Conservation Innovation Grants (under Environmental Quality Incentives Program)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Services administers Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG). This voluntary program is intended to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies while leveraging federal investment in environmental enhancement and protection, in conjunction with agricultural production. CIG was authorized as part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). CIG is not a research program but rather a tool to stimulate the adoption of conservation approaches or technologies that have been studied sufficiently to indicate a high likelihood of success, and are likely candidates for eventual technology transfer. CIG will fund projects targeting innovative on-the-ground conservation, including pilot projects and field demonstrations. Technologies and approaches that are commonly used in the project's geographic area, and which are eligible for funding through EQIP, are not eligible for funding through CIG.

CIG funds pilot projects and conservation field trials that can last from one to three years. Grants for approved projects cannot exceed 50 percent of the total project cost. The federal contribution for a single project cannot exceed $1 million.