USDA Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) FY 2026: $65 Million for Classic and On-Farm Trials

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has opened two complementary funding opportunities under its Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program for fiscal year 2026, making a combined $65 million available to test, refine, and scale innovative approaches to conservation on the nation’s working lands. The two components — CIG Classic and the CIG On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials (On-Farm Trials) — share a single application deadline of July 27, 2026, but serve different purposes and carry different requirements.

Conservation Innovation Grants are notable among federal programs for their unusually broad eligibility: state, local, and tribal governments, special district governments such as soil-and-water conservation districts, universities, nonprofits, and even individual agricultural producers and private businesses may all apply. If your organization works at the intersection of agriculture and natural resources — water, soil, grazing, habitat, or nutrient management — one of these two tracks is likely a fit.

What Are Conservation Innovation Grants?

The Conservation Innovation Grants program is a competitive program administered by NRCS that drives the development and adoption of innovative conservation tools, technologies, and approaches tied to agricultural production. Rather than paying producers to install standard, already-proven conservation practices, CIG funds the leading edge: new techniques, emerging technologies, and market-based systems that have promise but need testing, demonstration, and a path to wider use. The long-term goal is to move successful innovations into mainstream NRCS programs and onto more acres across the country.

NRCS splits this mission across two tracks. CIG Classic stimulates the development of innovative conservation approaches and the products that help spread them — technical manuals, guides, decision tools, market-based systems, and technology transfer to producers. On-Farm Trials takes a more hands-on, field-based approach: awardees recruit working producers, deliver technical assistance, and provide incentive payments so farmers and ranchers will adopt and rigorously evaluate innovative conservation systems on real operations. You can review the full program scope on the official NRCS Conservation Innovation Grants page.

CIG Classic vs. On-Farm Trials: The Key Difference

The simplest way to distinguish the two: Classic builds the innovation; On-Farm Trials proves it in the field. Classic projects tend to produce knowledge products and pilot demonstrations, and they require the applicant to bring a non-federal match at least equal to the federal funds requested (a 1:1 cost share). On-Farm Trials projects, by contrast, are multi-year, producer-facing efforts that carry no match requirement and include direct incentive payments to participating farmers and ranchers, alongside a stronger emphasis on data collection and evaluation.

What CIG Funds

Both tracks fund projects tied to agricultural production and natural-resource outcomes, but each has its own priority areas for FY 2026.

On-Farm Trials FY 2026 Priorities

On-Farm Trials applications must address at least one of the following four priorities:

• Irrigation management technologies — tools and systems that improve water-use efficiency on irrigated operations.
• New and innovative grazing land management — emerging approaches to managing rangeland and pasture.
• Nutrient management — innovative strategies to optimize nutrient application and reduce loss.
• Soil Health Demonstration trial (SHD) — field demonstrations that build and measure soil health outcomes.

CIG Classic Focus Areas

Classic deliverables typically include technical manuals and guides, decision-support tools, market-based conservation systems, and technology transfer that gets innovations into the hands of producers. NRCS has highlighted priorities including water management, pest pressure, soil, and habitat improvement — all with a focus on farmer-relevant conservation outcomes.

Who Can Apply

One of CIG’s defining features is how broad its eligibility is. NRCS accepts applications from all non-federal entities and individuals based in the United States, which in practice covers a wide range of organizations:

• State, local, and federally recognized tribal governments
• Special district governments, including soil-and-water and conservation districts
• Public and private institutions of higher education
• Nonprofit organizations
• Agricultural producers and private businesses

This breadth makes CIG a strong fit for municipalities, conservation districts, tribes, universities, and nonprofits that may be locked out of narrower federal programs. Note that the On-Farm Trials notice lists generic “partnerships” as ineligible to apply directly — a lead eligible entity must be the applicant, even when the project is delivered through partners. Confirm the exact eligibility language for each track in its notice of funding opportunity before you build your team.

