Technical Assistance Grants

Since 2018, NACD and NRCS, through a series of cooperative agreements, have partnered to provide funding to enhance conservation district technical assistance across the nation. The NACD Technical Assistance grant program awards funds to conservation districts to hire staff where additional capacity is needed to improve customer service to producers and reduce workload pressure. To ensure the funds are directed to areas where they will have the highest impact, NACD works with state and territory conservation partnerships to identify the highest priority locations.

The TA Grants program provides resources to conservation districts to address the growing demand for voluntary working lands conservation. The funding supports boots-on-the-ground assistance to help producers develop conservation plans, implement practices, and access programs like EQIP and CSP. To date, NACD’s technical assistance grantees have supported over 108,000 producers and improved conservation outcomes on more than 6.8 million acres nationwide.

The TA Grants program also prioritizes advancing technical skills and assistance to producers. Grantees are encouraged to help employees pursue Job Approval Authority (JAA) and Certified Conservation Planner credentials, increasing local capacity to independently implement conservation practices.

Eligible applicants include conservation districts, state or territory associations of conservation districts, conservation district’s state or territory agencies, Resource Conservation & Development Councils, and Indian Tribal governments or intertribal consortia.

Apply for Technical Assistance Grants

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), in partnership with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), has issued the request for proposals (RFP) for Technical Assistance (TA) Grants. With an anticipated $27 million in funding, the grants will support technical positions in high-need areas, strengthening conservation delivery across the U.S. and territories.

The NACD application portal is now open. To ensure conservation districts have adequate time to coordinate with their NRCS partners, NACD is extending the Technical Assistance Grant Program application deadline to January 8, 2026. With the federal government reopened and NRCS staff returning to regular operations, this extension will help support thoughtful planning and complete submissions. All other eligibility and submission requirements remain the same.

Applications must be submitted through the NACD application portal. NACD hosted an informational webinar on September 18. Watch a recording of the webinar to learn more about the TA Grants and application process.

Below, find a timeline, the Request for Proposals, and the evaluation matrix, which includes the application questions.

Timeline

• September 17 – Application portal opens
• September 18 – Informational webinar (4 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET)
• January 8 – Last day to submit applications
• February 2026 – Applicants notified of tentative selection
• March 2026 – Memorandum of Agreements distribution and signing

Resources

GrantVantage How-To’s

TA Grant Story Map

Scroll through the map below to see how these grants have helped conservation districts, producers, and partners across the country since the start of these grants.

Questions about this funding opportunity or other NACD opportunities can be directed to Chessa Ossefoort, NACD Program Manager, at Chessa-Ossefoort[at]nacdnet.org or your NACD Region Representative.