Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS NHQ RCPP 23 NOFO0001304
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), working with the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), announced the FY 2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) under Federal Assistance Listing 10.932. This opportunity funds partner-led conservation projects that coordinate NRCS programs with significant partner investment to solve natural resource problems at farm, watershed, and broader regional scales. The core idea is co-investment: NRCS and approved partners jointly design, promote, and implement projects on agricultural lands and nonindustrial private forest lands to produce measurable conservation outcomes tied to specific resource concerns.
Proposals were required to be submitted through the RCPP online portal by 4:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 18, 2023 (Funding Opportunity Number USDA-NRCS-NHQ-RCPP-23-NOFO0001304). Projects can be located anywhere in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. Pacific territories including Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Applicants were encouraged to coordinate early with their state RCPP coordinator, and NRCS also provided a central email point of contact (rcpp@usda.gov) plus informational webinars (scheduled for May 24 and June 7, 2023) to walk potential applicants through the process and expectations.
NRCS made a total of $500 million available in FY 2023 across two RCPP pathways: the traditional "RCPP Classic" approach and "Alternative Funding Arrangements" (AFAs). That $500 million comes from two separate legal funding sources: the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill) and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). A key rule is that each individual project is funded from only one source (either Farm Bill or IRA), not a mix, because IRA dollars come with specific requirements focused on climate-smart, measurable greenhouse gas and climate mitigation outcomes. In practice, NRCS indicated it would prioritize IRA funding for projects that directly improve soil carbon, reduce nitrogen losses, and reduce, capture, avoid, or sequester greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide associated with agricultural production. Where climate mitigation goals align with other outcomes, IRA-funded projects can also support water resource improvements and related risk reduction as co-benefits.
The program uses a competitive selection process. Proposals are evaluated based on three main criteria: quantifiable impact (the expected measurable conservation results), partner contributions (the extent and significance of partner cost share and other support), and partnership and management (how well the partnership is structured and how effectively it will deliver the project). The notice also reflects NRCS efforts to improve how RCPP is delivered, including simplifying and reducing the number of agreements while still meeting legal requirements, streamlining evaluation criteria, shortening lengthy easement-related transactions, improving the RCPP portal, strengthening consistency in guidance and training for both staff and partners, and simplifying how technical assistance is structured.
Alternative Funding Arrangements are highlighted as an option for projects that do not fit well under the standard RCPP Classic model. AFAs are meant to support more innovative or nontraditional delivery approaches that can better leverage federal investment, including pay-for-performance conservation structures and large-scale infrastructure investments that still produce clear conservation benefits for agricultural producers and nonindustrial private forest landowners. Under the Farm Bill portion of funding, NRCS anticipated awarding up to 15 AFAs, while IRA funding could support additional AFAs and/or grants without a stated cap on the number of awards.
The notice also includes a specific emphasis on Tribal participation. Up to $50 million was reserved for NRCS to enter into AFAs with Indian Tribes, with the understanding that any unused portion of that set-aside could be redirected to other partnership agreements. This reflects an intent to ensure Tribal partners have a meaningful pathway to lead or co-lead conservation work through RCPP using a structure that may better fit Tribal priorities, governance, and project delivery needs.
Eligibility to serve as an RCPP partner is broad but defined. Eligible partner types include producer associations or groups of producers; state and local governments; Indian Tribes; farmer cooperatives; water and irrigation-related entities (including acequias and rural water districts) with agricultural water delivery authority; municipal water or wastewater treatment entities; institutions of higher education; organizations or businesses with a demonstrated record of working cooperatively with producers on conservation priorities (including wildlife habitat and nonindustrial private forest management) or watershed-scale issues like erosion, water quality, and sediment reduction; entities that operate farmland or grassland protection easement programs; and conservation districts. Applicants had to submit through the RCPP portal and have USDA eAuthentication credentials to access the system, making early registration an important practical step for on-time submission.
Overall, the FY 2023 RCPP funding opportunity is a large-scale, partnership-driven conservation investment designed to produce measurable outcomes, with a major emphasis on climate-smart agriculture under IRA funding and continued support for broader conservation priorities through Farm Bill funding. The structure encourages partners to bring substantial non-federal contributions, propose projects with clear metrics and outcomes, and demonstrate the management capacity needed to deliver results across landscapes rather than isolated fields.Apply for USDA NRCS NHQ RCPP 23 NOFO0001304
- The Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Funding for NRCS’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) for Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2023" 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 2023-05-19.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-08-18. (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 $25,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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