Soil Survey

To produce and maintain up to date soil survey information (maps, data sets, soil interpretations, and reports) of the United States for widespread use by interested agencies, organizations, and individuals and to assist in the use of this informati

Eligible applicants are typically limited to institutions of higher education within the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit network. Proposed projects are expected to have durations of 2-4 years, with funding amounts ranging from $50,000 to $700,000 per award.

All individuals and groups that have a need for soil survey information are eligible to receive assistance.

Scientists and policy makers use soil survey information in studying global climate change and evaluating the sustainability and environmental impacts of land use and management practices. Soil Surveys provide input data that computer simulation models use to predict the dynamics of carbon, nutrients, and water in soils. Soil surveys are used by planners, engineers, zoning commissions, tax commissions, homeowners, farmers, ranchers, developers, landowners, and operators to evaluate soil suitability for home sites, subdivisions, commercial and industrial sites, farms, wildlife and recreational areas, prime agricultural land, hydric soils, highly erodible lands, highways, and airports and to select and implement appropriate use and management of those soils.

Applications will be screened for completeness and compliance with the provisions of the notice. Incomplete, noncompliant, and/or applications not meeting the formatting criteria may be eliminated from competition. In that event, the agency will send notification of elimination to the applicant Additional specific award procedures may be outlined in individual Notices of Funding Opportunities published on Grants,gov. However, procedures will generally follow the steps set out here. Once funding decisions are made, the agency may contact individual applicants to clarify certain components of their applications. Merit/technical reviews of all applications will be conducted by a technical review board nominated by the approving official. Risk reviews will be conducted and the approving official will make the final award decisions.

Applications will be evaluated against the following criteria: Relevance and Importance, Collaboration, Scientific merit, Feasibility, Innovation, and Partnerships and Management. More detail and subcriteria are identified in the APF.

The agency will provide notice that an application has been selected before it actually makes the Federal award. As such, the selection notification is not an authorization to begin performance. Reimbursement of pre-award costs require written agency prior approval. . The Notice of Grant and Agreement Award (ADS-093) signed by the authorized agency official is the only authorizing document and will be provided electronically to the entity's authorized official for signature. Both successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified of the award decision via letter.

Deadlines for proposals for partnership agreements identified in applicable notices of availability of funding.

Proposals must be received by the deadline indicated on the Funding Opportunity Announcement posted on www.grants.gov. Proposals received after the posted deadline will not be considered for funding.

Agreements will normally be 1 to 3 years, but can be up to five years. NRCS may provide a single one year no-cost extension at the request of a partner.