NEWS RELEASE

NACD Announces Launch of Friends of NACD District Grants Application Period

Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the launch of its application period for the 2025 Friends of NACD District Grants Program.

This year, NACD and Scotts Miracle Gro are partnering to award the 2025 Friends of NACD District Grants Program. Now in its sixth round of funding, the Friends of NACD District Grants Program is an initiative of the NACD District and Partner Relations Committee. The 2025 program will award top-ranking applicants up to $2,500 each to conduct new activities or test novel approaches to their operations.

Past grantees have implemented projects that have helped to enhance their visibility within their communities, reach new clients, and grow their partnerships. Examples include an Arbor Day tree-planting partnership event hosted by the Rio Grande Conservation District, a 2024 grantee in Center, CO; a climate resilience focused educational demonstration forest project created by the Oxford County Soil and Water Conservation District, a 2023 grantee in Hiram, Maine; an educational outreach program to increase invasive species awareness led by the Clark County Soil and Water Conservation District in Indiana, a 2022 grantee; the Start Farming Mentorship Program started by the Duval Soil and Water Conservation District, a 2021 grantee in Jacksonville, Florida; and a recycling bin for agricultural chemical containers constructed by the Butte Soil and Water Conservation District, a 2020 grantee in Arco, Idaho.

The Friends of NACD program was established in 2009 to enable individuals and organizations to support the nation’s approximately 3,000 conservation districts through cash donations to NACD. Requests for proposals are open from October 9 through November 30, 2024, and any questions about the grant can be directed to Caleb Griffin at caleb-griffin[at]nacdnet.org.

Learn more about Friends of NACD and the District Grants Program and apply on NACD’s website. Consider becoming a member of the Friends of NACD network to further support this important grassroots effort!

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About the National Association of Conservation Districts: 

The National Association of Conservation Districts is the nonprofit organization that represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts, their state and territory associations and the 17,000 individuals who serve on their governing boards. For more than 70 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. For more information about NACD, visit: www.nacdnet.org.