Eligible Entities include New Mexico’s pueblos, tribes, and nations; acequias; land grants; soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs); NMSU—Cooperative Extension Service; and other “local governmental [entities] with proven land management capacity to support healthy soil”, as Eligible Entities are defined in the Healthy Soil Act.
The step-by-step application process outlined below pertains to the next (Fiscal Year 2027, or FY27) Healthy Soil Program grant application cycle.
Stay tuned for the FY27 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Eligible Entities (document coming soon).
For Healthy Soil Program updates – future funding opportunities, as well as soil health events and news – subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter using the form at the bottom of the Healthy Soil Program home page.
Identify the project site(s) within the Eligible Entity’s jurisdiction, as well as the soil health-related resource concerns the Eligible Entity’s project will address at the site(s).
Selecting the Project Site(s)
The Eligible Entity may wish to consider a number of factors in deciding where to implement its project, including but not limited to:
- the land with the greatest potential for soil health improvement
- the number of local land managers benefitted
- the plant communities and animal populations benefitted
- the visibility of the project to local land managers, as well as the general public including students
- the proximity of the project site to where the Eligible Entity's headquarters, making the site easily accessible for those implementing the project’s day-to-day activities.
Identifying Soil Health-Related Resource Concerns
The Eligible Entity must identify clearly the soil health-related resource concerns its project will focus on. For help identifying the soil health-related resource concerns at the project site(s), contact the nearest office of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Use the Eligible Entity’s knowledge of the land, as well as the knowledge held by local land managers, to develop the project idea. Consult our FY27 Project Development Guidance Document (coming soon) to develop the technical aspects of the project.
Asking yourself the following questions can also help you develop the Eligible Entity's project idea:
- Which soil health-related natural resource concerns will the project focus on?
- Which soil health principles will best address those resource concerns?
- Which agricultural/conservation practices best puts those soil health principles into action?
- Which of those agricultural/conservation practices can be implemented between mid-July 2026 and late September 2027 (the grant term for NMDA’s Healthy Soil Program)?
- What goods and services are needed to implement those agricultural/conservation practices?
- From which companies will the Eligible Entity source those goods and services?
- What are the actual costs of those goods and services?
Thinking through such questions will help your Eligible Entity complete its Healthy Soil Program grant application. NMDA also advises conducting a bit of research, especially to identify the specific goods and services you’ll need to implement the Eligible Entity's project, as well as the sellers and costs of those items. (Refer to our FAQ near the top of the page to better understand eligible vs. ineligible expenses.)
Work on the online grant application, as well as the timeline and budget.
Online Application
➜ The online grant application for NMDA’s Healthy Soil Program (and other grant programs at NMDA) will be available at https://grants.nmda.nmsu.edu. First-time users must create a free account (login ID + password).
Timeline and Budget Template
As part of the online application, Eligible Entities must upload several documents. One critical document is the timeline and budget template. Use the template to:
- detail the timeline of activities for your Eligible Entitiy's project; and
- document the specific goods and services associated with those activities, as well as their actual costs.
This is the only way to present an accurate picture of what your Eligible Entity seeks Healthy Soil Program funding to purchase.
➜ Download NMDA’s FY27 timeline and budget template (coming soon) to your computer, then work to complete it. Save the completed template so you can upload it later as part of your online application.
Deadline to submit your online application: Fiscal Year 2027 deadline to be announced.
Take time to review your Eligible Entity's application. Re-read each application question and your Eligible Entity's answer to it. Ensure that you have uploaded all of the required documents where noted in the Eligible Entity grant application at https://grants.nmda.nmsu.edu/. Late, incomplete, and paper applications will not be accepted.
Questions? Email NMDA’s Healthy Soil Program team at hsp@nmda.nmsu.edu.