Grants / Department of Agriculture / Natural Resources Conservation Service

Easement Restoration and Stewardship

Open Closes November 19, 2026 (19 days left) Opportunity USDA-NHQ-ACEP-26-NOFO0001456

• Award ceiling$5.0 million
• Award floor$250,000
• Expected awards4
• Total fundingnot stated
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeCooperative Agreement

Key dates

Add the deadline to your calendar

Who can apply

This opportunity is open to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses.

• State governments
• County governments
• City or township governments
• Special district governments
• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
• Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Private institutions of higher education
• For profit organizations other than small businesses
• Small businesses

More grants for nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses, businesses.

Is this a realistic fit?

• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

The opportunities associated with this NOFO are for lands protected through the Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) component of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) and the Floodplain Easement (FPE) component of the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWPP). The types of work available through this opportunity fall into three primary categories: 1) restoration of wetland and floodplain easements; 2) stewardship of wetland and floodplain easements, and 3) onsite and offsite assessment of easement conditions. Component 1) Wetland and Floodplain Easement Restoration. Awardees will work with NRCS personnel, partners and landowners to develop and implement sound easement restoration plans. These plans may include structural practices, such as levees and water control structures, and/or vegetative establishment practices, such as tree planting. Awardees are expected to complete the following easement restoration activities: (A) Coordination- Accept input on restoration planning from NRCS employees, NRCS partners and easement owners. (B) Investigation- Completion of technical surveys such as topographic, hydrological or habitat inventories. (C) Restoration Design- Combine data collected through coordination and technical surveys to develop functional, yet cost-effective restoration plans. (D) Implementation- Application of the easement restoration design using NRCS provided practice standards and specifications. NRCS wetland and floodplain easements have varying levels of restoration planning completed by NRCS employees or partners. Awardees will receive all relevant planning information for easements included in this agreement. Awardee must be prepared to complete some or all the listed restoration activities. Component 2) Wetland and Floodplain Easement Stewardship. Awardees are responsible for completing easement stewardship activities on restored wetland and floodplain easements. Easement stewardship includes repair, maintenance, management, and enhancement of properties. (A) Repair and Enhancement- Awardee will develop repair or enhancement plans. Repair plans will be prepared when installed conservation practices fail or are damaged. Repairs may include structural and/or vegetative restoration practices, such as a dike damaged by flooding or replanting trees damaged or killed by drought. Enhancement plans are developed to improve specific aspects of a restored easement.

Category: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources.

How to apply

1. Read the full notice and attachments on Grants.gov. The notice is the official source for deadlines and requirements.
2. Make sure your organization has an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID; registration can take several weeks.
3. Register on Grants.gov and submit through Workspace before the deadline and time given in the notice. Our application guide walks through each step.

Questions go to Tessa Garcia, Grants Management Specialist, tessa.garcia@usda.gov, 651-602-7919.

Open the official notice