Easement Restoration and Stewardship | USDA NHQ ACEP 26 NOFO0001456

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NHQ ACEP 26 NOFO0001456

The Easement Restoration and Stewardship opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number USDA NHQ ACEP 26 NOFO0001456) is a Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) cooperative agreement program that focuses on improving, maintaining, and evaluating lands already protected under two federal easement programs: 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 core purpose is to ensure these protected wetlands and floodplains function as intended over time by funding on-the-ground restoration work, long-term stewardship actions, and systematic assessments that document ecological condition and compliance with easement deed requirements.

Work supported under the NOFO is organized into three main components. The first is wetland and floodplain easement restoration, which covers the planning and implementation steps needed to restore hydrology, habitat, and overall ecological function on enrolled easement lands. Awardees are expected to collaborate closely with NRCS staff, existing partners, and easement landowners, taking input from each to shape restoration actions that fit site conditions and program requirements. Restoration work may involve structural practices such as levees, berms, dikes, or water-control structures, as well as vegetative practices such as tree planting or other habitat establishment. The restoration scope can include multiple phases: coordination with stakeholders; investigation and technical data collection (for example topographic surveys, hydrologic investigations, and habitat inventories); restoration design that turns field data and stakeholder input into a practical and cost-effective plan; and implementation carried out to NRCS practice standards and specifications. Because some easements may already have partial planning completed by NRCS or partners while others may not, applicants should be prepared to perform some or all of these steps depending on what information exists for each site.

The second component is wetland and floodplain easement stewardship, aimed at keeping restored easements functioning and resilient after initial restoration is complete. Stewardship activities include repair, maintenance, management, and enhancement. Repair and enhancement work involves developing plans to fix or improve installed conservation practices. Repairs are used when practices fail or are damaged, such as a flood-damaged dike or trees lost to drought, and can include both structural fixes and revegetation. Enhancements go beyond repair, targeting specific upgrades that improve ecological outcomes on a restored easement. Maintenance and management planning is also required and focuses on routine, preventative actions that extend the lifespan and performance of restoration features; an example included in the announcement is scheduling mowing of an earthen dike to prevent woody vegetation from becoming established and compromising the structure.

The third component is easement assessments, which include both onsite and offsite evaluations of easement condition. These assessments are meant to document habitat conditions, determine whether the property is meeting the terms and conditions of the easement deed, and provide defensible information NRCS and partners can use for follow-up decisions. The data collected through assessments is then used to determine the ecological condition of each easement and, where issues are identified, to inform the development of repair, enhancement, and/or maintenance plans needed to bring the easement back into desired condition or keep it from declining.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using the cooperative agreement instrument, which generally signals substantial involvement by NRCS during the project period (for example, coordination on planning, standards, approvals, or prioritization). The NOFO lists an award ceiling of $5,000,000 and anticipates making about four awards. The application closing date is 2026-11-19. Eligible applicants are broad and include state, county, and local governments; special districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status); and for-profit entities including small businesses. The program aligns with CFDA/Assistance Listing numbers 10.072, 10.928, and 10.931 and is categorized under agriculture, environment, and natural resources.

Overall, the opportunity is designed for organizations capable of delivering technical conservation work at real sites: coordinating with multiple stakeholders, collecting and analyzing field data, producing implementable designs, executing restoration construction or planting to NRCS standards, and then continuing with stewardship and condition assessments to protect federal easement investments over the long term.

• The Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Easement Restoration and Stewardship" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.072, 10.928, 10.931.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2026-09-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-11-19. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: 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 having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for USDA NHQ ACEP 26 NOFO0001456

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