Closed · USDA-NRCS-NHQ-ACES-24-NOFO0001365 · CFDA 10.904;10.912;10.916;10.921;10.923;10.924;10.931;10.932 · Discretionary
Agriculture Conservation Experienced Services (ACES) Program
Federal grant opportunity posted by Natural Resources Conservation Service, cataloged on Grants.gov.
- Varies
- Award range
- Closed
- Status
- February 13, 2025
- Close date
- 5
- Expected awards
The verdict
Agriculture Conservation Experienced Services (ACES) Program is a closed discretionary listing from Natural Resources Conservation Service that offered Varies by applicant across 5 expected awards. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number.
- Varies
- award range
- Closed
- application status
- 5
- expected awards
- 10.904;10.912;10.916;10.921;10.923;10.924;10.931;10.932
- CFDA program
Opportunity snapshot. This Grants.gov announcement - Agriculture Conservation Experienced Services (ACES) Program - is cataloged under number USDA-NRCS-NHQ-ACES-24-NOFO0001365 and tied to CFDA assistance listing 10.904;10.912;10.916;10.921;10.923;10.924;10.931;10.932, posted by Natural Resources Conservation Service. Grants.gov currently shows the opportunity as closed, first posted on September 30, 2024 and last updated on December 19, 2024. The funding category is Discretionary, delivered as a cooperative agreement.
Award economics. The award range on file is Varies by applicant. The agency has projected $20.0 million in total estimated funding for this announcement. It expects to issue 5 awards. If the agency funds the expected 5 awards from the $20.0 million estimated pool, the average award works out to roughly $4.0 million. Cost sharing is not required, so applicants do not need to commit matching funds to be competitive on this opportunity. Federal award ranges are often upper bounds; actual allocations reflect program appropriations, the strength of the applicant pool, and the evaluation committee's scoring.
Deadline and action path. This opportunity closed on February 13, 2025. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number, so monitoring the parent program page is the most reliable way to catch re-announcements. Every Grants.gov submission requires an active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity ID. Review the Eligibility section below carefully, federal eligibility categories (nonprofit, state or local government, tribal, individual, educational institution, small business) have distinct registration and reporting requirements. Pre-application outreach to the listed agency contact is permitted and often welcomed, it helps clarify scope and scoring priorities. Before acting on the deadline or award figures above, verify them directly on the official Grants.gov listing, amendments can change dates and amounts after this page was last refreshed.
Award Range
Varies by applicant
Close Date
February 13, 2025
Posted
September 30, 2024
Est. Total Funding
$20,000,000
Expected Awards
5
Instrument
Cooperative Agreement
Description
This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) is being released prior to appropriation and/or apportionment of funds for fiscal year 2025. Enactment of additional continuing resolutions or an appropriations act may affect the availability or level of funding for this program. Resulting awards will be governed by revisions to Title 2 of the CFR (2024 Revisions), including 2 CFR part 200, published on April 22, 2024, which become effective October 01, 2024. Link for more information: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/10/05/2023-21078/guidance-for-grants-and-agreementsThe Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is directing resources towards the delivery of providing technical services in support of the conservation-related programs and authorities carried out by the Secretary. Such technical services may include conservation planning assistance, technical consultation, and assistance with design and implementation of conservation practices. These technical services are provided through the Agriculture Conservation Experienced Services (ACES) Program, established for the purpose of utilizing the talents of individuals who are age 55 or older, but who are not employees of the Department of Agriculture or a State agriculture department, to provide technical services in support of the conservation related programs and authorities carried out by the Secretary. NRCS is announcing the opportunity for nonprofit private agencies and organizations eligible to receive grants under the Community Service Senior Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 3056 et seq.) to secure participants for the ACES Program who will provide technical services under the program. There is no funding available under this announcement, but approved applicants will be awarded national agreements making them eligible to enter into individual agreements that provide funding for services. The area covered by the services include all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Caribbean Area (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), and the Pacific Islands Area (Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). NRCS has existing agreements in place that expire August 30, 2025. New awards will be made August 31, 2025, for a five-year period. There is no minimum or maximum award amount guaranteed. It is estimated NRCS will make up to five awards to provide these services. Under the terms of the agreement NRCS provides funds, office space, position description, work assignments and oversight for the ACES positions; the awardee handles advertising, recruiting, hiring and payroll for each position. Available positions span a variety of skill sets and educational levels. In addition to wages, NRCS funds cover fringe benefits, federal payroll tax, unemployment compensation, and pay increases. ACES enrollees are neither federal employees nor state agriculture department employees, and their wages do not impact retirement annuities.Key DatesApplicants must submit their applications via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on February 13, 2025. 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 April 1, 2025, and expects to execute awards by May 15, 2025. These dates are estimates and are subject to change.
Eligibility
Grants.gov lists this opportunity under eligibility category code 12. These codes correspond to applicant types (state/local government, tribal organization, nonprofit, educational institution, individual, small business, etc.) defined in Grants.gov's own eligibility reference. See the current Grants.gov eligibility categories or check the official listing below for this opportunity's exact eligibility statement.
Official Listing on Grants.gov
View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.
Agency Contact
Jacqueline G Pashnik
Key Dates
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| Sources | the SAM.gov Assistance Listings and Grants.gov |