The Virginia Conservation Assistance Program: Current Program Status and Funding Request

Emma Rich

Since its inception nearly a decade ago, the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) has experienced a 300% increase in popularity statewide—a growth that has been significantly felt by the Colonial district. Over the last few years, Colonial SWCD has continued to see record breaking VCAP interest with 82 site visits and 58 applications submitted in the first six months of fiscal year 2026 alone. VCAP receives biennial funding from the Department of Conservation and Recreation and in the last budget cycle, received $4 million for July 2024–June 2026. From June–December 2024, the program utilized alternate funding sources and didn’t begin pulling from the state money until the start of 2025. Within those first six months of 2025, approximately $2 million dollars—over half of the allotted funding—had been obligated with a year and a half still left before the next budget cycle began. In an effort to avoid running out of funding before June of 2026, VCAP program administrators implemented a rolling waitlist and a set approval budget per month. Projects with highest ranking scores (a cost benefit analysis based on water quality improvement) and costs that fall within the monthly budget are approved and the rest are neither approved nor denied but put on the rolling waitlist for consideration at a later date. While the waitlist will allow for approved projects through the end of fiscal year 2026, it is not a sustainable long-term solution— what the VCAP program really needs is increased funding! The Virginia Association of Soil & Water Conservation District is seeking a biennial investment of $7–8 million dollars to keep up with the current demands of the program and ensure that we can continue to provide conservation assistance to the best of our ability.

If you would like to show your support of the VCAP program and efforts for increased funding, please consider completing this form that will be automatically sent to your local legislators. For more details of VCAP’s decade-long impact click here and for more information on VASWCD legislative issues please visit vaswcd.org/conservation-issues. 

Read more articles in the Winter 2026 CSWCD Newsletter here.