The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing potential availability of cooperative agreements for the purpose of leveraging NRCS resources to assist our agency with conducting and implementing important energy efficient

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agricultural operation evaluations on multiple private landowner properties throughout Massachusetts.

NRCS recognizes the importance of incorporating on-site energy evaluations on agricultural operations including greenhouses and the beneficial outcomes it can have on the environment.

Energy Efficient Agricultural Operations (conservation standard 374) has been an underutilized practice in Massachusetts.

This agreement will be used to provide training on energy efficiency for NRCS staff and affiliates while also providing needed technical assistance for NRCS customers with energy focused site visits.

NRCS Massachusetts is making a funding opportunity available for applicants to submit proposals with an award ceiling of $400,000 and a minimum project award of $200,00 0. NRCS will be awarding a cooperative agreement for up to a five-year period.

If, in coordination with NRCS, additional resources are needed at a rate that exceeds this schedule, NRCS may add funds to this agreement to support continued partnership over the performance period.

The primary goal is to expand energy efficiency to NRCS customers throughout Massachusetts.

The project list ranges in size from 1-acre farms to several hundred-acre farms.

Applicants will identify the average number of energy efficiency site visits and written on-site energy improvement plans that they could complete in any year with a minimum of ten per year being acceptable for this agreement.

NRCS will work with the selected applicant to make the choice of priority energy site visits each year of the agreement based on interest and need.

Applicants will be required to hold 1-2 energy efficiency focused trainings per year for NRCS staff and partners to expand their knowledge on the subject.

Applicants should provide a list of training ideas to NRCS for the length of the contract.

Applicants will be awarded based on the specified scoring criteria in Section E of this announcement.

Eligible applicants include:
all domestic applicants.

Applicants should be familiar with all applicable state, federal, local laws, policies, and regulations that apply to agriculture energy improvements in the locales of Massachusetts.

For new users of Grants.gov, see Section D.

of the full Notice of Funding Opportunity for information about steps required before submitting an application via Grants.gov.

Key Dates Applicants must submit their applications via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on June 21, 202 4. For technical issues with Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.

Awarding agency staff cannot support applicants regarding Grants.gov accounts.

For inquiries specific to the content of the NFO requirements, contact the federal awarding agency contact (section G of this NFO).

Please limit questions to those regarding specific information contained in this NFO (such as dates, page numbers, clarification of discrepancies, etc.).

Questions related to eligibility, or the merits of a specific proposal will not be addressed.

The agency anticipates making selections by June 30, 2024, and expects to execute awards by August 15, 202 4. These dates are estimates and are subject to change.