(September 16, 2020) – The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently opened the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) application period, with applications due on November 4, 2020. 

This program provides funding for innovative partnerships to address conservation priorities. NACWA successfully advocated for the program’s reauthorization and prioritization of water quality concerns in the 2018 Farm Bill. 

USDA will award up to $360 million dollars to locally driven partnerships, which can include municipal wastewater or drinking water entities and local governments as lead entities. Partnerships may request between $250,000 and $10 million in RCPP funding.

Since it was first authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, RCPP has combined nearly $1 billion in NRCS investments with close to $2 billion in non-NRCS dollars to implement conservation practices across the nation. For more information review the grant notice here.