Regional Conservation Partnership Program Open
United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced the availability of $310 million in funding through the 2026 Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) under two Notices of Funding Opportunity: Classic and Alternative Funding Arrangement (AFA). These funding opportunities promote the coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value-added contributions that address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. RCPP projects include both financial and technical assistance to support producers, landowners, and communities in implementing conservation activities. Applicants can apply for $250,000 to $10 million in funding. Applications are due August 24, 2026.
What is the purpose of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program?
The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is a groundbreaking initiative administered by the United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Its primary purpose is to encourage collaboration among public and private entities to address natural resource concerns. By leveraging shared resources, knowledge, and expertise, RCPP empowers communities to implement innovative, sustainable, and scalable conservation solutions.
What is the funding and duration of RCPP?
The funding available under RCPP is substantial, ranging from $250,000 to $10 million, providing financial resources through both the classic RCPP and alternative funding arrangements (AFA), a more flexible type of RCPP grant, as detailed in the Notices of Funding Opportunity. RCPP projects typically last 5 years. Applicants may request an agreement length that is longer or shorter than 5 years and must justify the timeframe.
What entities are eligible to apply?
RCPP encourages the participation of a wide range of entities, including:
- An agricultural or silvicultural producer association or other group of producers;
- A state or unit of local government;
- An Indian tribe;
- A farmer cooperative;
- A water district, irrigation district, acequia, rural water district or association, or other organization with specific water delivery authority to agricultural producers on agricultural land;
- A municipal water or wastewater treatment entity;
- An institution of higher education;
- An organization, or entity with an established history of working cooperatively with producers on agricultural land (as determined by NRCS) to address 1) Local conservation priorities related to agricultural production, wildlife habitat development, or nonindustrial private forest land management; or 2) Critical watershed-scale soil erosion, water quality, sediment reduction, or other natural resource issues;
- An entity, such as an Indian tribe, state government, local government, or a non- governmental organization, that has a farmland or grassland protection program that purchases agricultural land easements as defined in 7 CFR Part 1468.3;
- A conservation district.
Eligible entities are encouraged to form partnerships with other stakeholders to develop comprehensive and impactful conservation projects.
What projects are eligible for funding?
RCPP projects include both Financial Assistance (FA) and Technical Assistance (TA). FA funds are used to pay for implementation of conservation assistance to producers, landowners, and communities. TA is used to support conservation activities or the project at large. At least 75 percent of the project funding must be allocated to FA, and up to 25 percent may be allocated to TA.
For RCPP Classic projects, FA is typically administered by NRCS through contracts and agreements with producers and landowners.
For RCPP AFA projects, NRCS intends to reimburse projects led by partners that clearly demonstrate their capacity, resources, and ability to provide technical and financial assistance to benefit conservation implementation. The expectation is that AFA Partners will be ready to implement the project quickly. The 2018 Farm Bill provides the following examples of project types that might be implemented through RCPP AFA:
- projects that use innovative approaches to leverage the Federal investment in conservation.
- projects that deploy a pay-for-performance conservation approach.
- projects that seek large-scale infrastructure investments that generate conservation benefits for agricultural producers and nonindustrial private forest owners.
What is the timeline for RCPP?
Applicants must submit proposals through the RCPP portal by 4:59 EST on August 24, 2026. The RCPP timeline typically consists of several stages, including pre-proposal submission, partnership agreement development, and full proposal submission.
The full Notice of Funding Opportunities can be found here:
For more information on this program or how to apply with Morrison’s assistance, please contact the Morrison Grants Team by email at grants@morrisonco.net or call us at 530-893-4764.