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Natural Resource Conservation Service New Jersey (NRCS NJ) Community Gardens/Farm Agreement (New Jersey) - FY 2025

Agency: U.S. Department of Agriculture
CFDA: 10.902
Federal FON: USDA-NRCS-NJ-GARDN-NOFO0001421
Office: Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) New Jersey State Office
Multipart Grant: No
Next Due: 06/06/2025 (Application)
Solicitation Date: 01/07/2025
   
Match Required: No
Actual Funds: $75,000 (Estimated)
Award Range: $5,000 (Min) / $20,000 (Max)
Summary:

The purpose of this program is to foster environmental stewardship and sustainable agriculture in New Jersey communities by addressing the need for conservation education and resource support in urban and underserved communities. Projects may include conservation practice demonstration and education opportunities as well as endeavors to engage historically underserved growers and communities in NRCS programs. In addition, projects may include support for things like climate-smart conservation practices, stormwater runoff and erosion control, and habitat establishment and management.

Funding will support projects that align with the following objectives:

  • Provide conservation learning experiences and/or outreach activities related to conservation implementation to urban and underserved communities
  • Supporting the People's Garden Initiative at established People's Gardens, as defined on page 8 of the NOFA file, by implementing conservation activities that cover one or more of the following:
    • Conservation and climate-smart agriculture demonstrations
    • Stormwater control or water quality improvement
    • Soil protection from erosion
    • Habitat for wildlife, including pollinators
  • Leverage nonfederal resources to achieve positive natural resource conservation outcomes
  • Provide a method to follow up with the historically underserved growers to measure rate of success of their participation in both technical and financial assistance by NRCS staff
  • Provide outreach to increase participation among historically underserved participants in NRCS conservation programs and services

Funding may be used for necessary supplies, which can include tools, seeds, fertilizer, soil and soil additives, irrigation material, rain harvesting materials, temporary structures for plant heath, and educational/workshop-related materials. Funding for gardening supplies and conservation activities is limited to established People's Gardens, unless there is a demonstration/educational component involved in the project.

Eligibility is limited to projects that are performed in New Jersey.

Eligibility Notes:

Eligible applicants are:

  • City or township governments
  • County governments
  • Independent school districts
  • Federally recognized Native American tribal governments
  • Native American tribal organizations
  • Nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status
  • Private, public, and state-controlled institutions of higher education
  • Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
  • Special district governments
  • State governments

Projects must be performed in New Jersey.

Applicants must own or lease the land where the project will be established for the duration of the award agreement.

Applications must be submitted by a single entity. Partnerships are not eligible to apply; however, a partner may serve as a subrecipient.

Applicants may submit up to two applications for different projects or proposing different approaches.

Eligible Applicants:
Local Government
Academic Institutions
Native American Tribe
Non Profits
Schools/School Districts
State Government
Tribal Organizations/Institutions
Application Notes:

Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 6, 2025.

Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov.

Applications must include:

  • SF 424
  • Project narrative (6 pages max)
  • Project abstract
  • SF 424A
  • Budget narrative
  • Current and pending support
  • Applicant contact(s) information
  • Negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA) (if applicable)
  • Subawards
  • Disclosure of potential conflict of interest (if applicable)
  • Grants.gov lobbying form
  • SF LLL (if applicable)

The following are required in order to submit an application:

  • Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
  • SAM (System for Award Management) registration
  • SPOC (state Single Point of Contact) notification

Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam. Applicants in states participating in the SPOC program must contact the relevant SPOC listed in the SPOC file before applying.

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • Project purpose, approach, and objectives (65 points)
  • Project management (20 points)
  • Budget narrative (10 points)
  • Evaluation (5 points)

Refer to the NOFA and Guide files for additional application information.

Match Required: No
Actual Funds: $75,000 (Estimated)
Award Range: $5,000 (Min) / $20,000 (Max)
Match Notes:

Matching funds are not required for this program, and if matching funds are included in an application, they will not be considered during the competitive review process.

Funding Notes:

A total of $75,000 is expected to be available through this program to support up to an expected ten cooperative agreements expected to range from $5,000 to $20,000.

Award selections are expected to be made by June 20, 2025, and awards are expected to be executed by September 15, 2025.

The project period may last between one and three years and is expected to begin on September 15, 2025.

Contacts:

Alberto Aviles
Grants Management Specialist
alberto.aviles@usda.gov

Agency Address
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service
New Jersey State Office
200 Clocktower Drive
Suite 101
Hamilton Square, NJ 08690

Contact Notes:

Questions should be emailed to Alberto Aviles, with a copy to NFO.FPAC@USDA.GOV. The subject line of the email must include "USDA-NRCS-NJ-GARDN-NOFO0001421."

Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov.

The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.

Files:
NOFA File: US18228_NOFA_FY2025.pdf (765.8 Kb)
Guide File: US18228_Guide_FY2025.pdf (2.1 Mb)
Federal Forms:
SPOC (67.7 Kb)
File Notes:

The NOFA file contains the full solicitation for this program. The Guide file contains detailed application instructions. The SPOC file contains information on the state Single Point of Contact program.

Grant Keywords
New Jersey Natural Resource Conservation Service Community Gardens/Farm Grants, NRCS, NJ NRCS, USDA, New Jersey State Office, community garden, pollinator garden, urban garden, pollinator habitat, hunger, food insecurity, food desert, health, beautification, conservation, conservation learning, beginning farmer, beginning rancher, limited resource farmer, limited resource rancher, socially disadvantaged farmer, socially disadvantaged rancher, veteran farmer, veteran rancher, VFR, garden supply, garden supplies, seed, fertilizer, soil, soil additive, irrigation material, rain harvesting material, plant, plant health, urban tree, small tree, seedling, pollinator box, city, cities, town, township, county, city government, county government, township government, tribe, tribal, Native American tribe, federally recognized tribe, Native American tribal organization, 501c3, institution of higher education, special district government, state government, crop, fruit, harvest, orchard, produce, specialty crop, vegetable, infrastructure development, neighborhood revitalization, sustainable development, garden, healthy choice, healthy lifestyle, healthy living, outdoor, habitat, environmental, environment, environmentalism, shade, tree, planting, forest, forestry, vegetation, vegetative, heat island, Urban Agriculture Toolkit, urban gardening, natural resource conservation, biodiversity, People's Garden, New Jersey agriculture, NJ agriculture, New Jersey urban agriculture, NJ urban agriculture, underserved farmer, underserved rancher, People's Garden Initiative, NJ conservation, New Jersey conservation, Natural Resource Conservation Service New Jersey Community Gardens/Farm Grants, NRCS NJ
Grant Categories
Agriculture
Community Development
Health, Prevention/Treatment
Environment/Natural Resources
Human Services
Water Supply/Quality