Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program competition for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2026
Last verified by NonDilute: 2026-04-29. Official notice and agency instructions control.
If you represent a state or tribal government, secure $100K–$3M to build a landowner incentive program that opens private land for public wildlife recreation.
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What this is
This is a competitive grant program exclusively for state and federally recognized tribal governments to establish or expand voluntary public access initiatives on private agricultural and forest land. Funded programs incentivize landowners to allow public hunting, fishing, and wildlife-dependent recreation; up to 25% of each award can fund habitat improvements. Projects run up to 3 years, with a $3 million single-award cap and $52 million total pool. Applications close June 8, 2026 via Grants.gov.
Who can apply
Only state governments and federally recognized Native American tribal governments may apply. Individual landowners, solo entrepreneurs, small businesses, and non-government organizations are ineligible. This program is restricted to government entities designing public access programs.
Eligible applicant types
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Full description — from the agency
NRCS is announcing the availability of up to $52 million in Voluntary Public Access-Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP) funding through One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), Public Law 119-21 to create or enhance state and Tribal government programs that encourage owners and operators of privately held farm, ranch, and forest land to voluntarily make that land available for access by the public for hunting, fishing, and other wildlife-dependent recreation. VPA-HIP is a competitive grant program and only state and tribal governments may apply. Projects may be up to 3 years in duration. The maximum amount for a single award is $3 million. Up to 25% of the funding for each award may be used to provide incentives to improve wildlife habitat on enrolled public access program lands. For new users of Grants.gov, see Section D of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for information about steps required before submitting an application through Grants.gov. Application deadline: Submit via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on June 8, 2026.
Topics: public access hunting fishing · habitat incentive program · tribal government grants · wildlife recreation funding · private land conservation · voluntary public access
Public-source funding discovery only. This summary is generated from public agency data and may be incomplete or stale. NonDilute is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government agency. Official notices and agency instructions control. NonDilute does not determine eligibility, provide grant-writing advice, or guarantee funding.