UDSA Allocates Additional $19.5 Billion Over Five Years for NRCS Programs
Announcement Type: Funding opportunity announcement (this program is currently accepting applications)
Opportunity: USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS):
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP)
Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
Overview and Eligible Uses: These programs generally focus on agriculture and the conservation of land. Additional funding from the IRA will support investment in climate-smart practices and help farmers achieve conservation goals:
EQIP is a flagship NRCS conversation program that provides technical and financial assistance to help farmers, ranchers, and landowners engage with conservation practices and activities.
CSP helps farmers, ranchers, and landowners identify natural resource problems and provide technical and financial assistance to solve those problems or attain higher stewardship levels in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner.
Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) helps landowners, land trusts, and other entities protect the agricultural viability and related conservation values of eligible land. Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) help private and tribal landowners, land trusts, and other entities such as state and local governments protect croplands and grasslands on working farms and ranches by limiting non-agricultural uses of the land through conservation easements. Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) help private and tribal landowners protect, restore and enhance wetlands which have been previously degraded due to agricultural uses.
RCPP focuses on public-private partnerships. RCPP Classic projects are implemented using NRCS contracts and easements with producers, landowners and communities, in collaboration with project partners. Through RCPP Grants, the lead partner must work directly with agricultural producers to support the development of new conservation structures and approaches that would not otherwise be available under RCPP Classic.
Amount: additional $19.5 billion will be made available over next five years: $8.45 billion for EQIP, $4.95 billion for RCPP, $3.25 billion for CSP, and $1.4 billion for ACEP. NRCS is making available $850 million in fiscal year 2023 for these four programs.
Award Type: Funding EQIP and CSP will be competitively awarded. ACEP funding will prioritize areas of highest risk for conversion to non-grassland uses or eligible lands that contain soils high in organic carbon. RCPP will open up funding later, possibly through cooperative agreements.
Eligible Applicants:
Funding for EQIP, CSP, and ACEP is available to landowners, farmers, ranchers, and other entities. More information on lead partners for RCPP will roll out in late spring.
Key Dates:
Application deadlines EQIP and CSP vary by state. More can be found here.
For ACEP Agricultural Land Easements (ACEP-ALE) or Wetland Reserve Easements (ACEP-WRE), applications must be submitted by March 17, 2023.
RCPP funding will roll out with more details later this spring.
Key Links:
For a full list of currently available grant programs under the Infrastructure Law and other helpful tools, take a look at our Helpful Resources page.
This tracker will continue to send updates when new funding opportunities are announced.