Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA) for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2026
Contract Overview
Solicitation details, issuing organization, response deadlines, documents, and interested companies for this government contract opportunity.
AI Contract Overview
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is soliciting proposals under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program Alternative Funding Arrangements for fiscal year 2026, with up to $310 million available through the 2018 Farm Bill to support conservation projects that address regional and watershed-level natural resource concerns. This funding opportunity is specifically aimed at partners—such as state and local governments, nonprofits, agricultural groups, and tribes—that can demonstrate strong capacity to deliver technical and financial assistance, implement projects quickly, and co-invest in conservation outcomes. Projects must improve natural resources on farms, ranches, or private forest land, and may target NRCS-designated Critical Conservation Areas or employ innovative approaches like pay-for-performance models, where payments are tied to measurable conservation benefits rather than traditional practice reimbursement. Up to $30 million is reserved for Indian tribes, shared with the Classic RCPP funding opportunity, and proposals may be submitted from all 50 states, U.S. territories, and the Caribbean. Proposals must be submitted through the RCPP portal by 4:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 24, 2026, and require applicants to obtain either a level 2 eAuthentication or Login.gov credential, which can take days to acquire. Partners are required to engage with state conservationists and complete a questionnaire to align proposals with state priorities and program requirements, as failure to do so may reduce scoring. Up to 15 awards are anticipated under this AFA solicitation, and NRCS will prioritize proposals that maximize impact, leverage additional resources, and show effective partnership management. Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend informational webinars offered in June and July 2026 and to contact the designated RCPP inbox or state coordinators for guidance before submission. All submissions must meet stringent eligibility and alignment criteria to be considered competitive under this highly selective program.
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Full 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) Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA) for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2026
Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NRCS-NHQ-RCPP-AFA-26-NOFO0001451
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 AFA and Classic FY 2026 notices of funding opportunity (NOFO) will run
concurrently. For information on Classic proposals please see USDA-NRCS-NHQ- RCPP-Classic-26-NOFO0001450.
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 Classic announcement using the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) funding Working Families Tax Cut Act, Public Law 119-21. 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 Classic announcement.
RCPP AFAs are intended to reimburse projects led by partners that clearly demonstrate their capacity, resources, and ability to provide technical and financial assistance to benefit conservation implementation. The expectation is that AFA Partners will be ready to implement the project quickly.
The 2018 Farm Bill provides the following examples of project types that might be implemented through RCPP AFA:
· projects that use innovative approaches to leverage the Federal investment in conservation.
· projects that deploy a pay-for-performance conservation approach.
Note: Pay for performance is a partner negotiated method used to pay for quantifiable benefits of implemented conservation activities in lieu of reimbursement for practice installation and management activities at NRCS payment rates.
· projects that seek large-scale infrastructure investments that generate conservation benefits for agricultural producers and nonindustrial private forest owners.
NRCS can make up to 15 AFA awards through this funding opportunity through Farm Bill funding.
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 web 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
RCPP NOFO Applicant Easement Webinar – July 9, 2026 - 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Information on all webinars will be posted to the How to Apply to RCPP page.
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