NO GRANTS-IN-AID ARE AVAILABLE FOR 2008, PENDING BUDGET AVAILABILITY.

Program Purpose

The goal of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is to develop and disseminate scientifically-based technical materials that will assist its partners in promoting conservation stewardship of fish and wildlife and deliver sound habitat management principles and practices to America’s land users.  The goal of SGRP is to develop technology and information to assist partners in integrating wildlife values under the Conservation Provisions of the 2002 Farm Bill.  SGRP will assist future planning efforts by supporting research and demonstration projects that evaluate the efficacy of 2002 Farm Bill conservation practices in restoration of sagebrush-steppe habitats for sage-grouse and other wildlife species.  To accomplish these goals we believe there is need to financially support research projects that specifically evaluate the efficacy of conservation practices and resource management systems deployed in a manner that achieves the state wildlife agency wildlife and habitat goals.

Research Grants Program

All SGRP grants are awarded on the federal fiscal year.  All grants are awarded in 1-year increments. Multi-year (up to 3 years) grants will be considered for funding but will be awarded in annual increments, pending available funds.  All grant awards are conditional on availability of funds. All grants are cost-reimbursable (i.e., organizations receiving grants will be reimbursed for allowable costs) once funds are expended and Utah State University is invoiced.  Invoices may be submitted monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually for up to 75% of the award amount. The final 25% of the grant will not be reimbursed until all deliverables (e.g., reports, products, etc.) are submitted.

• Project Duration – Projects of 1-3 years in duration will be considered for funding.
• Leveraging – Projects considered for funding must demonstrate at least a 1:1 leveraging through cost-share, matching monies, other grants, or in-kind contributions.
• Funding cap – A maximum of $50,000/year for 3 years will considered for funding.
• Indirect Costs (F & A) not allowed.

Final products must include:

• Final Report;
• Photos of practices, resource management systems, research activities, etc;
• A photo-ready 2- to 4-page wildlife technical note describing project outcomes for use by NRCS and partners;
• A PowerPoint presentation describing project objectives, implementation, and outcomes for use in NRCS or state wildlife agency training;
• Copies of publications, theses, dissertations, manuals, handbooks, technical notes or popular articles that arise from project; and
• During the duration of the project grant recipients must host at least one field tour, on-farm demonstration day, or on-site training course for landowners, natural resource management professionals, and/or NRCS and state wildlife agency field personnel.  Field tours must be documented with date, photos of participants, and summary of number of participants, affiliations, and agenda.

Letters of Endorsement

• A letter of endorsement from an NRCS representative associated with the study site(s) should be provided.  It is important to know that the evaluation of current working lands technology and proposed technology development is important to the NRCS staff in the field.
• A letter of endorsement from the state wildlife agency representative associated with the study site(s) should be provided.  It is important to know that the evaluation of current working lands technology and proposed technology development is important to their staff in the field.
• A letter of endorsement should include a cover letter referencing proposal title and Principal Investigator.
• Letters of endorsement may be e-mailed to terrym@ext.usu.edu by January 31 or postmarked by January 31 and mailed to:

Proposals may be submitted electronically via this website.  However, no grants-in-aid are available for 2008, pending budget availability.

Inquiries may be made to:
Terry Messmer
435-797-3975
terrym@ext.usu.edu