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.Apply for USDA NRCS SC EQIP 20 NOFO0001031
- 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Watershed Assessments for the National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) funding opportunity?
This is a competitive USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) cooperative agreement opportunity to fund the development of watershed assessment plans in South Carolina. The assessments are meant to support implementation of the National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) by helping identify priority resource concerns, target conservation practices, and guide future EQIP investments where water quality benefits can be demonstrated.
What is the main purpose of this award?
The purpose is to fund one partner organization with demonstrated expertise in watershed assessment planning to produce a standardized set of watershed assessment plans using the specific template included in the announcement. These documents are intended to be consistent and usable by NRCS and local partners for prioritizing and justifying future water quality work in the targeted watersheds.
How much funding is available and how many awards are expected?
NRCS made up to $250,000 available under a single anticipated award. This opportunity anticipates one awardee.
What is the period of performance?
The period of performance is 18 months.
What type of funding instrument is being used?
The opportunity uses a cooperative agreement instrument (discretionary funding). This typically indicates NRCS expects substantial involvement during the project, such as coordination on selecting HUC12 areas, reviewing draft assessments, aligning work with NWQI/EQIP priorities, and agreeing on final deliverables.
How many watershed assessments must the selected organization complete?
The selected entity is responsible for completing five separate watershed assessments across South Carolina.
At what watershed scale must the assessments be developed?
The assessments will ultimately be built at the HUC12 scale. The specific HUC12s are to be identified at the time of selection.
Do the HUC12 assessment areas have to be located within certain watersheds?
Yes. The HUC12s selected for assessment must fall within five named HUC10 watersheds in South Carolina identified in the announcement.
Which HUC10 watersheds are included in this opportunity?
The five named HUC10 watersheds in South Carolina are:
- 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
- Upper South Fork Edisto River (0305020401) in Aiken/Edgefield Counties
What is the primary deliverable under this cooperative agreement?
The primary deliverable is a consistent set of standardized watershed assessment documents (five total) created using the specific template included in the announcement. These assessments are intended to help NRCS and partners prioritize resource concerns, target conservation practices, and support future EQIP investment decisions tied to NWQI water quality outcomes.
Why is NRCS funding watershed assessments instead of implementation projects?
Based on the announcement summary provided, the focus of this funding is to build the planning foundation (standardized assessment plans) that NRCS can use to target and justify future water quality implementation work through EQIP in areas where benefits can be demonstrated.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described as unrestricted for non-federal entities. This can include a wide range of applicants such as nonprofits, universities, local governments, conservation districts, and other qualified organizations, as long as they meet any additional eligibility clarifications in the full notice and can carry out the required work.
How many organizations will be funded?
The opportunity is designed to fund one partner organization under a single anticipated award.
How are applications reviewed and what could cause an application to be eliminated early?
Applications are first screened 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. Applicants will be notified if their proposal is eliminated for these reasons.
When was the application deadline?
The application deadline listed was August 2, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
When were applicants expected to be notified of results?
The expected notification timeline was roughly 45 days after the application deadline.
What was the anticipated award date and suggested project start date?
The anticipated award date was around September 15, 2020, and applicants were encouraged to plan schedules assuming that start date.
Where were applications required to be submitted?
Applications had to be submitted through Grants.gov by the stated deadline.
What should applicants do if they have technical problems with Grants.gov?
The announcement emphasizes that technical help for Grants.gov issues must go through Grants.gov Applicant Support (using the phone and email provided in the notice). NRCS staff are not able to troubleshoot applicant account or system problems.
What program areas does this opportunity align with?
The opportunity aligns with Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources objectives.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with CFDA 10.902.
How does this work connect to EQIP and NWQI?
The watershed assessments are intended to support NWQI implementation through EQIP by helping NRCS and local partners identify priority resource concerns, target conservation practices, and guide future EQIP investments in targeted areas where water quality benefits can be demonstrated.
Will NRCS be involved during the project?
Yes. Because this is a cooperative agreement, NRCS is expected to have substantial involvement, which may include coordinating on selection of HUC12 areas, reviewing draft watershed assessments, ensuring alignment with NWQI/EQIP priorities, and agreeing on final deliverables.
Is this opportunity limited to South Carolina?
Yes. The assessments are to be completed in South Carolina and must fall within the five named HUC10 watersheds specified in the announcement.
What is meant by a "standardized" watershed assessment plan in this opportunity?
It means the awardee is expected to use the specific template included in the announcement so that all five assessment documents follow a consistent format that NRCS can readily use for prioritization and planning across the targeted watershed geographies.
What is the expected end use of the completed assessments?
The assessments are intended to serve as planning tools for NRCS and local partners to identify priority concerns, target conservation practices, and support future EQIP investments tied to NWQI water quality outcomes over subsequent implementation cycles.
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