Regional Conservation Partnership Program

 

The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land.

 

RCPP Partners and Impact

    1. Impact – RCPP applications must propose effective and compelling solutions that address one or more natural resource priorities to help solve natural resource challenges.  Partners are responsible for evaluating a project’s impact and results.
    2. Partner Contributions – Partners are responsible for identifying any combination of cash and in-kind value-added contributions to leverage NRCS’s RCPP investments.  It is NRCS’s goal that partner contributions at least equal the NRCS investment in an RCPP project.  Substantive partner contributions are given priority considerations are given priority consideration as part of the RCPP application evaluation criteria.
    3. Partnerships and Management – Partners must have experience, expertise, and capacity to manage the partnership and project, provide outreach to producers, and quantify the environmental outcomes of an RCPP project.  RCPP ranking criteria give preference to applicants that meaningfully engage historically underserved farmers and ranchers.

 

RCPP Conservation Activities

RCPP projects may include a range of on-the-ground conservation activities implemented by farmers, ranchers and forest landowners.  These activities include:

    • Land management/land improvement/restoration practices
    • Land rentals
    • Entity-held easements
    • United States-held easements
    • Public works/watersheds

A single RCPP project application can propose to employ any combination of these eligible activity types as part of an RCPP project.

 

Who is Eligible

Partner Eligibility – Eligible organizations interested in partnering with NRCS on conservation projects can develop applications for the RCPP competition.  The lead partner for an RCPP project is the entity that submits an application, and if selected for an award is ultimately responsible for collaborating with NRCS to successfully complete an RCPP project.

Producer and Landowner Eligibility – Once NRCS selects a project and executes an RCPP agreement with a lead partner, agricultural producers may participate in an RCPP project in one of two ways.  First, producers may engage with project partners and delegate a willing partner to act as their representative in working with NRCS.  Second, producers seeking to carry out conservation activities consistent with a RCPP project in the project’s geographic area can apply directly to NRCS.

Land Eligibility – RCPP projects must be carried out on agricultural or nonindustrial private forest land or associated land on which NRCS determines an eligible activity would help achieve conservation benefits (i.e., improved condition of natural resources resulting from implementation of conservation activities).  Eligible conservation activities may be implemented on public lands when those activities will benefit eligible lands as determined by NRCS and are included in the scope of an approved RCPP project.

 

For more information on the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, visit the NRCS webpage.