Watershed Assessments for the National Water Quality Initiative | USDA NRCS SC EQIP 20 NOFO0001031

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS SC EQIP 20 NOFO0001031

The Watershed Assessments for the National Water Quality Initiative funding opportunity is a competitive USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) cooperative agreement focused on building watershed assessment plans in South Carolina that will support implementation of the National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The core purpose is to fund one partner organization with demonstrated expertise in watershed assessment planning to produce a set of standardized assessment plans using the specific template included in the announcement. These assessments are intended to help NRCS and local partners identify priority resource concerns, target conservation practices, and guide future EQIP investments in areas where water quality benefits can be demonstrated.

NRCS made up to $250,000 available under a single anticipated award with an 18-month period of performance. The selected entity would be responsible for completing five separate watershed assessments across the state. The assessments will ultimately be built at the HUC12 scale (the specific HUC12s are to be identified at the time of selection), and they must fall within five named HUC10 watersheds in South Carolina: Upper Four Hole Swamp (0305020501) in Orangeburg/Calhoun Counties; Lower Four Hole Swamp (0305020503) in Orangeburg/Dorchester Counties; Three and Twenty Creek (0306010107) in Anderson/Pickens Counties; Three Creeks-Great Pee Dee (0304020108) in Marlboro/Darlington Counties; and Upper South Fork Edisto River (0305020401) in Aiken/Edgefield Counties. In practical terms, the deliverable is a consistent set of assessment documents that NRCS can use to prioritize and justify water quality work in these targeted watershed geographies.

Eligibility is broadly described as unrestricted for non-federal entities, meaning a wide range of applicants (such as nonprofits, universities, local governments, conservation districts, and other qualified organizations) can compete, as long as they meet any additional eligibility clarifications in the full notice and can carry out the required work. Applications are screened first for completeness and compliance with the announcement requirements; submissions that are missing required elements or do not follow the instructions can be removed from consideration before full review, and applicants will be notified if their proposal is eliminated for those reasons.

The opportunity is listed as discretionary funding and uses a cooperative agreement instrument, which typically signals that NRCS expects substantial involvement during the project (for example, coordination on selection of HUC12 areas, review of draft assessments, alignment with NWQI/EQIP priorities, and agreement on final deliverables). The program aligns with Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources objectives and is associated with CFDA 10.902. Key timing details included an application deadline of August 2, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, an expected notification timeline of roughly 45 days after the deadline, and an anticipated award date around September 15, 2020, with applicants encouraged to plan on that start date when building their project schedules.

Applications had to be submitted through Grants.gov by the deadline. The announcement emphasizes that technical help for Grants.gov issues must go through Grants.gov Applicant Support (phone and email provided in the notice), and that NRCS staff are not able to troubleshoot applicant account or system problems. In short, this grant was designed to fund one capable partner to deliver five template-based watershed assessment plans at the HUC12 level within priority South Carolina watersheds, creating the planning foundation needed to target NWQI water quality outcomes through EQIP over the following implementation cycles.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Watershed Assessments for the National Water Quality Initiative" 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 Jul 02, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 02, 2020 Applications must be received by 1159 pm Eastern Time.. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for USDA NRCS SC EQIP 20 NOFO0001031

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