Easement Restoration and Stewardship
Updated
Cooperative agreement from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, open to small businesses. Closes Nov 19, 2026, 30 days left.
| Opportunity number | USDA-NHQ-ACEP-26-NOFO0001456 |
|---|---|
| Agency | Natural Resources Conservation Service |
| Funding type | Cooperative agreement |
| Field | Agriculture, Environment, Natural resources |
| Award ceiling | $5.0 million |
| Award floor | $250,000 |
| Expected number of awards | 4 |
| Cost sharing or matching | Not required |
| Assistance listing | 10.072, 10.928, 10.931 |
| Posted | Sep 25, 2026 |
| Closes | Nov 19, 2026 (30 days left) |
| Add the deadline to | Google Calendar |
Who can apply
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Public and state controlled institutions of higher education
- Native American tribal governments (federally recognized)
- Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments)
- Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- For-profit organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses
Description
The opportunities associated with this NOFO are for lands protected through the Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) component of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) and the Floodplain Easement (FPE) component of the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWPP). The types of work available through this opportunity fall into three primary categories:
- restoration of wetland and floodplain easements;
- stewardship of wetland and floodplain easements, and
- onsite and offsite assessment of easement conditions.
Component 1) Wetland and Floodplain Easement Restoration. Awardees will work with NRCS personnel, partners and landowners to develop and implement sound easement restoration plans. These plans may include structural practices, such as levees and water control structures, and/or vegetative establishment practices, such as tree planting.
Awardees are expected to complete the following easement restoration activities: (A) Coordination- Accept input on restoration planning from NRCS employees, NRCS partners and easement owners. (B) Investigation- Completion of technical surveys such as topographic, hydrological or habitat inventories. (C) Restoration Design- Combine data collected through coordination and technical surveys to develop functional, yet cost-effective restoration plans.
(D) Implementation- Application of the easement restoration design using NRCS provided practice standards and specifications. NRCS wetland and floodplain easements have varying levels of restoration planning completed by NRCS employees or partners. Awardees will receive all relevant planning information for easements included in this agreement.
Awardee must be prepared to complete some or all the listed restoration activities. Component 2) Wetland and Floodplain Easement Stewardship. Awardees are responsible for completing easement stewardship activities on restored wetland and floodplain easements.
Easement stewardship includes repair, maintenance, management, and enhancement of properties. (A) Repair and Enhancement- Awardee will develop repair or enhancement plans. Repair plans will be prepared when installed conservation practices fail or are damaged.
Repairs may include structural and/or vegetative restoration practices, such as a dike damaged by flooding or replanting trees damaged or killed by drought. Enhancement plans are developed to improve specific aspects of a restored easement. (B) Maintenance and Management- Awardee will develop easement maintenance and management plans.
These plans identify specific activities that will prolong life and improve the function of installed restoration practices. For example, maintenance plans describe how and when an earthen dike should be mowed to prevent the establishment of woody vegetation. Component 3) Easement Assessments.
The Awardee will complete onsite and offsite easement assessments. Assessments will document the habitat condition of easements and determine their compliance with deed terms and conditions. Awardees will use the data collected to determine the ecological condition of easements and, if necessary, develop repair, enhancement and/or maintenance plans to improve the condition of the assessed easements.
Full announcement and how to apply on Grants.gov
Agriculture grants right now
There are 8 open federal grants in agriculture that small businesses may apply for; 1 close within 30 days. The median award ceiling is $1.0 million; this grant offers up to $5.0 million. The agencies offering the most are Rural Business-Cooperative Service, Food and Drug Administration and Natural Resources Conservation Service. Grants in this field stay open a median of 254 days; this one is open for 55 days.
Who has won this program before
- University Of Alaska Fairbanks $160,372 · from Oct 1, 2022
- National Experienced Workforce Solutions, Inc $21.2 million · from Dec 31, 2025
- The Trust For Tomorrow $11.2 million · from Feb 24, 2021
- Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance $10.5 million · from Oct 1, 2021
- The Trust For Tomorrow $9.5 million · from Sep 30, 2019
The largest grants and cooperative agreements under assistance listing 10.072, 10.928, 10.931 with payments since Oct 1, 2025, from USAspending.gov. Amounts are each award's total.