The New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) is seeking applications for its Healthy Soil Program to promote and support farming and ranching systems and other forms of land management that increase soil organic matter, aggregate stability, microbiology and water retention to improve the health, yield and profitability of the soils of the state.
Donor Name: New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA)
State: New Mexico
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/20/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Grants to improve soil health are the centerpiece of NMDA’s Healthy Soil Program. Every year, NMDA awards grants to implement on-the-ground projects that involve one or more of the five soil health principles. The soil health principles are stated as follows in the Healthy Soil Act, which created the program:
- keeping soil covered;
- minimizing soil disturbance on cropland and minimizing external inputs;
- maximizing biodiversity;
- maintaining a living root; and
- integrating animals into land management, including grazing animals, birds, beneficial insects or keystone species, such as earthworms.
Funding Information
Eligible Entity can apply up for up to $100,000.00 in project funds, provided the Eligible Entity has a Unique Entity ID (UEI) from the System for Award Management. Eligible Entities that do not possess a UEI by the grant-application can apply for a Healthy Soil Program grant of up to $24,999.99.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible Entities, defined in the Healthy Soil Act as “local governmental [entities] with proven land management capacity to support healthy soil”, including:
- Pueblos, tribes, and nations
- Acequias
- Land grants
- Soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs)
- New Mexico State University — Cooperative Extension Service
- Other local governmental entities with “proven land management to support healthy soil
- 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.
For more information, visit NMDA.
