Notice of Funding Opportunity for NRCS?s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) ? RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangement for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2020.

The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is a program that promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. The program provides funding to partners to support conservation activities with eligible producers and landowners on agricultural and non-industrial private forest land. The RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangement (AFA) is a grant-like approach that provides funding directly to eligible partners. The program has four key principles: impact, partner contributions, innovation, and partnerships and management. The program is open to all 50 States, the Caribbean Area, and U.S. territories in the Pacific Island Areas. • The program provides funding for up to 15 RCPP AFA projects in fiscal year 2020. • Applications must be submitted through the RCPP portal. • The program requires partners to provide substantial contributions and to have experience and expertise in managing partnerships and projects. • The program encourages innovation and the use of new technologies and approaches to address conservation challenges. • The program requires partners to provide outreach and technical assistance to producers and to quantify environmental outcomes. • The program gives preference to partnerships that engage historically underserved farmers and ranchers.