Funding and Match at a Glance

• CIG Classic: ~$15 million total; about 22 awards expected; award floor $250,000 and ceiling $2,000,000. A non-federal match at least equal to the federal request (1:1) is required. Match can be a deciding factor in competitive review, so plan your cost share early.
• On-Farm Trials: up to $50 million total; about 30 awards expected; award floor $250,000 and ceiling $5,000,000. Projects run 3 to 5 years, and no match is required — though strong projects still demonstrate partner commitment and producer buy-in.

Key Timeline

1. May 29, 2026: Both notices of funding opportunity are open on Grants.gov.
2. June 17, 2026, 3 p.m. ET: Applicant webinar for CIG On-Farm Trials.
3. June 18, 2026, 3 p.m. ET: Applicant webinar for CIG Classic. Direct Classic questions to nrcscig@usda.gov.
4. July 27, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET: Applications due via Grants.gov for both programs.
5. Q4 2026: NRCS anticipates announcing selections and executing awards.

Tips for a Competitive Application

1. Lead with genuine innovation. CIG is explicitly not for installing standard, already-adopted practices. Reviewers want to see something new — a technology, technique, or market-based system that needs testing or demonstration. Make the “why this is innovative” argument unmistakable.
2. Match the track to your work. If your strength is producing knowledge products, decision tools, or pilots, Classic is your lane. If you can recruit producers and run multi-year field trials with incentive payments, On-Farm Trials fits better — and it carries no match burden.
3. Plan your match early (Classic). Classic requires a 1:1 non-federal match. Secure written commitments from partners, in-kind valuations, and other non-federal sources before you write the budget, not after.
4. Address a stated FY 2026 priority directly. For On-Farm Trials, name which of the four priorities (irrigation, grazing, nutrient management, or soil health demonstration) your project advances, and structure the work plan around it.
5. Build a credible evaluation plan. Both tracks — and On-Farm Trials especially — reward rigorous data collection and a clear method for measuring conservation outcomes. Spell out what you will measure, how, and how results will transfer to other producers.
6. Attend the webinar. The applicant webinars surface scoring priorities and common pitfalls. Send questions in advance so they get answered live.
7. Show a path to scale. Articulate how a successful project moves into broader adoption — through NRCS programs, producer networks, or published tools — rather than ending when the grant does.

How to Apply

Both CIG components are submitted through Grants.gov, and the federal registration steps take time — start them now if you have not already.

1. Register in SAM.gov. Every federal applicant needs an active SAM.gov registration. See our guide to SAM.gov registration to get started; renewals and new registrations can take weeks.
2. Obtain your UEI number. Your Unique Entity Identifier is assigned through SAM.gov and is required to apply. Learn more in our UEI number guide.
3. Register in Grants.gov. Set up your organization’s Grants.gov account and authorized representatives. Our Grants.gov registration guide walks through the workflow.
4. Find the right opportunity. Search Grants.gov for USDA-NRCS-NHQ-CIGCLASSIC-26-NOFO0001449 (Classic) or USDA-NRCS-NHQ-CIGOFT-26-NOFO0001447 (On-Farm Trials), and download the full notice of funding opportunity.
5. Build your application package. Develop your project narrative, work plan, budget (including the 1:1 match for Classic), and required forms. Direct program questions to jeffrey.jacobs@usda.gov, or nrcscig@usda.gov for Classic.
6. Submit early. Upload to Grants.gov well before the 11:59 p.m. ET July 27, 2026 deadline to allow time for validation and any error corrections.

Related Resources

• USDA Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG)
• USDA Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grant
• How to Register on Grants.gov

How Avila Can Help

Avila helps conservation districts, tribes, municipalities, universities, and nonprofits discover federal opportunities like the Conservation Innovation Grants program and draft competitive, NRCS-aligned proposals — from framing your innovation and matching the right CIG track to building the evaluation plan and budget reviewers expect. If you are weighing a CIG Classic or On-Farm Trials application ahead of the July 27, 2026 deadline, Book a demo to see how Avila can accelerate your submission.