FLC | USDA announces $50m for study of natural resources

USDA announces $50m for study of natural resources

April 17, 2020

The United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service has announced that up to $50 million is available for Alternative Funding Arrangement Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) projects for FY 2020.

Applications are accepted from all 50 states, the Caribbean Area (Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands), and U.S. territories in the Pacific Island Areas (Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). Applications will be accepted through May 18, 2020.

Potential partners are invited to propose RCPP projects where NRCS and partners co-invest in impactful and innovative solutions to on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. Proposed projects must generate conservation benefits by addressing specific natural resource objectives in a State/multistate area or address one or more primary resource concerns within an NRCS-designated critical conservation area (CCA).

At least 4 weeks prior to the application deadline, and before starting an application in the RCPP portal, eligible entities interested in applying to RCPP are advised to request a meeting with the appropriate NRCS State RCPP coordinator(s).

RCPP applications must be submitted using the RCPP portal. To access the RCPP portal, partners interested in submitting a proposal must obtain level 2 eAuthentication permissions. This process can be lengthy and is solely a partner responsibility. Partners are strongly encouraged to begin the eAuth process as soon as possible to minimize the possibility of the eAuth process creating a roadblock to RCPP proposal submission. Details on how to apply for eAuth permissions are in the RCPP Partner Proposal Guide.