The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing up to $310 million to expand farmer conservation activities across the nation through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting RCPP project proposals now through August 24, 2026, to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners boost their operations and conserve natural resources. 

RCPP is a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land.  
In the past year, NRCS has improved RCPP, through streamlining partnership agreement processes and increasing flexibilities to ensure the program works more effectively for conservation partners and America’s farmers. Now, 75% of the funding goes directly to the American farmer or is used to cover the cost of conservation practice implementation. 

There are two separate funding opportunities:   

  • RCPP Classic: Projects are implemented using NRCS contracts and easements with producers, landowners and communities in collaboration with project partners.   
  • RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA): The lead partner works directly with agricultural producers to support the development of innovative conservation approaches that would not otherwise be available under RCPP Classic.  

NRCS ranks proposals based on how they address the following priorities:  

  • Addressing soil health, water quality, or wildlife habitat with an aim to improve land health, enhance resource management, and promote sustainable agriculture and long-term protection of agricultural, grassland, and forestland viability. 
  • Soil health projects using practices that focus on minimizing soil disturbance, maximizing soil cover, increasing natural vitality, and maintaining living roots throughout the year.  
  • Leveraging precision agriculture technologies to target conservation efforts based on specific field conditions, potentially reducing costs and improving resource efficiency. 
  • Focusing on Farmers First projects, especially those that provide technical and financial assistance via contributions for planning and practice designs to support producer contracts. 
  • Supporting projects led by Indian Tribes.  

More Information 

The $310 million is available for both RCPP Classic and AFA projects, including a $30 million set aside for projects with Indian Tribes. 

Details about RCPP Classic and RCPP AFAs are available on Grants.gov.  Project proposals for RCPP are being accepted through August 24, 2026, on the RCPP portal. For more information about RCPP, visit the RCPP website. 

This investment builds on other recent NRCS investments to engage partners to extend the reach of conservation. In late May, NRCS announced its plans to invest $65 million through Conservation Innovation Grants.