Announcement for Program Funding for NRCS’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) for Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 | USDA NRCS NHQ RCPP 22 NOFO0001136

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS NHQ RCPP 22 NOFO0001136

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) FY 2022 funding announcement is a competitive grant opportunity designed to bring NRCS together with non-federal partners to tackle priority conservation problems on agricultural land and nonindustrial private forest land. The core idea is co-investment: NRCS combines its financial and technical assistance with partner-led contributions to expand what can be accomplished on the ground, whether the issues are happening at the farm level, across a watershed, or throughout a broader region. Projects are expected to produce measurable outcomes tied directly to specific natural resource concerns, and NRCS is looking for approaches that are practical, results-oriented, and able to demonstrate clear conservation benefits.

Under this notice, eligible partners propose RCPP projects that either target defined natural resource objectives in a state or multistate area, or focus on one or more priority resource concerns within an NRCS-designated Critical Conservation Area (CCA). NRCS and selected partners work together to design the project, recruit and engage producers and landowners, and implement the conservation activities supported through the project. Funding can support both financial assistance (for implementing conservation practices and activities) and technical assistance (planning, design, engineering, implementation support, and related services), with the intent of accelerating adoption and improving environmental outcomes in a way that a single entity could not accomplish alone.

For FY 2022, NRCS made up to $200 million available through this announcement. Proposals are accepted nationwide, including 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). Individual awards can be as large as $10,000,000 (award ceiling). The assistance listing for this program is CFDA/Assistance Listing 10.932, and the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding. The funding opportunity number is USDA NRCS NHQ RCPP 22 NOFO0001136, with an original closing date of April 13, 2022.

Applications are evaluated through a competitive process using four main criteria: impact (the scale, significance, and measurability of conservation outcomes), partner contributions (the value-added resources and commitments partners bring), innovation (new or improved approaches to solving conservation challenges), and partnership and management (the strength of collaboration and the feasibility of the project’s governance, staffing, and implementation plan). In practice, this means applicants need to show not only what they want to accomplish, but how they will manage the work, how they will work with producers, what partners will contribute beyond federal funds, and how progress and outcomes will be tracked and demonstrated.

Only eligible organizations can serve as RCPP partners and submit proposals. Eligible partner types include producer associations or groups of producers; state governments or local governments; Indian Tribes; farmer cooperatives; water delivery entities such as irrigation districts, acequias, rural water districts, and similar organizations; municipal water or wastewater treatment entities; institutions of higher education; conservation districts; and other organizations with an established history of working cooperatively with agricultural producers to address local conservation priorities (including wildlife habitat and nonindustrial private forest management) or critical watershed-scale issues like soil erosion, water quality, sediment reduction, and related resource concerns. The notice also recognizes entities that operate farmland or grassland protection programs that purchase agricultural land easements, as defined in 7 CFR 1468.3.

Proposals must be submitted electronically through the RCPP portal, and applicants must have access through USDA eAuthentication registration in order to use the portal. For questions and practical guidance, NRCS directs applicants to contact their State RCPP Coordinator, with a coordinator list maintained on the national RCPP website. Applicants can also email the national RCPP inbox at rcpp@usda.gov. NRCS also promoted an informational webinar covering the Classic and AFA funding announcements, scheduled for January 20, 2022 (3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern), with access available via a posted Zoom link and phone dial-in options.

Overall, this FY 2022 RCPP opportunity is aimed at building strong, partner-driven conservation projects that can document real improvements in soil, water, habitat, and other natural resources, using a collaborative model where NRCS support is leveraged by partner investment, local leadership, and innovative delivery strategies.

• The Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Announcement for Program Funding for NRCS’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) for Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2022" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.932.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-01-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-04-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $10,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA NRCS NHQ RCPP 22 NOFO0001136

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: