From New York state:
State officials announced Wednesday he availability of $20.5 million to aid farmland protection
efforts and help prevent viable agricultural land from being converted
to non-agricultural use.
Eligible entities, including municipalities,
counties, soil and water conservation districts (SWCD) and
nonprofit conservation organizations/land trusts, can apply for
individual grants under the Round 13 Farmland Protection Implementation
Grants Request for Proposals (RFP).
Funding
is available through the state Environmental Protection Fund
and administered by the state Department of Agriculture and
Markets. When offered in the past, the grant has been highly
competitive, with requests for state assistance often exceeding
available funds by a factor of three.
The
Department of Agriculture and Markets anticipates that an even greater
number of proposals will be submitted this year because the grant has
not been offered by New York state for several years.
Additionally,
revisions to state law have increased the state contribution to a
maximum of 87.5 percent (up from 75 percent) and also expanded the
number of entities now eligible to apply directly for these funds –
adding land trusts and Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
In
response to feedback from numerous stakeholders, such as local
governments, the number of documents required to complete a project has
been reduced and the overall process has been streamlined. In addition,
the Department of Agriculture and Markets has instituted a number of
contractual milestones to ensure that most projects will be on target
for completion under a more practical timeframe.
Application
materials and important webinar information for the Round 13 Farmland
Protection Implementation Grants RFP are available for download on the
Department of Agriculture and Markets website at www.agriculture.ny.gov/RFPS.html. Application materials are also available by calling the Department directly at (800) 554-4501.
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