Friends of NACD District Grants Program
Friends of NACD are individuals who support the nation’s nearly 3,000 conservation districts through cash donations to NACD. Individuals contribute at four donation levels (between $35 to $1500), with each level entitling members to specific benefits.
Included as a benefit to Friends of NACD is the opportunity to support individual conservation districts through the Friends of NACD Grant Program. Since Fiscal Year 2020, Friends of NACD have awarded nearly $60,000 in grant funding to 24 districts across the country. Please see the list below for the 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020 Friends of NACD District Grants Recipients.
Listed alphabetically by state
Alabama
Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District
Bee Friendly Garden
In connection with landowners, students, youth programs, and civic organizations, the Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District will station and maintain an active flow hive, with honeybees and a pollinator garden, to provide a visual example of the importance and value of pollinators and healthy ecosystems.
Maine
Oxford County Soil & Water Conservation District
Climate Resiliency Forestry Demonstration Project
The Oxford County Soil & Water Conservation District will create and install a climate resilience focused educational demonstration project at their Tenmile River Demonstration Forest. The project will show ways to improve forest resiliency to climate change by encouraging carbon storage in standing timber, increasing forest diversity with alternative forest products, crop plantings that can create sources of income, and enhancing soil health and conservation, while working with local schools and community groups.
North Carolina
Wilkes Soil & Water Conservation District
Mobile Soils Classroom
The Wilkes Soil & Water Conservation District will build a Mobile Soils Classroom and take it to schools and events to give students an immersive and interactive experience of the ground beneath their feet and teach the importance of soil health for the environment and food production.
North Dakota
James River Soil Conservation District
James River Soil Conservation District Explorer Packs and Programming
To inaugurate the recently purchased natural resource and agricultural education property, the James River Soil Conservation District will create explorer packs and host youth and adult programming that revolves around pollinators, trees, native flora, water conservation, and wildlife.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma County Conservation District
Sowing Seeds of Stewardship: Native Plants for Urban Conservation
The Oklahoma County Conservation District will promote land stewardship in urban areas by providing resources and technical support to conservation projects centered on the benefits that native plants provide to soil health, water conservation, and wildlife habitat.
Washington
Benton Conservation District
Energy & Agriculture STEM Academy
The Benton Conservation District will partner with the Franklin and Walla Walla conservation districts, leading agricultural employers, local clean energy utilities, and educational institutions to develop and implement the Energy & Agriculture STEM Academy to educate, expose, and prepare 25 high school students for local careers in conservation, sustainable agriculture, and clean energy.
West Virginia
Capitol Conservation District
Ben Franklin Career & Technical Center Outdoor Classroom
As a true community cooperative project, the Capitol Conservation District will provide a state-of-the-art outdoor classroom experience encompassing major natural resource fields: aquatics, forestry, wildlife, soils, and agriculture. All enhanced through hands-on educational exploration.
Wyoming
Campbell County Conservation District
Wyoming Roots Run Deep – Soil Trailer
The Campbell County Conservation District, in partnership with federal, state, and local agencies, will promote the importance and awareness of soil health through a mobile, inclusively designed educational trailer for both youth and adult audiences throughout the community.
Listed alphabetically by state
Illinois
Bureau County Soil and Water Conservation District
Food Forest in Princeton, Illinois
In partnership with schools, youth programs, gardening groups, and food advocates, the Bureau County SWCD will install and maintain a food forest to expand perennial cropping systems and enhance local food resources to their community.
Indiana
Clark County Soil and Water Conservation District
Fore! Invasive Species Awareness Project
In cooperation with Clarksville Parks and Recreation and the Floyd County Native Habitat Restoration Team, the Clark County SWCD established an educational outreach program to increase invasive species awareness within Clark and Floyd counties and promote the benefits of native species.
Louisiana
Catahoula Soil and Water Conservation District
The Catahoula SWCD had a tree sale in their urban community to encourage and teach about the importance of conservation and value of trees by planting trees.
Maine
Waldo County Soil and Water Conservation District
Conservation Landscape Certification
The Waldo County SWCD will create resources for a new conservation landscape certification, including an online print resource guide that assists landowners with each step required in the certification, and a smartphone app people can use to complete a certification checklist; done in partnership with the Knox-Lincoln SWCD.
