The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) is accepting Invasive Species Mitigation Weed Control Grant Applications for the 2021-22 seasons. The goal of this program is to allocate funds to projects which have management strategies with a high degree of potential success in the State of Utah.

Eligible Organizations:  Universities; Cooperative Weed Management Areas (CWMA’s); County Weed Boards; Federal or State Agencies; Federal, State, Tribal or Private Landowners; Conservation Districts, nonprofits, and/or other Political Subdivisions.

Limit of Requests:  For FY2022, projects will be funded for the current year only, with the possibility of renewing funding for a multi-year project, based on available funds. Funding for projects will begin July 1, 2021, and terminate June 30, 2022.

For FY2022, UDAF is looking for projects that target high priority species and will reduce the number outlier populations.  The award ceiling for this opportunity is set at $125,000.00.  It is highly recommended that multi-year proposals include a 3-5 year management plan, an extensive monitoring component, solid participating partners, and a strong restoration component.

Application Due Date: Friday, February 26th, 2021 5:00pm

Eligible Activities:

• Early detection & rapid response
• Treating critical acres that protect larger land use areas
• Monitoring and preventing the spread of small populations and new introductions
• Monitoring and rehabilitating established infestations
• Research related to invasive species

Ranking / Incomplete Applications:  Only complete applications will be moved to the ranking committee for project ranking.  As part of UDAF’s dedication to excellence, each grant application will be reviewed for completeness.  Any applications which are incomplete will not be considered for ranking and funding.  All applications will require a Utah Spatial Invasive Infestation Project Analysis (SIIPA) included.  If you are not familiar with the Utah SIIPA, you will need to download the SIIPA modeling ISM Training guide. If you need additional assistance using SIIPA please contact Aaron Eagar.

Specific Ranking Criteria:

• Early Detection Rapid Response / Project Management
• Rehabilitation / Treatment
• Wildfire Threat / Risk
• Economic Benefit
• Wildlife Impact

Required Grant Proposal Links: 

• Application will include a Utah SIIPA Geodatabase file of your project area. (Generated by SIIPA tool)
• Application will include a Utah SIIPA Project Report. (Generated by SIIPA tool)
• Applications including any ground disturbance will be required to submit a supplemental .pdf and shape file of the area to be disturbed for archeological clearance.  No ground disturbance will proceed without written approval from UDAF as defined in U.C.A. 9-8-404(1)(a).
• If a County is listed as the fiscal agent, the County must have an active Weed Board and be up to date on the required year-end reports to UDAF.
• If a Federal Agency is listed as the fiscal agent then they are required to match grant dollars at least 1:1 (match must be monetary and not in-kind)

Prohibited Activities:  The Noxious Weed Grants are intended to control or manage noxious weeds with “on-the-ground work.”  Invasive Species Mitigation (ISM) Grants will not be awarded for mapping without active on-the-ground treatment. A minimal amount of Noxious Weed Grant funding (less than $5,000) can be used for the purchase of incidental equipment needed to complete a project.  The purchase of large pieces of equipment, such as four-wheelers and large spray tanks are not allowed unless prior permission has been given.  Funds listed in the (Other) category within the budget and scope of work will require an explanation of the listed expense .

Funding Allocation Information:

• $2,300,000 of available funds reserved for Invasive Species projects
• $200,000 UDAF grant oversight costs
• All projects will be ranked competitively in each category and dollar amounts requested in the application will reflect the maximum amount of funding allowed

Administrative Overhead Costs

The Grantee may include up to a maximum of 10% of the project costs to provide for the planning and administration of the grant.

In this administrative cost, the following items should be listed and included:

• Project Reports (required)
• Mapping and Complete GIS Information for the project (required)
• Project Monitoring Costs (required)