Natural Resources Conservation Service · Department of Agriculture
Easement Restoration and Stewardship
In short: Natural Resources Conservation Service expects to make 4 awards of $250,000 to $5 million. Open to many kinds of groups. See who can apply.
Key facts
- Deadline
- Due Nov 19, 2026 · 41 days left
The funder says: “Applications must be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time.” - Award size
- $250K – $5M
- Match ?
- Not required · Work out your budget and match
- Who can apply
- Private college or university, Tribal government, City or town government, Small business, State government, Tribal organization, County government, Nonprofit with 501(c)(3), Larger business, Special district (utility, fire, etc.), Nonprofit without 501(c)(3), Public college or university
- Where
- Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee
How this fits you
- Available in Warren County (nationwide program)
- No match required
- Past Tennessee awards on file: 9
Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.
About this grant
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: 1) restoration of wetland and floodplain easements; 2) stewardship of wetland and floodplain easements, and 3) 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...
Official notice: https://simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/384108ba-f773-4d47-95f0-ba3d5152e0a9 · Printed from grantme.click/grants/360dabee-50f5-4fb7-bd8f-915a8a47abdc
View on Grants.gov Add deadline to my calendar
Your schedule, working back from the deadline
- Oct9
Check that your SAM.gov registration is active (or start it now)
Grants.gov: allow up to 10 business days for SAM registration, weeks or months if information isn't verified. It must be renewed every year. Grants.gov - Oct29
Ask partners for letters of support or commitment
Suggested: partners need about three weeks to write and sign letters. - Nov12
Finish a complete draft for a final review
Suggested: leave about a week for someone else to read the draft. - Nov17
Submit
Grants.gov: submit at least 24–48 hours before the deadline: uploads fail, systems slow down, errors need fixing. Grants.gov blog - Nov19
Deadline
From the funder.
Save this grant to put these dates in My grants and your private calendar.
Writing the need statement? Warren County facts with citations.
What the official notice requires
Pulled from the official notice USDA-NRCS-NHQ-ACEP-26-NOFO0001456.pdf (21 pages) so you can see the requirements at a glance. Each item shows the notice's own words. Open the page to read it in context.
Registrations you need first (1)
Grants.gov · p. 3
“Submit via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on November 19, 2026.” Open page 3
Registration is free but can take weeks, so start now, not when the deadline is close. Get-ready checklist
What to submit
Form SF-424 · p. 13
“Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) See section V.2. of the FPAC-BC Grants.gov Application Guide for instructions. b.” Open page 13
Form SF-424A · p. 15
“Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A) See section V.5. of the FPAC-BC Grants.gov Application Guide for instructions. e.” Open page 15
Mistakes that get applications rejected (3)
Not an eligible applicant: State governments The following applicants are considered ineligible: Foreign organizations and foreign... · p. 6
“State governments The following applicants are considered ineligible: Foreign organizations and foreign public entities Individuals “Partnerships” or other similar groupings (i.e., application must be submitted by a single entity; a partner may serve…” Open page 6
Could get your application rejected: If cost-share is included in an application, it will not be considered during the competitive review process. · p. 7
“If cost-share is included in an application, it will not be considered during the competitive review process.” Open page 7
Late or not validated: Refer to section II.1. of the FPAC-BC Grants.gov Application Guide. Applications must be received by... · p. 17
“Refer to section II.1. of the FPAC-BC Grants.gov Application Guide. Applications must be received by Grants.gov by 11:59.59 pm Eastern Time (ET) on the established due date (see section A.6.); an application is considered late at 12:00 am ET and will be…” Open page 17
Files from the official listing
The notice, forms and templates the agency attached. Some programs ask for a letter of intent or a form before the full application.
- USDA-NRCS-NHQ-ACEP-26-NOFO0001456.pdf (253 KB)
USDA-NRCS-NHQ-ACEP-26-NOFO0001456 - Grants.gov_Application_Guide.pdf (1.4 MB)
Grants.gov Application Guide
Who in Tennessee has won this program
4 awards to Tennessee groups in 2 counties since 2023 · 0 in Warren County. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ducks Unlimited, Inc. | Memphis, Shelby County | $10.4M spent that year | 2025 |
| Ducks Unlimited, Inc. | Memphis, Shelby County | $1.4M spent that year | 2025 |
| Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville, Putnam County | $300K | 2023 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | $42K spent that year | 2025 |
Source: Federal Audit Clearinghouse; USAspending.gov. Past awards show who this program funds. They don't guarantee future awards.
