National Association of Resource Conservation & Development Councils

What National Association of Resource Conservation & Development Councils does

The National Association of Resource Conservation & Development Councils (NARCDC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership association headquartered in Dothan, Alabama, that serves as the national umbrella body for the country's network of Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Councils. Its core function is to build relationships, cultivate partnerships, and steward resources that enable member councils to improve community wellbeing in rural and underserved geographies, with a programmatic focus on conservation planning, food access, workforce development, and youth education.

The association operates several distinct programs: the National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP), co-developed with USDA-NRCS to coordinate conservation planning delivery to producers; RC&D Feeds, a 2025-launched national food-access initiative; the River of Words national youth poetry and art contest; and a Council Resources program providing templates and operational guidance to member councils. It also maintains a USDA People's Garden at its Dothan site as a demonstrable community-garden model.

NARCDC's business model is membership dues from RC&D Councils, supplemented by individual tax-deductible donations (typical asks of $10-$40 plus custom amounts), programmatic grants, and federal pass-through funding such as a Department of Labor / congressional earmark led by Rep. Sanford Bishop for workforce-training equipment. Member benefits include GrantStation access, operational templates, peer-learning forums, and advocacy representation. The organization employs approximately 7-9 staff and reports a tax ID of 36-3832940.

Name

National Association of Resource Conservation & Development Councils

Legal name

National Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils

Website

https://narcdc.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The National Association of Resource Conservation & Development Councils (NARCDC) is a 501(c)(3) membership association that serves as the national umbrella body for the U.S. RC&D Council network, supporting member councils with conservation planning, food access, workforce, and youth-education programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Conservation & Community Development Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

Keywords

• Conservation services
• Community development
• Nonprofit membership
• Rural development
• Food access programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Dothan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting conservation and rural community initiatives. Secure online donations available via Cognito Forms, with options for one-time, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual donations. The organization also accepts checks by mail, corporate gifts, legacy gifts, and stock gifts. Tax ID: 36-3832940.
2. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from RC&D Councils. Council dues are 90% tax deductible, with the remainder supporting advocacy and lobbying efforts. Membership provides access to GrantStation, grants and funding opportunities, educational webinars, and social media consultations.
3. RC&D Feeds Initiative: Specific fundraising initiative for food access and community nutrition programs. Donations support local food drives, community gardens, and food education programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NARCDC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership association that builds relationships, cultivates partnerships, and stewards resources—both natural and human—to enhance the ability of Resource Conservation & Development Councils across the United States to improve community wellbeing. It sells an annual Membership Program (with benefits including GrantStation access, grant updates, webinars, social media consulting, and promotional exposure) and operates the RC&D Feeds national food access initiative alongside the National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP) to advance conservation, economic development, infrastructure resilience, workforce development, and natural resource stewardship.

Product overview

NARCDC operates as a membership-based nonprofit organization representing a nationwide network of Resource Conservation & Development Councils. The organization offers a membership program with benefits including GrantStation access, grants, webinars, and promotional support. The flagship initiative is RC&D Feeds, a national food access program implemented through local councils. Additional offerings include Council Resources and the National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP) for conservation planning leadership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Program
• RC&D Feeds
• National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP)
• Donations Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 200,000+ trees planted through Western Maryland RC&D alone
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015NCPP was formed in FY 2015 to emphasize the critical role of conservation planning in advancing voluntary conservation efforts on private lands. The partnership works to 'Reinvigorate Conservation Planning' by implementing goals supporting proven approaches, offering new tools, and expanding training to enhance workforce ability to deliver sound conservation planning assistance.
• Baker Technology Institute (BTI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGolden Triangle RC&D partnered with BTI to provide Heavy Equipment Operator certifications through their mobile classroom program. BTI-certified trainer Kevin Blackburn, with over 25 years of industry and training experience, leads training sessions for county road department employees and the public.
• Congressman Sanford Bishop's Office / Department of LabormajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeavy Equipment Simulator program received congressionally directed funding through Congressman Sanford Bishop's office and the Department of Labor to develop a custom mobile classroom for workforce training across rural communities.
• USDA-NRCScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSDA Natural Resources Conservation Service supports RC&D Councils and programs including AMRV RC&D Council's Next Generation Ag Program through grants and funding critical for promoting and expanding agricultural education programs.
• Engage ArkansascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArkansas RC&D's Full Circle Farm Corps partners with Engage Arkansas to strengthen communities through farming, outreach, and teaching in Arkansas, focused on fighting food insecurities.
• Southwestern North Carolina RC&DminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional collaboration on Small Farm Conferences, working alongside Georgia-based councils like Seven Rivers RC&D, Pine Country RC&D, and Coastal RC&D.
• GACD, GSWCC, UGA, State Forestry CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChestatee-Chattahoochee RC&D collaborates with these organizations to provide practical, research-backed information at Small Farm Conferences for farmers.
• Seven Rivers RC&D, Pine Country RC&D, Coastal RC&DminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGeorgia-based RC&D councils collaborating on Small Farm Conferences and regional agricultural initiatives.
• USDA People's GardenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlamo RC&D Council's Growing Rural Program garden at St. John Lutheran Church is designated as a USDA People's Garden.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Farmland Trust: National nonprofit working on farmland conservation, agricultural viability, and rural community resilience—overlapping NARCDC's agricultural-conference and food-access work (e.g., RC&D Feeds, AMRV's Next Generation Ag Program) but operating at a national policy scale.
• Ducks Unlimited: Large wetlands and grasslands conservation nonprofit with a federated state-chapter model mirroring NARCDC's council network, and overlapping work on habitat restoration, invasive species, and reforestation.
• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit creating parks and protecting land for communities, with overlap to NARCDC's community-development and rural-infrastructure focus (e.g., Better Back Road, workforce training programs through Golden Triangle RC&D).
• National Wildlife Federation: Large national conservation nonprofit with affiliate state programs delivering on-the-ground conservation, education, and habitat restoration—comparable to NARCDC's federated, state-based council delivery model and youth environmental education offerings.
• Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC): Federal-state economic development partnership serving Appalachian communities with grants for infrastructure, workforce, and community capacity-building—comparable to NARCDC's rural workforce-training, infrastructure, and economic development work in regions served by councils like Appalachian RC&D and South Central Mountain RC&D.
• The Nature Conservancy: Global conservation organization that purchases and manages land for habitat protection, comparable to NARCDC member councils' land stewardship and reforestation work (e.g., Western Maryland RC&D's 200,000+ tree program) but operating at vastly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Pheasants Forever / Quail Forever: Habitat-focused nonprofit with a strong local-chapter model delivering upland conservation, prairie restoration, and youth education—directly analogous to NARCDC's council-level delivery of reforestation and youth environmental programs.
• National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD): National nonprofit membership association for the nation's 3,000+ conservation districts—the closest institutional analog to RC&D Councils. Both NACD and NARCDC serve as national voices, training providers, and federal-funding conduits for locally governed conservation units partnered with USDA-NRCS.
• Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS): Member-based nonprofit advancing the science and practice of natural resource conservation, with overlapping audiences in conservation planning and NRCS-affiliated professionals—directly comparable to NARCDC's NCPP focus on conservation planning workforce development.

Emerging players

• National Young Farmers Coalition: National nonprofit supporting the next generation of farmers through advocacy, education, and network-building—overlapping NARCDC's Next Generation Ag Program and Small Farm Conferences delivered through member councils.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/narcdc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Association of Resource Conservation & Development Councils