.png){kind=spacer}
On Friday, June 30, 2023, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the 2023 Urban and Community Conservation (UAC) grant initiative recipients. The grants are open to any conservation district or tribe within the US and its territories.
Twenty-nine conservation districts and tribes representing all seven of NACD’s regions were awarded $1,295,735 in funding.
Examples of this year’s projects include developing agricultural programs for special-needs children and young adults, establishing community food banks, an education program for small-acreage and subdivision residents, an outreach and education program that provides translation services to non-English speaking farmers and outreach support to veterans, as well as school and community garden projects.
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 build technical capacity within nontraditional agricultural systems.
Through the partnership, NACD has awarded over $7.75 million to 140 conservation districts and tribes in 39 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 are an integral part of our efforts to get conservation on the ground, and reach historically underserved communities,” said Kim LaFleur, NACD President. “These projects enable grant recipients and their partners to address multiple resource concerns and important issues like local food access and security.”
More information about the program, including past grantees, is available on NACD’s Urban and Community Conservation webpage.
