Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials for fiscal year (FY) 2026
NRCS funds 3- to 5-year on-farm conservation innovation trials that recruit producers, provide technical assistance and incentive payments, and evaluate innovative conservation practices on private agricultural lands.
⚑ Applicant must be a single entity; partnerships may only appear as subrecipients · Foreign organizations and foreign public entities are ineligible · Individuals are ineligible · For-profit applicants must have agriculture as primary business; nonprofits must have experience working with agricultural producers
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| IPPRA | 40 partial | portfolio topics: environment, water_resources, climate_weather; signature methods: community engaged; social/behavioral work is minor; funds service delivery, not research (capped); capped at 40 (non-research funding) |
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 40 partial | technical depth: substantial; funds service delivery (capped) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 25 weak | prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
Description
NRCS is announcing the availability of CIG On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials (On-Farm Trials). Through On Farm Trials projects, awardees recruit producers and provide them with technical assistance and incentive payments to stimulate the adoption and evaluation of innovative conservation approaches. For 2026, applications will be accepted from eligible entities for projects addressing at least one of the following priorities: irrigation management technologies, new and innovative grazing land management solutions, nutrient management, and soil health demonstration trial (SHD). Up to $50 million is available for On-Farm Trials in 2026. On-Farm Trials projects may be between 3 and 5 years in duration.
Application deadline: Submit through Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on July 27, 2026.
A webinar for On-Farm Trials applicants is scheduled for June 17, 2026, at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Information on how to participate in the Microsoft Teams webinar can be obtained through the following link:
https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/d5892e45-05fb-40de-999b-a431e3871963@ed5b36e7-01ee-4ebc-867e-e03cfa0d4697
The agency anticipates making selections by 4th quarter of calendar year 2026 and expects to execute awards by 4th quarter of calendar year 2026. These dates are estimates and are subject to change.
Eligibility
For-profit entities are eligible for On-Farm Trials if their primary business is related to agriculture. Nonprofit entities are eligible for On-Farm Trials if they have experience working with agricultural producers. On-Farm Trials is authorized under 16 U.S.C. 3839aa-8 and is authorized as part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The following applicants are considered ineligible: • Foreign organizations and foreign public entities • “Partnerships” or other similar groupings (i.e., application must be submitted by a single entity; a partner may serve as a subrecipient). • Individuals Eligible entities must have access to a network of producers that they can recruit as participants to facilitate implementing On-Farm Trials of conservation practices and systems on private lands and meet the participation goals outlined in the proposal. NRCS will not assist with producer recruitment for On-Farm Trials projects.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: Jeffrey Jacobs Grants Management Specialist <jeffrey.jacobs@usda.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · USDA NIFA conventions SEE A USDA EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — USDA NIFA's document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.