NACD Announces Urban and Community Conservation Grants for 35 Recipients 08/22/2024
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 22, 2024 |
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NACD Announces Urban and Community Conservation Grants for 35 Recipients
Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the 2024 Urban and Community Conservation (UAC) grant initiative recipients. These grants are open to any conservation district or tribe within the U.S. and its territories.
Since 2016, NACD has led the efforts of this successful grant program in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to help conservation districts and tribes build capacity for urban technical assistance and small-scale conservation, while addressing community needs in both rural and urban areas.
Through the partnership, over $9.2 million has been awarded to 168 conservation districts and tribes in 42 states and Puerto Rico. As part of an ongoing effort to build capacity in the community-oriented agricultural space, NACD started offering UAC planning grants for up to $10,000 in 2022.
“The Urban and Community Conservation grants generate innovative ideas for conservation and are an integral part of our efforts to get conservation on the ground and reach historically underserved communities,” said Kim LaFleur, NACD President. “The practices employed serve as a model for future conservation efforts.”
Examples of this year’s projects include installing a micro-nursery and vegetable garden within a secured youth detention center, providing Spanish-speaking farmworkers with pesticide safety education, developing a workshop series for immigrant and refugee farmers, and soil remediation in public spaces to plant public orchards that will eventually provide free food for residents.
This year, 35 conservation districts representing all seven of NACD’s regions have been awarded $1,468,157 in funding. The 2024 UAC grant recipients are:
- East Stanislaus Resource Conservation District, CA
- Inland Empire Resource Conservation District, CA
- Mission Resource Conservation District, CA
- Southwest Conservation District, CT
- Chestatee Chattahoochee RC&D Council, GA
- West Oahu Soil and Water Conservation District, HI
- Bonner Soil & Water Conservation District, ID
- Clinton County Soil and Water Conservation District, IL
- Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District, IN
- Carroll County Conservation District, KY
- Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District, ME
- Alger Conservation District, MI
- Lower Musselshell Conservation District, MT
- Durham Soil & Water Conservation District, NC
- East Rio Arriba SWCD, NM
- Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District, OH
- Oklahoma County Conservation District, OK
- Harney Soil and Water Conservation District, OR
- Hood River Soil & Water Conservation District, OR
- Allegheny County Conservation District, PA
- Westmoreland Conservation District, PA
- East Soil and Water Conservation District, PR
- Southern Rhode Island Conservation District, RI
- Clinch Valley Soil & Water Conservation District, VA
- Clark Conservation District, WA
- Ferry Conservation District, WA
- Grays Harbor Conservation District, WA
- King Conservation District, WA
- Pend Oreille Conservation District, WA
- Pierce Conservation District, WA
- Snohomish Conservation District, WA
- Thurston Conservation District, WA
- Whidbey Island Conservation District, WA
- Racine County, WI
- Upper Ohio Conservation District, WV
More information about the program, including a Story Map of past grantees’ projects, is available on NACD’s Urban and Community Conservation webpage.
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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.