Easement Restoration and Stewardship
🏛 Natural Resources Conservation Service
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Oct 8, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for organizations restoring and maintaining wetland and floodplain easements protected through USDA programs. Eligible applicants include nonprofits, state agencies, universities, and conservation organizations with technical capacity in wetland/floodplain restoration. Work occurs on lands already under easement (WRE and FPE). Activities include restoration design, implementation, stewardship, and ecological assessment of easement conditions.
No cost-sharing is required. Organizations must be able to coordinate with NRCS staff, landowners, and partners. Experience with habitat restoration, technical surveys, and conservation practice implementation is essential.
Awards range from $250,000 to $5,000,000 through cooperative agreement.
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Program description
The opportunities associated with this NOFO are for lands protected through the Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) component of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) and the Floodplain Easement (FPE) component of the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWPP). The types of work available through this opportunity fall into three primary categories: 1) restoration of wetland and floodplain easements; 2) stewardship of wetland and floodplain easements, and 3) onsite and offsite assessment of easement conditions.
Component 1) Wetland and Floodplain Easement Restoration.
Awardees will work with NRCS personnel, partners and landowners to develop and implement sound easement restoration plans. These plans may include structural practices, such as levees and water control structures, and/or vegetative establishment practices, such as tree planting.
Awardees are expected to complete the following easement restoration activities:
(A) Coordination- Accept input on restoration planning from NRCS employees, NRCS partners and easement owners.
(B) Investigation- Completion of technical surveys such as topographic, hydrological or habitat inventories.
(C) Restoration Design- Combine data collected through coordination and technical surveys to develop functional, yet cost-effective restoration plans.
(D) Implementation- Application of the easement restoration design using NRCS provided practice standards and specifications.
NRCS wetland and floodplain easements have varying levels of restoration planning completed by NRCS employees or partners. Awardees will receive all relevant planning information for easements included in this agreement. Awardee must be prepared to complete some or all the listed restoration activities.
Component 2) Wetland and Floodplain Easement Stewardship.
Awardees are responsible for completing easement stewardship activities on restored wetland and floodplain easements. Easement stewardship includes repair, maintenance, management, and enhancement of properties.
(A) Repair and Enhancement- Awardee will develop repair or enhancement plans. Repair plans will be prepared when installed conservation practices fail or are damaged. Repairs may include structural and/or vegetative restoration practices, such as a dike damaged by flooding or replanting trees damaged or killed by drought. Enhancement plans are developed to improve specific aspects of a restored easement.
(B) Maintenance and Management- Awardee will develop easement maintenance and management plans. These plans identify specific activities that will prolong life and improve the function of installed restoration practices. For example, maintenance plans describe how and when an earthen dike should be mowed to prevent the establishment of woody vegetation.
Component 3) Easement Assessments.
The Awardee will complete onsite and offsite easement assessments. Assessments will document the habitat condition of easements and determine their compliance with deed terms and conditions. Awardees will use the data collected to determine the ecological condition of easements and, if necessary, develop repair, enhancement and/or maintenance plans to improve the condition of the assessed easements.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- Project Narrative describing restoration and stewardship scope
- Detailed Budget and Budget Narrative
- Letters of support from NRCS partners and participating landowners
- Organizational capacity documentation (staff resumes, prior project examples)
- Easement-specific information (NRCS will provide; map parcels in scope)
Program contact
- 👤 Tessa Garcia Grants Management Specialist
- 📧 tessa.garcia@usda.gov
- 📞 651-602-7919
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 10.928 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$323,000
Top States by Funding
- CT 1 awards $0.3M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 10.928). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $2,055,708 | |
| 2025 | $78,948,340 |
FAQ
What types of organizations can apply?
Nonprofits, state/federal agencies, universities, and conservation organizations with demonstrated capacity in wetland or floodplain restoration. Fiscal capacity and experience with NRCS partnerships is required.
What activities are funded under this grant?
Restoration planning and design, construction/implementation, stewardship (repair/maintenance/enhancement), and onsite/offsite ecological assessment of easement conditions.
Is cost-sharing required?
No. This grant funds 100% of eligible costs. No matching funds are needed.
What is the typical award range?
Awards range from $250,000 to $5,000,000 depending on scope of easement work and project complexity.
When is the deadline and can I reapply if rejected?
The deadline is November 19, 2026. The NOFO indicates this is a fixed deadline. Reapplication after rejection is typical for USDA programs but confirm with NRCS.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Demonstrate strong relationships with NRCS field offices and local landowners before applying. Letters of support from partners strengthen competitiveness.
- Focus your scope on easements where restoration planning is incomplete. NRCS provides all existing planning data; clarify which activities you'll lead.
- Include detailed budgets showing cost-effectiveness. NRCS emphasizes functional, cost-effective restoration designs—show you understand this balance.
- Build in realistic timelines for site surveys, design approval, and implementation. Coordination with NRCS takes time; don't overestimate capacity.
- Document your team's technical expertise in hydrology, habitat restoration, and conservation practice standards. NRCS has specific practice standards you must follow.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Underestimating coordination time with NRCS, landowners, and other partners. Applications succeed when feasibility is clear and deadlines are realistic. Weak documentation of technical team qualifications in wetland/floodplain restoration and survey design. Unclear scope definition regarding which restoration components (design vs. implementation vs. stewardship) your organization will lead.
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