Grants / Department of Agriculture / Natural Resources Conservation Service

USDA-NRCS-NHQ-RCPP-CLASSIC-26-NOFO000145: Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Classic for federal fiscal year (FY) 2026

Closed Closed August 24, 2026 Opportunity USDA-NRCS-NHQ-RCPP-CLASSIC-26-NOFO000145 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of Natural Resources Conservation Service notices from 2026.

• Award ceiling$10.0 million
• Award floor$250,000
• Total funding$310 million
• Expected awards31
• Cost sharingRequired
• Funding typeOther

Key dates

Who can apply

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

a. An agricultural or silvicultural producer association or other group of producers;b. A state or unit of local government;c. An Indian tribe;d. A farmer cooperative;e. 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;f. A municipal water or wastewater treatment entity;g. An institution of higher education;h. An organization, or entity with an established history of working cooperatively with producers on agricultural land (as determined by NRCS) to address:• Local conservation priorities related to agricultural production, wildlife habitat development, or nonindustrial private forest land management; or• Critical watershed-scale soil erosion, water quality, sediment reduction, or other natural resource issues;i. 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;j. A conservation district.

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

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Regional Conservation Partnership Program awards averaged $1.3 million; this notice allows up to $10.0 million per award.
• The notice requires cost sharing or matching funds, so you must contribute part of the project cost.

What the grant funds

Federal Awarding Agency Name: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Funding Opportunity Title: Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Classic for federal fiscal year (FY) 2026. Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NRCS-NHQ-RCPP-Classic-26-NOFO0001450 Assistance Listing: 10.932, Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Due Date: NRCS must receive proposals by 4:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 24, 2026. Note: The RCPP Classic and Alternative Funding Arrangement (AFA) FY 2026 notices of funding opportunity (NOFO) will run concurrently. For information on AFA proposals please see Funding Opportunity Number USDA-NRCS-NHQ-RCPP-AFA-26-NOFO0001451. The RCPP promotes the coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value-added contributions to expand our ability to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. Through the RCPP, NRCS seeks to co-invest with partners to implement projects that provide solutions to conservation challenges thereby measurably improving the resource concerns they seek to address. RCPP promotes collaboration with partners, stakeholders, and various communities, which is paramount to achieving equity in NRCS programs and services. Partners use this notice to propose projects that improve natural resources in one or more states or focus on priority concerns in NRCS-designated Critical Conservation Areas (CCAs). NRCS works with these partners to plan and carry out projects on farms, ranches and private forest land. Through the program, NRCS can provide funding to support both partners and producers. Proposals are selected through a competitive process based on their impact, the partner’s contributions, and how well the partnership is managed. Up to $310 million is available for RCPP projects through this announcement and the FY 2026 AFA announcement using the Working Families Tax Cut Act, Public Law 119-21 funding. Proposals are accepted from all 50 States, the Caribbean Area (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), and U.S. territories in the Pacific Island Areas (Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). Up to $30 million of the total available funding is being made available specifically for NRCS to enter into programmatic partnership agreements with Indian tribes. This set aside will be shared by this announcement and the FY 2026 AFA.

Category: Agriculture.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.