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Farm Service Agency
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Cooperative Agreements

FSA Grants & Cooperative Agreements Overview

FSA establishes partnerships through grants and cooperative agreements with a variety of organizations to support farmers and ranchers participating in FSA programs.  We also work with organizations working to improve access to land, capital, and markets for producers.

How can FSA’s partners support farmers and ranchers?

Our grantees and cooperators work directly with producers to help them learn about, apply to, and maintain participation in FSA programs.  This assistance from our partners is free.

Our partners will also organize outreach events to help producers learn about FSA programs.  These events may have a fee to participate.   

What can’t FSA’s partners do? 

Our partners will never ask a producer to provide them Power of Attorney or Signature Authority on FSA forms and program applications.  They will never make decisions or collect program payments on behalf of the producer.  They will never receive a payment from producers or a portion of any FSA program payments in return for their assistance. 

USDA-FSA Grant & Cooperative Agreement Program Descriptions  

Conservation Reserve Program – Transition Incentive Program (CRP-TIP) Outreach and Technical Assistance 

Cooperators provide outreach and technical assistance to producers to promote awareness and understanding of the Conservation Reserve Program-Transition Incentive Program (CRP-TIP) among agricultural communities. 

Emergency Relief Program (ERP) Outreach and Technical Assistance 

FSA works with partners to provide outreach and technical assistance on the Emergency Relief Program (usda.gov) (a Farm Service Agency disaster assistance program) to producers, with a targeted focus on communities where outreach efforts have not been effective in the past and where participation in FSA programs has been historically lower.  

Heirs’ Property Outreach, Education and Technical Assistance 

FSA’s partners provide training and education on heirs’ property and succession planning to Heirs’ Property Landowners | Farmers.gov, as well as conduct outreach and provide technical assistance on the Heirs' Property Relending Program (HPRP) | Farmers.gov to ensure eligible heirs learn about the program, receive programmatic and general support when applying to HPRP re-lenders.   

Increasing Land Access (ILA)

The Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program (usda.gov) funds grants and cooperative agreements for projects that help move underserved producers from thriving to surviving by increasing land, capital and market access. 

FSA Farm Loans Technical Assistance Provider Network 

FSA is partnering with the Extension Risk Management Education Centers and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture to establish a Farm Loans Technical Assistance Provider Network.  This network will be made of agricultural service providers that can provide high quality technical assistance to help producers accessing FSA farm loan programs. 

TaxPayer Education 

USDA has partnered with tax experts from across the country to connect producers to information and resources related to USDA program payments, asset protection, and the important relationships between federal income taxes and USDA farm programs. Tax Information for Farmers and Ranchers | Farmers.gov  

Urban Agriculture Outreach, Education, and Technical Assistance 

This cooperative agreement program supports outreach, research, and technical assistance to improve the coordination and effectiveness of Federal programs, services, and actions affecting urban areas.  FSA is partnering with organizations in cities with a pilot FSA urban county office.  Our partners are working to assist urban producers in participating in FSA programs and urban county committees and improving the sustainability and long-term viability of urban farming operations.  


Available Opportunities 

Please sign up for GovDelivery to receive email or text notifications on funding opportunities, in addition to notifications about important information on programs, eligibility requirements, and deadlines.  

You can also visit Grants.Gov  to search for all federal grant and cooperative agreement funding opportunities. 

FSA Authority to Enter into Grants and Cooperative Agreements 

FSA’s authority to enter into grants and cooperative agreements includes the:

  • American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Section 1001, as amended, authorizes USDA to make grants and agreements to maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency.
  • American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Section 1006, as amended by the Inflation Reduction Act, Section 22007, included provisions for USDA to ensure that underserved producers have resources, tools, programs, and technical support they need to succeed by creating the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program (ILA) and the Urban Agriculture Cooperative Agreement Program
  • Agricultural Act of 2014, Section 1614(c)(3), with qualified universities or university-based organizations to develop online tools and with State extension services to educate farmers and ranchers; and
  • Rural Development Act of 1972, Section 607(b)(4), as amended, with non-governmental organizations or educational institutions related to outreach and technical assistance.
  • There may be additional authorities that are identified for specific programs.

Federal Regulations on Grants and Cooperative Agreements

These are convenient links to federal grant and cooperative agreement-related information:

Farm Service Agency
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE