Federal & State Conservation Assistance Programs

Federal and state programs provide a number of opportunities for landowners looking to improve or preserve their property. From funding to technical assistance, private landowners can take advantage of government grants for land purchase, tax incentives for conservation projects, and more.

For many landowners, however, there is a significant challenge in identifying and applying for the right opportunities in their area. That’s where the Land Conservation Assistance Network comes in. On this page you’ll find links to information about government state and federal land grants that are available, loan programs and other funding sources to help you restore or buy land. From California to Maine, we’ve got the resources you need to make smart decisions about the future of your land, while gaining valuable tax advantages in the process.

Click a state to find federal and state grant/technical assistance programs

National Land Conservation Programs

These national land conservation funding and technical assistance programs are national in scope and the majority are offered by the Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Department of Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service.

The following federal assistance programs are designed to promote conservation activities, habitat protection or restoration on your land through grants, cost share, or technical assistance. Find current land grants available to you

Department of Interior - Fish and Wildlife Service Programs
Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force
Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances
Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Grants
Habitat Conservation Plans
MultiState Conservation Grant Program
National Fish Passage Program
Nationwide Candidate Conservation Agreement for Monarch Butterfly on Energy and Transportation Lands
Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Grants Program
North American Wetlands Conservation Act
North American Wetlands Conservation Act Small Grants Program
North American Wetlands Conservation Act Standard Grants Program
Partners For Fish And Wildlife Program - National
Safe Harbor Agreements
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Coastal Program
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program

Education Programs
AGree
American Conservation Coalition
American Hiking Society
Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies
BatsLIVE
Bee City USA
Butterfly Garden and Habitat Program
Carolyn Pike
Celebrate Urban Birds
Center for Collaborative Conservation
Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils Inc.
Conservation Consulting Group
Conservation Finance Network
Earth Force, Inc.
eePRO
Equine Land Conservation Resource
Eternal Generations Emerging
Evergreen Foundation
Fire Science Online
Firewise USA
Forest Biometrics Research Institute
Green School Alliance
Holistic Management International
In Her Boots
Journey North
Marbleseed
Metro Blooms
Monarch Butterfly Fund
Monarch Butterfly Garden
Monarch Collaborative
Monarch Conservation Science Partnership
Monarch Joint Venture
Monarch Larva Monitoring Project
Monarch Viewing
National Agricultural Institute
National Interagency Prescribed Fire Training Center
National NEMO Network
National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
Nature Digger
Nature Manitoba
North American Association for Environmental Education
Organic Farming Research Foundation
Parks for Pollinators
Pinchot Institute for Conservation
PlayCleanGo
PollinatorLIVE
Project Learning Tree - National
Project Monarch Health
Project WET Foundation
Project WILD
Protect U.S. Community Invasive Species Network
Rancho Esquon
Ready, Set, Go!
Rhizoterra Inc.
Soil Health Academy
SRP Environmental, LLC
Stewart Title Guaranty Company
Sustainable Monarchs
Texan by Nature
The National Agricultural Law Center
The Pesticide Stewardship Alliance
U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities, Inc.
U.S. Green Building Council
Unique Places To Save
Urban Monarch Conservation
Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation
Women Owning Woodlands
Women, Food & Agriculture Network

Energy Assistance Programs
Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency

EPA Programs
Clean Water State Revolving Fund
Five-Star Restoration Program
Source Reduction Assistance Grants
The Pesticide Stewardship Alliance
Urban Waters Small Grants
Wetlands Program Development Grants

Federal and State Tax Incentives and Programs
Current Use Tax Program
Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency
Managed Forest Law
Native Prairie and Wildlife Habitat - Property Tax Benefits
Native Prairie Tax Exemption Program
Open Space Conservation - Property Tax Benefits
Reforestation Tax Credit Program
Sage Advisors, LLC
Waterfowl Restoration Program

Federal Incentives
Farm Operating Loans & Microloans
Farmable Wetlands Program (FWP)
Farmers Market Promotion Program
Livestock Indemnity Program
Local Food Promotion Program
Microloans
Minority and Women Farmers and Ranchers Loans
Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program
Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program

Grant Programs
Acres for America
Bring Back the Natives
Clean Trail Grant Program
FACT's Fund-a-Farmer Grants
Farm Operating Loans & Microloans
Farmable Wetlands Program (FWP)
Farmers Market Promotion Program
FishAmerica Foundation
Forest Stewardship Program (FSP)
Local Food Promotion Program
Mark Howell
Microloans
Minority and Women Farmers and Ranchers Loans
Monarch Butterfly Fund
MultiState Conservation Grant Program
National Wildlife Refuge Friends
Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program
Organic Farming Research Foundation
Perennial Fund
SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program
The Conservation Alliance
The FruitGuys Community Fund
The Fund for Wild Nature
The Meateater Land Access Initiative
The Summerlee Foundation
Value-Added Producer Grant Program
Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentives Program (VPA-HIP)

Habitat Management Programs
Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies
Butterfly Garden and Habitat Program
Community Wildlife Habitat Program
Great Ecology
Jeremiah R Pinto
Metro Blooms
Monarchs In the Rough
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

Landscape Conservation Cooperatives
Sage Advisors, LLC
Spring Creek Aquatic Concepts

NOAA Grant or Funding Programs
Coastal Zone Management Program

Organic Certification Programs
Agricultural Services Certified Organic
Ecocert USA - Plainfield
EQIP Organic Initiative
National Organic Program (NOP)
Oregon Tilth Certified Organic
Organic Certification Cost Share Program
Organic Crop Improvement Association
Pro-Cert Organic Systems Ltd.
Where Food Comes From Organic

State Energy Assistance Programs
Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency

State Funding / Technical Resources
CitSci.org
Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC)
Fire Research And Management Exchange System
Rangeland Analysis Platform (RAP)

USDA - Forest Service Programs
Carolyn Pike
Forest Legacy Program
Forest Stewardship Program (FSP)
Forests and Rangelands
Jeremiah R Pinto
U.S. Forest Service

USDA - FSA Programs
Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Loans
Biomass Crop Assistance Program
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP)
Emergency Conservation Program
Emergency Farm Loans
Emergency Forest Restoration Program
Farm Operating Loans & Microloans
Farm Ownership Loans
Farmable Wetlands Program (FWP)
Grassland Conservation Reserve Program
Guaranteed Farm Loans
Highly Fractionated Indian Land Loan Program
Indian Tribal Land Acquisition Loan Program
Livestock Forage Disaster Program
Livestock Indemnity Program
Microloans
Minority and Women Farmers and Ranchers Loans
Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program
Rangeland Analysis Platform (RAP)
Transition Incentives Program (TIP)

USDA - NRCS Programs
Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP)
Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG)
Conservation Solutions, LLC
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA)
Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP)
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
EQIP Organic Initiative
Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP)- REPEALED
Farm Pilot Project Coordination, Inc.
Healthy Forest Reserve Program
Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP)
Longleaf Pine Initiative
NRCS National Water Quality Initiative
Regional Conservation Partnership Program
Small scale solutions for your farm
Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentives Program (VPA-HIP)
Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP)
Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)- REPEALED

USDA Programs - Other
Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program
Christopher Warren
Farm Labor Housing Loans and Grants
Farmers Market Promotion Program
Local Food Promotion Program
Rural Development Loan Programs
Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program
State and Private Forestry
The Advanced Biofuel Payment Program
The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)
Value-Added Producer Grant Program

Working Lands for Wildlife Programs
Greg M. Peters
Julia Debes

Learn About Conservation Districts

For over 65 years, conservation districts have worked in partnership with state and federal agencies and private organizations to deliver conservation assistance to private landowners nationwide. There are nearly 3,000 conservation districts - one in almost every county. Now expanded to serve all the conservation needs of our nation, districts educate and help local citizens conserve land, water, forests, wildlife and other resources. Learn More »

Find your local Cooperative Extension office

The cooperative extension service is designed to help people use research based knowledge to improve their land. Administered through thousands of county extension offices, extension brings land-grant expertise to the most local of levels in affiliation with the state's designated land-grant universities. Learn More »

State-Level Resources

If you want to learn more about federal land grants in California, tree farm grants in Maine, wetlands preservation programs in Mississippi or any other opportunities for rural property owners, follow the links on this page to browse the rest of Land Conservation Assistance Network. We host a growing library of links to federal and state grant opportunities for land owners, as well as a national directory of professionals who know how to help you begin the application process.

To learn more about the various programs available at the state level, the Land Conservation Assistance Network can connect you with tools, advisors and other professional assistance in your area. We maintain online conservation centers serving Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine and Mississippi, as well as a dedicated resource for property owners in the greater Houston area.

About the Land Conservation Assistance Network

The Land Conservation Assistance Network (LandCAN) is a private 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Falmouth, Maine, serving landowners and other clients throughout the country. Our mission is to provide web-based tools for property owners and others interested in conservation issues. Help us maintain our growing list of federal land grants for private property owners by following us on Facebook, Google+, or Twitter, or making a donation today.