New Mexico
Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District
The Valencia SWCD led an experiential, agriculture-focused summer camp for local youth, promoting regenerative agriculture and food security while capturing the lessons of community partners to be shared during the camp and in other widespread community outreach efforts.
South Dakota
Miner Conservation District
Miner County Community Tree Planting Project
The Miner County CD will plant needed trees in their community in partnership with the Howard High School football team, 5th and 6th grade class, Miner County 4-H clubs, various community organizations, and members of Miner County.
Texas
Caldwell-Travis Soil and Water Conservation District
Soil Health Workshop Series for Deep Topsoil Restoration of The Plum Creek Watershed
In partnership with the Hays and Seguin SWCDs and more than a dozen government and non-governmental organization partners, the Caldwell-Travis SWCD will host a series of workshops to create a dialogue on land preservation, farm succession planning, principles of soil health, economics of regenerative agriculture, ecosystem service market development, and conservation easement strategies with producers and landowners in the Plum Creek Watershed.
Matagorda County Soil and Water Conservation District
Feral Pig Mitigation Program
The Matagorda County SWCD will purchase a pig trap system to mitigate feral pig damage within Matagorda County, collect data on feral pig numbers, and educate youth and adults about feral pigs.
Listed alphabetically by state
Connecticut
Eastern Connecticut Conservation District
Milo Appley Conservation Showcase and Education Center
The Eastern Connecticut Conservation District (ECCD) developed land the district owns into an outdoor conservation showcase and education center for area residents, schools, students, and conservation volunteers and professionals.
Florida
Duval Soil and Water Conservation District
Start Farming Mentorship Program
The Duval Soil and Water Conservation District began a Start Farming Mentorship Program to support new farmers by providing tours of diverse farm operations and onsite workshops in sustainable practices including water conservation, composting and permaculture.
Georgia
Catoosa County Conservation District
The Catoosa County Conservation District hosted a rain barrel workshop to encourage and promote residential water conservation.
Oklahoma
Beaver County Conservation District
Surviving Blazes, a celebration of recovery after the March 7, 2020 Wildfire
The Beaver County Conservation District celebrated surviving the March 7, 2020 wildfire with a one-day “block party” style event using speakers, vendors, demonstrations, games, and entertainment to encourage community residents to participate in prevention and be prepared when wildfire strikes again.
Listed alphabetically by state
Idaho
Butte Soil and Water Conservation District
Recycling Agricultural Chemical Containers
Butte Soil and Water Conservation District (BSWCD) installed a locally accessible recycling bin for agricultural chemical containers. Local farmers, ranchers, homeowners and businesses may now dispose their plastic pesticide, herbicide and other chemical containers in this bin for proper handling and recycling. This service had not previously been available. The project has helped spread the district’s conservation message and opens the door for more outreach on water quality issues.
New Mexico
Sierra SWCD
After COVID-19 (coronavirus) cancelled their original plans for a summer camp, the Sierra Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) adapted and provided students with conservation kits to take home for hands-on learning experiences. The kits included supplies to raise frogs and butterflies, ecospheres, a summer camp t-shirt and a backpack filled with educational materials and goodies from various district partners. Many students also received a home aquaponics system and mushroom growing kit. SWCD is planning an in-person summer camp for the summer of 2021. Read more about SWCD’s accomplishments with this grant funding in this blog post.
South Carolina
Richland Soil and Water Conservation District
Seed Sanctuary: Re-seeding Richland
To promote home gardening, sustainable gardening practices and pollinator conservation, the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District (RSWCD) launched a Seed Sanctuary, a free seed share that provided residents with small packets of wildflower, vegetable and herb seeds at no cost. As a direct result of this project, community awareness of RSWCD was raised. The district expanded its volunteer base, gained new social media followers and added nearly 2,000 new subscribers to its monthly newsletter. Read more about RSWCD’s accomplishments with this grant funding in this blog post.
Rhode Island
Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District
Expanding District Fundraising through Seedling Sale Program
The Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District launched a Seedling Sale Program during an Earth Day Celebration at a local farm in Rhode Island to expand district fundraising efforts while educating the local community on the value of planting native trees.