U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) | Source | Download |
The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is a partner-driven initiative that addresses natural resource challenges on agricultural lands. By leveraging collective resources and fostering public-private partnerships, RCPP expands the impact of voluntary conservation efforts and promotes climate-smart agriculture and demonstrates the effectiveness of collaboration in achieving agricultural and environmental goals.
RCPP applications must present effective solutions addressing one or more natural resource priorities. Projects can include a variety of on-the-ground activities by farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners, such as land management/land improvement/restoration practices; land rentals; entity- or US-held easements; public works/watersheds. Applications may combine any of these eligible activities within a single RCPP project.
Partners must also provide cash or in-kind contributions to leverage NRCS’s (Natural Resources Conservation Service) RCPP investments, ideally matching NRCS funding. Substantial contributions receive priority during application evaluation. Partners must demonstrate expertise, capacity to manage projects, producer outreach, and environmental outcome measurement. Preference is given to applicants engaging historically underserved farmers and ranchers. Since its inception, RCPP has made 812 awards involving more than 4,000 partner organizations, leveraging more than $4 billion in NRCS funding with an additional $4 billion in partner contributions.