Tennessee groups that got this money through a state agency or another organization
This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. 5 pass-through grants on file · 0 in Warren County. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Through | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | The Nature Conservancy | $49K spent that year | 2024 |
| Ducks Unlimited, Inc. | Memphis, Shelby County | Rainwater Basin Joint Venture | $17K spent that year | 2023 |
| Ducks Unlimited, Inc. | Memphis, Shelby County | Natural Resources Conservation Service | $7,601 spent that year | 2023 |
| Ducks Unlimited, Inc. | Memphis, Shelby County | National Fish and Wildlife Foundation | $6,015 spent that year | 2023 |
| Ducks Unlimited, Inc. | Memphis, Shelby County | National Fish and Wildlife Foundation | $6,015 spent that year | 2023 |
Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).
Similar grants open or opening soon
From other funders, about the same kind of work in Warren County.
- Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP: Agricultural Land & Wetland Reserve Easements) – FY2027 Tennessee · USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service – Tennessee · Due Nov 20, 2026 · 42 days left
- Preserving Land for Agriculture Now (PLAN) – conservation easement funding · TN Department of Agriculture · Due Jan 8, 2027 · 91 days left
About the federal program
Wetlands Reserve Program, also called “(WRP)”
Program number 10.072 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service · Cooperative agreement (a grant with close agency involvement)
Match
None required (federal program listing).
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal year 2025: NRCS has 88 easements on 23,534 acres funded through Healthy Forests Reserve Program from 2006 through 2025.
About the federal program
Emergency Watershed Protection Program - Floodplain Easements � Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, also called “EWPP-FPE Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act 2019”
Program number 10.928 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service · Direct payment for a set purpose
How applications are judged
States are required to develop and administer ranking criteria that assign point values to each application based on the potential benefits of each project.
Match
None required (federal program listing).
About the federal program
Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, also called “ACEP”
Program number 10.931 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service · Cooperative agreement (a grant with close agency involvement)
How applications are judged
ACEP-ALE - Criteria used for selecting applications include: Percent of prime, unique, and other important farmland in the parcel to be protected; protection of historical or archeological resources; protection of grazing uses and related conservation values; Percent of cropland, rangeland, grassland, historic grassland, pastureland, or nonindustrial private forest land in the parcel to be protected; Ratio of the total acres of land in the parcel to be protected to average farm size in the county; Decrease in the percentage of acreage of farm and ranch land in the county in which the parcel is located; Percent population growth and density in the county; Existence of a farm or ranch succession plan or similar plan established to address farm viability; Proximity of the parcel to other protected land and to other agricultural operations and agricultural infrastructure; Maximizing the protection of contiguous acres devoted to agricultural use; Zoning; Eligible entity's performance; Geographic regions help achieve national, State, and regional conservation goals and objectives; Diversity of natural resources to be protected; Score in the land evaluation and site assessment system or equivalent measure for grassland enrollments; the parcels support of grazing operations; protection of grassland, land that contains forbs, and shrubland at the greatest risk from the threat of conversion to uses other than grazing; and plant and animal biodiversity.
ACEP-WRE � All offers are...
Match
ACEP-ALE � NRCS may provide up to 50 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land easement. An eligible entity will share in the cost of purchasing an agricultural land easement in an amount that is at least equivalent to the Federal share. An eligible entity may include as part of its share a charitable donation or qualified conservation contribution (as defined by section 170(h) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) from the landowner. NRCS may authorize a waiver to increase the federal share to 75 percent for grasslands of special environmental significance with respective adjustments to the eligible entity contribution. For grasslands of special environmental significance enrollments, the eligible entity must provide a non-Federal share that is at least equivalent to the Federal share or comprises the remainder of the fair market value of the agricultural land...
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal year 2025: Landowners protected 13 acres of their vineyard with a conservation easement allowing it to be forever farmed. The land, with its excellent farm soil, has been working farmland for centuries. The land is also connected to other conservation properties, adding to a protected corridor of lands.