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Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program competition for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2026

US USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) grant open #USDA-NRCS–NHQ-VPA-26-NOFO001448
Response due Jun 08, 2026 · 00:00 UTC

Summary

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is soliciting applications for the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP) for Federal Fiscal Year 2026. VPA-HIP provides grants to state and tribal governments to encourage landowners to voluntarily open private land for wildlife-dependent recreation (hunting, fishing, etc.) and to improve fish and wildlife habitat on those lands. This is a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) posted on Grants.gov. Eligible applicants are expected to be state and tribal governments that can administer public access agreements and habitat incentive programs with private landowners.

What they want

NRCS is conducting a competitive grant program under the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP). Awardees will be required to: (1) incentivize private landowners to voluntarily open their land to public access for wildlife-dependent recreation; (2) implement habitat improvement activities on enrolled lands; and (3) administer and report on program outcomes to NRCS. The program is structured as a federal grant competition, not a procurement contract. The opportunity number is USDA-NRCS–NHQ-VPA-26-NOFO001448.
Deliverables
  • Landowner voluntary public access agreements
  • Habitat improvement activities on enrolled private lands
  • Program administration and compliance reporting to NRCS
  • Wildlife-dependent recreation access for the public
Technical requirements
  • Applicants must be capable of administering voluntary public access programs with private landowners
  • Must support wildlife-dependent recreation (hunting, fishing, etc.)
  • Must implement and document habitat improvement activities

How they evaluate

  • Competitive merit review per NOFO requirements (specific criteria not stated in synopsis)
Submission: Grants.gov online portal submission

Eligibility & certifications

SAM.gov registration likely required for federal grant applicants

Risks & flags

  • Synopsis only — full NOFO details, eligibility requirements, and evaluation criteria are not yet available in the provided text, limiting full assessment
  • No dollar amounts disclosed, making value assessment impossible from this record alone

Market context

inferred from NAICS
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting
NAICS 115310
US market size
$370B
Typical award
$10K – $5M
Typical buyers
USDABureau of Land Management
Commonly required
USDA certifications

Sector-level estimate — full code lookup not yet in catalog.

Public Administration
NAICS 921190
US market size
n/a — buyer side
Typical award
n/a
Typical buyers
Internal

Sector-level estimate — full code lookup not yet in catalog.

Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incent…
Due Jun 08
Onboard ↗