Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Classic for federal fiscal year (FY) 2026
NRCS funds partnerships that plan and implement conservation projects on farms, ranches, private forest land, and related watershed/regional natural resource concerns for eligible producer groups, governments, tribes, higher education institutions, conservation districts, and other qualifying organizations.
⚑ Applicants must contact the State Conservationist/state RCPP coordinator before submission; failure to do so may reduce ranking scores. · Submission is through the RCPP portal and requires eAuthentication or Login.gov. · Large competition with a separate set-aside for programmatic partnership agreements with Indian tribes; classic and AFA notices run concurrently. · No-cost sharing requirement stated in the notice excerpt, but partner contributions are a scored factor in selection.
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| IPPRA | 40 partial | portfolio topics: environment, water_resources, climate_weather; signature methods: community engaged, policy analysis; social/behavioral work is minor; funds service delivery, not research (capped); capped at 40 (non-research funding) |
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 40 partial | technical depth: substantial; funds service delivery (capped) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 25 weak | prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
Description
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.
Submissions: Proposals must be submitted through the RCPP portal . See section E of this announcement for information on using the RCPP portal to submit proposals. Access to the RCPP portal requires a level 2 eAuthentication credential or a Login.gov credential.
Obtaining a new Login.gov credential involves multiple steps and can take several days to complete. Instructions are posted on the How to Apply to RCPP web page listed below.
For More Information : Applicants must contact the appropriate State Conservationists and state RCPP coordinators prior to submitting a proposal. NRCS will use a State Conservationist questionnaire to guide the conversations in alignment with program requirements and state level agency needs. Proposals submitted without the benefit of the lead partner meeting with the State Conservationist to discuss how their project can meet agency needs and program requirements through a completed questionnaire risk receiving reduced ranking scores. Without having this meeting, potential partners will not be able to answer one or more of the questions within program rules and NRCS needs.
A list of state RCPP coordinators (as of the date of this announcement’s posting) is on the How to Apply to RCPP page.
Applicants can also email the RCPP inbox ( rcpp@usda.gov ) with any questions about the announcement. The RCPP website is also a great source of current information about the program.
Interested applicants are encouraged to participate in one or more of the webinars below to learn about the program and how to apply.
2026 RCPP NOFO Applicant Resources This webinar will provide general information for applicants submitting proposals for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Please refer to the RCPP website for more information . Regional Conservation Partnership Program | Natural Resources Conservation Service (usda.gov)
RCPP NOFO Applicant Webinar – June 30, 2026 - 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/d8329fd1-0409-4b9c-9f37-9e184fc7f84e@ed5b36e7-01ee-4ebc-867e-e03cfa0d4697
RCPP NOFO Applicant Easement Webinar – July 9, 2026 - 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/24547ad1-f99e-4161-a3ee-0bad228230c9@ed5b36e7-01ee-4ebc-867e-e03cfa0d4697
Information on all webinars will be posted to the How to Apply to RCPP page .
Eligibility
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.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: Tessa Garcia Grants Management Specialist <rcpp@usda.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · USDA NIFA conventions SEE A USDA EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — USDA NIFA's document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.