By Jackson Moody, NACD Membership and Development Coordinator

At our Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, last month, we were thrilled to kick off another year of the Friends of NACD Grant program. Since 2020, this program has awarded up to $2,500 to districts for conservation initiatives. While a wide variety of projects are eligible, the District and Partner Relations Committee emphasizes the desire for proposals that take an innovative approach to locally led conservation and help a district stand up a program that will serve their community long after the funds have been granted. 

Those who contribute to the program—including NACD’s board members, past presidents, district officials and employees, and our supportive partners—know they are providing meaningful opportunities for local districts to impact conservation in their communities.  

These awards are made possible by the Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation and contributions from individuals within the conservation district community.

Can we count on you to help fund more of these projects in 2027? We need your support to continue awarding these grants to districts with impactful conservation ideas. For a limited time, we are offering an 80th anniversary t-shirt to anyone who donates $100 or more! 

Available while supplies last. Please email membership[at]nacdnet.org to inquire about availability and to arrange for shipping after making a donation. 

As we enter our seventh year of offering these grants, we are pleased to say we’ve now distributed over $115,000 to 47 districts across 29 U.S. states and territories. We had exceptionally high interest in these grants this cycle and received a record number of 61 applications. This made choosing the top eight proposals all the more difficult, but after working with volunteers from our District and Partner Relations Committee, we are pleased to announce the following awardees and their projects. 

2026 Friends of NACD Grantees

Southern Guam Soil and Water Conservation District | Mangilao, GU 

Restoring Resilience – A Community Invasive Species Project in Southern Guam 

“Resilience in Guam comes from showing up and doing the work. When we remove invasive species and replant what belongs here, we are caring for our island the same way it has cared for us.” – Michael Aguon Southern Guam SWCD Board Chair 

Staff and board members will take on a community-led project to maintain and restore the Dan Dan Greenbelt through invasive species removal and native replanting. To complement this initiative, they’ll also create educational tools to strengthen fire resilience and natural resource protection in Southern Guam.  

Rapides Soil and Water Conservation District – Alexandria, LA
Project Greaux CENLA 

“With support from NACD, we can expand our outreach to underserved citizens by providing them with the resources to start their own gardens while also offering valuable education.” – Devin Christopher, RSWCD Board Member 

Through Project Greaux CENLA, the Rapides Soil and Water Conservation District will offer outreach workshops that teach container gardening, composting, organic pest control, and safe food storage, all while helping participants start their very first garden. 

Hancock County Soil and Water Conservation District – Ellsworth, ME
Lamoine Beach Park Dune Restoration  

“With the support of NACD, we’ll be vegetating dunes at one of the most visited parks in the county to provide beauty and shoreline stabilization for years to come.” – Ant Blasi, Board Supervisor 

In partnership with Lamoine Parks Commission, the town of Lamoine, and its community, the Hancock County Soil and Water Conservation District is installing dunes that were previously removed for development purposes and vegetating them with native plants to stabilize the shoreline and create habitat.  

Southern Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District – Houlton, ME
Nature-based Techniques for Shoreline Stabilization Demonstration  

“Our goal is for this project to inspire other lake communities to integrate their own natural shoreline stabilization projects.” – Angela Wotton, Southern Aroostook SWCD District Manager 

The Southern Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District will partner with a local lake association to hold an on-site demonstration workshop for lake owners to learn about living shoreline restoration techniques through plantings and nature-based strategies.  

Alger Conservation District – Munising, MI
Tree Sale Workshops and Conservation Speed Dating  

“Our goal is to expand district outreach throughout the community and provide additional capacity to the residents. The Conservation Speed Dating workshop will provide a fun and engaging experience for residents to connect with the district” – Lani Moleski, District Coordinator  

This project will bring more workshops to Alger Conservation District’s annual tree sale and launch a Conservation “Speed Dating” initiative, where district staff and partners will advise residents on how to manage their properties.  

Allegan Conservation District – Allegan, MI
Ecological Treatment and Restoration Strike Team  

“For decades, our area has faced a steady decline in natural spaces caused by development. This funding will allow us to build the capacity to work side-by-side with landowners to enhance their natural communities by removing invasive plants and replacing them with beneficial natives. The work promotes plant diversity and financial diversity, as we establish services that can generate revenue independently of grants and donations, allowing us to be resilient to funding uncertainties while still providing valuable services to our constituents.” – Brian Talsma, Executive Director at Allegan Conservation District.  

The Allegan Conservation District will establish a self-sustaining Ecological Treatment and Restoration Strike Team, which will engage a variety of landowners in building native plant communities at any scale by providing invasive species treatment and native plant establishment.  

Distrito Caribe de Conservación de Suelos y Agua – Juana Diaz, PR
A Tree in Your Life – Gabia Forest  

“The Bosque Gabia is a vital natural resource for the people of Coamo, and this grant allows us to restore and protect it for future generations. Through this reforestation effort, our community is actively participating in conservation, strengthening our environment, and building a legacy of stewardship and resilience.” Juan C. Garcia Padilla, Mayor of Coamo municipality. 

This project will restore one acre of forest through the planting of 225 native trees, engaging community volunteers and students in hands-on conservation, environmental education, and long-term stewardship of soil, water, and biodiversity resources in southern Puerto Rico.  

Kitsap Conservation District – Poulsbo, WA
Planting Seeds, Harvesting Community   

“By a direct result of these grant funds, we’ll be able to provide more locally grown, healthy food for those in need in Kitsap County.” – Diane Fish, GRACE Program Coordinator & Farm Planner 

The “Planting Seeds, Harvesting Community” project will engage community and food bank gardens with education and technical assistance on sustainable growing methods, support gardens donating to local food banks with plant starts, and build relationships to create a “community of community gardens.”