Project sponsorship allows Individual Applicants fiscal access to NMDA’s Healthy Soil Program grant funding. Project Sponsors help Individual Applicants adhere to their timeline and budget, invoice correctly for reimbursement, report on their grant progress in a timely way, and more.

Only two types of parties can serve as an Individual Applicant’s Project Sponsor:

• The New Mexico soil and water conservation district (SWCD) in which you reside
• Your New Mexico-based pueblo, tribe, or nation

If the land where you wish to execute an HSP project for fiscal year 2026 is within the boundaries of Ciudad SWCD, you will need to request project sponsorship from the district. Please visit NMDA's Healthy Soil Program website for more information about the program.

Project Sponsors typically formalize our support during a meeting. Ciudad SWCD requires Individual Applicants to attend a meeting in order to present their projects and formally request sponsorship. When you seek project sponsorship, Ciudad SWCD will request to see your conservation planning documentation, your timeline and budget, and a near-final draft of your online application. The more cohesive and developed these items are, the more likely the district is to sponsor your project. If you have questions about this process, please contact Agriculture Manager CJ Ames at cj@ciudadswcd.org.

Important dates for FY26 applications:

• On November 7, 2024, NMDA hosted a pre-application webinar for Individual Applicants. Review the slides and watch a captioned recording of that webinar.
• January 15, 2025:  The online grant application for NMDA’s Healthy Soil Program (and other grant programs at NMDA) opens and will be available at https://grants.nmda.nmsu.edu. First-time users must create a free account (login ID + password).
• January 23, 2025: From 3 to 4:30 p.m. Mountain Time, NMDA will host a webinar to walk through the online application for Individual Applicants. Register to attend.
• February 21, 2025: NRCS conservation planning deadline. NMDA strongly recommends that you contact NRCS well before the February 21, 2025 (5 p.m. Mountain Time) deadline to complete conservation planning. Conservation planning with NRCS can be completed at any time of year.
• March 19, 2025 at 12 p.m. (noon) Mountain Time: Deadline to submit your online application.