Program Purpose

The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) brings together public and private partners to tackle natural resource challenges on agricultural lands. By leveraging shared resources and focusing on common conservation goals, RCPP strengthens the impact of collaborative, locally led solutions.

Through RCPP, NRCS and its partners help producers install and maintain conservation activities in selected project areas. Partners leverage RCPP funding in project areas and report on the benefits achieved. In Colorado, partnerships have supported working‑lands conservation, irrigation efficiency improvements, wildlife habitat enhancement, and other priority resource needs across the state.

The 2018 Farm Bill made a number of substantial changes to RCPP: 

• RCPP is now a standalone program with its own funding—$300 million annually. Moving forward, landowners and ag producers will enter into RCPP contracts and RCPP easements.
• Enhanced Alternative Funding Arrangement provision—NRCS may award up to 15 AFA projects, which are more grant-like and rely more on partner capacity to implement conservation activities.
• Three funding pools reduced to two—the National pool was eliminated. Partners must apply to either the Critical Conservation Area (CCA) or State/Multistate funding pool.
• Emphasis on project outcomes—all RCPP projects must now develop and report on their environmental outcomes.

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. See the RCPP funding announcement for details about what types of organizations are eligible to apply. For more information, click: RCPP Fact Sheet Partners

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.  For more information, click: RCPP Fact Sheet Producers

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.

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. For more details about eligible RCPP conservation activities, please see the RCPP funding announcement.

Visit our Payment Schedule page for more information.

CCA Priority Resource Concerns

Proposals within the CCA funding pool must address at least one of the priority resource concerns and must be limited to areas within counties that are within, or transected by, the published boundaries of the CCA. A table of priority resource concerns and link to CCA maps can be found below.

Colorado River Basin

• Inadequate habitat
• Insufficient water/drought
• Soil quality degradation
• Water quality degradation

Prairie Grasslands Region

• Degraded plant condition
• Excess water/flooding
• Inadequate habitat
• Insufficient water/drought 

How to Apply

For more information, visit the How to Apply as a Partner page.

If you are a producer or landowner interested in existing RCPP projects, please contact your local USDA service center.