2005 Louisiana Conservation Innovation Grants Request for Proposals (RFP) was released. A link to more information on this opportunity can be found near the bottom of this page. The deadline for submitting the RFP application to the NRCS Louisiana State Office is 5:00 p.m., Central Standard Time (CST) on Friday, April 8, 2005.

NATIONAL COMPETITION: On Tuesday, January 11, 2005, the national 2005 Conservation Innovation Grants Request for Proposals (RFP) was released. A link to more information on this opportunity can be found near the bottom of this page. The deadline for submitting the RFP application to the NRCS National Office is March 28, 2005.

The Conservation Innovation Grant program (CIG) is a voluntary program intended to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies while leveraging Federal investment in environmental enhancement and protection, in conjunction with agricultural production. Under CIG, Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funds are used to award competitive grants to non-Federal governmental or non-governmental organizations, Tribes, or individuals. CIG enables NRCS to work with other public and private entities to accelerate technology transfer and adoption of promising technologies and approaches to address some of the Nation's most pressing natural resource concerns. CIG will benefit agricultural producers by providing more options for environmental enhancement and compliance with Federal, State, and local regulations. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers CIG. The CIG requires a 50-50 match between the agency and the applicant. The CIG has two funding components - national and state.

• The CIG National Component offers eligible entities the opportunity to apply for grants of up to $1 million. NRCS is making available up to $15 million in this nationwide competition.
• The CIG State Component offers eligible entities the opportunity to apply for grants up to $75,000. This competition is limited to applications for projects within the appropriate state. In 2005, Louisiana was one of 13 states, including the Pacific Basin, to be chosen to pilot the state component. Louisiana NRCS is making available up to $150,000 for CIG projects.

For More Information

For more information please see the NRCS web site at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/cig or the CIG State Component, or contact one of the Louisiana NRCS personnel listed below. Complete application package materials can be found on the Louisiana web pages or the national CIG webpage.

Contact