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Conservation Agriculture Planning Grants Program 2021

Grantor:
CA Department of Food and Agriculture
Portal ID:
12500
Status:
Closed
Opportunity Type:
  • Grant
Last Updated:
Categories:

Details

Purpose:

The Conservation Agriculture Planning Grant Program (CAPGP) will fund the development of conservation agriculture plans that will help farmers and ranchers identify actions for climate change mitigation and adaptation, further environmental stewardship on farms and ranches and ensure agricultural food security into the future.

Description:

The Budget Act of 2021 appropriated $17 Million to CDFA for Technical Assistance and Conservation Management Plans. With this funding, CAPGP will provide up to $15 million in funding to eligible applicants for the development of plans.

Eligible entities include Tribes, technical service providers (TSPs) registered with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), professional certified crop advisors, pest control advisors, rangeland managers, non-profit organizations, Resource Conservation Districts, California Public Universities, agricultural cooperatives, groundwater sustainability agencies, and farmers and ranchers in collaboration with a qualified planner. All eligible applicants will be required to demonstrate qualifications.

Applicants may apply for up to $250,000 to prepare conservation agriculture plans in the following categories:

Agricultural Energy DesignCarbon Farm PlanningComprehensive Nutrient ManagementFish and Wildlife HabitatGrazing ManagementIrrigation Water ManagementNutrient ManagementOrganic TransitionPollinator HabitatPest ManagementSoil Health Management

$6 million will be reserved for plans that support organic transition (Conservation Plan Supporting Organic Transition (CPA 138), Organic System Plan or Transition to Organic (DIA 140)).

Matching funds are not required and grant payments will distributed on a reimbursement basis. Reimbursement will be based upon a flat payment rate established for each type of plan.

CDFA encourages applications from organizations who serve small to medium sized and socially disadvantaged California food producers and farmworkers, including but not limited to BIMPOC (Black, Indigenous, Multiracial, and People of Color), LGBTQ+, women and veterans.

CDFA aims to expend 25% of the planning assistance funds to benefit Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (SDFRs)[1]. For this reason, CDFA will prioritize CAPGP applications that meet minimum qualifications of SDFR farmers or non-farmer applicants that commit to expending 25% of the funding to provide planning assistance to SDFR farmers. [1] “Socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher” means a farmer or rancher who is a member of a socially disadvantaged group. “Socially disadvantaged group” means a group whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic, or gender prejudice because of their identity as members of a group without regard to their individual qualities. These groups include all of the following: (1) African Americans (2) Native American Indians (3) Alaskan Natives (4) Hispanics (5) Asian Americans (6) Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

  • Business
  • Individual
  • Nonprofit
  • Public Agency
  • Tribal Government

Limited to: Technical Service Providers registered by the USDA NRCS, Farmers and ranchers in collaboration with qualified experts, Certified Crop Advisor, Pest Control Advisor, Certified Rangeland Manager, Native American Indian Tribes, Non-profits, Resource Conservation Districts, Experiment Stations, University of California, California State University and community colleges, Agricultural cooperatives, Groundwater Sustainability Agencies

 

Eligible Geographies:

The agricultural operations receiving planning assistance must be located in California.

Matching Funding Requirement:

NA

Important Dates

The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight.
The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.
January 2023
The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized.
24 months

Funding Details

The total projected dollar amount of the grant.
See Notes Below
A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
$2,400 – $250,000
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent.
No
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.
No

Available Funding Notes:

Up to $15,000,000 is available.

The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.
  • State

Funding Source Notes:

The Budget Act of 2021 appropriated $17 Million from General Funds for Technical Assistance and Conservation Management Plans.

The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly).
  • Advances & Reimbursement(s)

How to Apply

State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

Resources

For questions about this grant, contact:
1-916-654-0466, cdfa.oefi_capgp@cdfa.ca.gov

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