Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA) for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2026 | USDA NRCS NHQ RCPP AFA 26 NOFO0001451

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS NHQ RCPP AFA 26 NOFO0001451

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), is soliciting project proposals under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA) for federal fiscal year 2026. This opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number USDA-NRCS-NHQ-RCPP-AFA-26-NOFO0001451; Assistance Listing 10.932) is designed to bring NRCS together with partners that can add meaningful technical capacity, funding, and on-the-ground delivery ability, so conservation work on farms, ranches, and private forest lands can happen at a larger scale and with clearer measurable outcomes. The AFA track runs at the same time as the FY 2026 RCPP Classic competition, and applicants should choose the pathway that fits their delivery model and project structure.

At its core, RCPP is about co-investment and coordination. NRCS is looking for partner-led projects that tackle significant natural resource concerns at the farm, watershed, or regional level, either across one or more states or within NRCS-designated Critical Conservation Areas (CCAs). The emphasis is on partnerships that can show how they will produce real, measurable improvements tied to identified resource concerns, and how the partnership itself will be managed effectively. The notice also highlights that collaboration with stakeholders and communities is central to advancing equity in NRCS programs and services, which signals that proposals benefiting historically underserved or otherwise hard-to-reach communities may be especially relevant when they are tightly linked to conservation outcomes.

Funding availability for RCPP in FY 2026 is up to $310 million total when combined across this AFA announcement and the separate FY 2026 Classic announcement, using funding provided through the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill) and referenced legislation in the notice (Working Families Tax Cut Act, Public Law 119-21). NRCS anticipates making up to 15 AFA awards under this specific AFA competition, and the published award ceiling is $10,000,000 per award. The opportunity lists 31 expected awards overall (reflecting the broader posting data), but the notice language is clear that the AFA portion itself is capped at up to 15 awards. Proposals may be submitted from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. Pacific territories including Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. In addition, up to $30 million is set aside (shared between AFA and Classic) for NRCS to enter into programmatic partnership agreements specifically with Indian tribes, reinforcing an explicit priority for tribal partnership capacity and delivery.

The AFA model is best understood as a partner-driven delivery and reimbursement approach. These awards are intended to reimburse projects led by partners that can clearly demonstrate they already have the capacity, staffing, systems, and resources to provide both technical and financial assistance that results in conservation implementation. NRCS signals a strong preference for “ready to go” partnerships that can move quickly from award to implementation, rather than spending long periods building administrative structures after selection. The notice points to Farm Bill examples of the kinds of efforts that fit well under AFA: projects using innovative approaches that stretch and leverage federal investment; projects using pay-for-performance structures where partners negotiate payments based on quantifiable conservation benefits instead of standard NRCS practice payment rates; and projects involving large-scale infrastructure investments that generate conservation benefits for agricultural producers and nonindustrial private forest owners. Taken together, those examples indicate that AFA is meant for sophisticated partnerships that can track outcomes, manage complex budgets, and potentially deploy nontraditional financing or performance-based contracting.

Eligibility is intentionally broad and geared toward organizations that can credibly coordinate producers and conservation delivery. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (including small businesses); and other entities that fit program rules. The notice also lists specific examples of eligible partner types, such as producer associations, cooperatives, water and irrigation districts (including acequias and rural water authorities), municipal water or wastewater entities, conservation districts, entities with a track record of working with producers on priorities like wildlife habitat or private forest management, and entities that operate farmland or grassland protection programs that purchase agricultural conservation easements as defined in federal regulation.

Applications must be submitted through the RCPP portal, not by email or paper, and access to the portal requires either a Level 2 eAuthentication credential or a Login.gov credential. Because credential setup can take multiple steps and several days, applicants are expected to plan ahead rather than waiting until the deadline week. For FY 2026, NRCS must receive proposals by 4:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 24, 2026, and late submissions risk being rejected based on standard federal submission rules.

A practical requirement that applicants should treat as mandatory, even if it is framed as guidance, is early coordination with NRCS leadership in the relevant state(s). The notice instructs applicants to contact the appropriate state conservationist(s) and state RCPP coordinator(s) before submitting, and NRCS will use a state conservationist questionnaire to structure those discussions around program requirements and state-level needs. Proposals submitted without this engagement risk receiving reduced ranking scores, largely because the questionnaire aligns the project concept with NRCS priorities and ensures the applicant can answer key feasibility, alignment, and delivery questions within NRCS rules. For support, applicants can reach NRCS at rcpp@usda.gov, consult the RCPP website, and attend NRCS-hosted webinars that cover general applicant resources and an easement-focused session (with dates listed in the notice and additional webinar information posted to the “How to Apply to RCPP” page).

Overall, the FY 2026 RCPP AFA opportunity is aimed at well-prepared partnerships that can bring more than ideas to the table: they need to bring real capacity, partner contributions, and a clear plan for producing measurable conservation outcomes at scale. Projects are competitively ranked based on anticipated impact, the strength and value of partner contributions, and the quality of partnership governance and management, with a strong emphasis on alignment with NRCS priorities, including work within Critical Conservation Areas and meaningful collaboration that expands equitable access to NRCS conservation assistance.

• The Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA) for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2026" 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 2026-06-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-08-24. (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.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 31 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for USDA NRCS NHQ RCPP AFA 26 NOFO0001451

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