Regional Conservation Partnership Program

To further the conservation, protection, restoration, and sustainable use of soil, water (including sources of drinking water and groundwater), wildlife, agricultural land, and related natural resources on eligible land on a regional or watershed sca

NRCS enters into partnership agreements with eligible partner organizations, typically for 5 years. Under the framework of the partnership agreement, NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to eligible producers for the implementation of conservation activities on their lands as negotiated with the Lead Partner Organization. Technical assistance may also be provided to a partner organization in support of the overall project and/or in support of assistance provided to producers. Technical assistance is provided for conservation planning, design and implementation of conservation activities for eligible participants. Financial assistance is provided for implementation of conservation activities with eligible landowners and on eligible lands. Funding for RCPP is allocated to projects in two different fund pools: 50 percent of RCPP funding will go to single state or multi-state projects; 50 percent will go to critical conservation areas (CCAs) designated by the Secretary of Agriculture.

Producers in an approved partner project area who have priority resource concerns related to soil, water, and related natural resources, or who need assistance with complying with Federal and State environment laws. A participant may be an owner, landlord, operator, or tenant of eligible agricultural lands or non-industrial forestlands. Limited resource producers, small-scale producers, social disadvantaged individuals, federally recognized Indian tribal governments, Alaska natives, and Pacific Islanders are encouraged to apply. To be eligible the agricultural producers participating within an approved project area must be in compliance with highly erodible land and wetland conservation provisions and in compliance with the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) payment limitations, unless waived during the partnership agreement negotiation.

Partnering entities must prove their eligibility by providing documents indicating their legal status and agree to provide such information to NRCS as the agency deems necessary or desirable to assist in its determination of eligibility for program benefits and for other program implementation purposes. To be eligible to participate, a producer must be within an approved project area, must be in compliance with highly erodible land and wetland conservation provisions (7 CFR part 12), and must be in compliance with the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) payment limitations (7 CFR part 1400), unless waived during the partnership agreement negotiation. To be eligible as a Partner, for a Programmatic Agreement, you must be one of the following: An agricultural or silvicultural producer association or other group of producers, a state or unit of local government, an Indian tribe, a farmer cooperative, a water district, irrigation district, acequia, rural water district or association, or other organization with specific water delivery authority to agricultural producers, municipal water or wastewater treatment entity, Institution of Higher Education, an organization or entity with an established history of working cooperatively with producers on ag land, an entity, such as Indian tribe, State government, local government or a nongovernmental organization that has a farmland or grassland protection program that purchases agricultural land easements, and a Conservation District.

Technical assistance is provided for conservation planning, design and implementation of conservation practices for eligible participants and in limited situations for overall project management. Financial assistance is provided to producers for implementation of conservation activities.

Eligible partners enter into multi-year partnership agreements with NRCS to promote conservation and address resource concerns on eligible agricultural lands. RCPP is intended to leverage investment in natural resources conservation along with services and non-Federal resources of other eligible partners.

Interested partners should contact the RCPP coordinator for the state that will be identified in the proposal as the lead state. RCPP Coordinators will set up a meeting to discuss potential proposals using a "State Conservationist Questionnaire" which is designed to help partners understand their roles and responsibilities within an RCPP project. Environmental impact information is not required for application to this program, but is required prior to physical implementation of project activities. A list of state RCPP coordinators and the state Conservationist Questionnaire can be found on the RCPP How to Apply website.

For each program year the Natural Resources Conservation Service issues one or more NOFO through the Grants.gov website. Application procedures are outlined in the NOFO. While the NOFO is posted on Grants.gov, applications must be submitted through the RCPP portal. Partners are strongly encouraged to setup their portal account at the beginning of any open NOFO opportunity.

Applications will be evaluated against the following three criteria: Impact, Partner Contribution, and Partnerships and Management. More detail and subcriteria are identified in the NOFO.

NRCS announces RCPP awards and then enters into project negotiations with lead partners to finalize the details of RCPP projects.

Deadlines for proposals for partnership agreements identified in applicable notices of availability of funding. Deadlines for producer applications under a partnership agreement identified in the partnership agreement and posted by the partner and NRCS on applicable websites and through other publications.

Application procedures are outlined in the NOFO.

NRCS may provide a single one year no-cost extension at the request of a partner. Additionally, the 2018 Farm Bill provides USDA with the authority to provide noncompetitive renewals of existing RCPP projects. Details are provided to existing partners.

A partner may not appeal any adverse determination to the Chief of the Natural Resource Conservation Service. The agency decision for development and submission of a full proposal is final and there is no appeal process, or opportunity for reconsideration. This is included in the NOFO. Producers participating in RCPP in an approved project area may appeal an adverse determination through appeal process under 7 CFR parts 11 and 614.