The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is ready to accept applications for Underserved Farmer-to-Farmer subawards, funded by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Gulf of Mexico division.
Over the next five years, the DNR will distribute $3 million to eligible applicants across the state. Through the grant, the DNR looks to increase the ability of historically underserved farm communities to address nutrient pollution, frequent flooding, and drinking water challenges.
The subawards will be issued to eligible entities who will work with farmers and farm communities who fall under at least one of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s four underserved groups, which includes those who are beginning, socially disadvantaged, veterans and with limited resources.
Eligible subawardees to apply for grants include conservation districts, local or state government entities, nonprofits, tribal nations and institutions of higher learning. Those groups will then work with the DNR to develop projects with a focus on water quality, such as flood reduction, source water protection and nutrient reduction.
Projects may be awarded up to $250,000 with no match requirement. Applications will be accepted now through April 28, though multiple rounds are possible.
“It is a worthwhile mission to seek to aid the underserved in Iowa, understand what their needs are and meet water issues head on,” said Steve Konrady, the DNR’s Western Iowa Basin Coordinator.
The Iowa DNR is one of four awardees for the grant across the country. Other awardees include:
- National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Foundation (NASDA) for the Ohio-Tennessee Region (Gulf drainage portions of Indiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee).
- National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) for conservation districts in the non-Mississippi River Gulf Drainage Region (Gulf drainage portions of New Mexico, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas)
- Wallace Center at Winrock International for the Upper and Lower Mississippi River Region (Gulf drainage portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana)
For more information and to submit an application, visit www.iowadnr.gov/watershed.