Fund to pair voluntary land protection with technical, financial assistance for ranchers 

Officials recently announced the Great Plains Grassland Fund will be supported by grants from the Walmart Foundation and investments from McDonald’s USA and several key suppliers through existing contributions to the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative. 

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation said the fund will pair voluntary land protection with technical and financial assistance for ranchers. They’re aiming to permanently protect 150,000 to 200,000 acres of grasslands at risk of conversion to cropland or development and help ranchers improve an additional 150,000 to 200,000 acres, while keeping ranching as the primary use of participating landowners’ properties. 

Projects expected to be funded through the effort will focus on protecting intact grasslands through voluntary conservation easements and other locally led approaches; conserving wildlife habitat and migration routes; improving water quantity and quality; and supporting ranching livelihoods and local economies. 

Up to $10 million is expected to be available through the fund’s initial competitive request for proposals, with awards expected to be announced in 2027, according to NFWF. 

Chris West, director of NFWF’s Rocky Mountain Regional Office, said the fund will help protect and sustainably manage intact grasslands. 

“When we talk about sustainable management, we mean helping ranchers manage grasslands in ways that keep them healthy, productive and resilient over the long term, both for ranching operations and wildlife,” he said. “That can include voluntary, rancher-driven practices on working lands such as improved grazing plans and infrastructure, prescribed fire, invasive species management and grassland restoration.” 

According to West, the common thread among these conservation practices is they build plant growth above and below ground and improve soil health and wildlife habitat while keeping ranching as the primary use of the land. 

The fund is designed to connect ranchers with grantee organizations that provide financial and technical resources. 

“Depending on the project, that could include support for voluntary conservation easements and improved grazing management and infrastructure,” West said. “The fund also will support conservation tools and activities that many ranchers enthusiastically support, including wildlife-friendly fencing, virtual fencing, invasive species removal, use of prescribed fire and the restoration of grassland or riparian habitats.” 

Ranchers and landowners should consider participating in the program, West said. 

“Ranchers have been stewarding these landscapes for generations, and conservation needs to work for them, too,” he said. “The Great Plains Grassland Fund will support grantee organizations that provide ranchers with additional options and resources to keep grasslands intact, improve the health and productivity of their working lands, and maintain ranching and farming as the primary use of their property.” 

That’s important to note, because roughly half of the “historic grassland footprint in the Great Plains has been lost,” according to West. 

“Once intact grassland is plowed, its wildlife habitat, soil health, water-filtering capacity and grazing value cannot be easily restored,” he said. “The Great Plains Grassland Fund is meant to provide ranchers and landowners with more durable and flexible options for keeping working grasslands working, while also enhancing wildlife habitats and supporting local economies and communities.” 

The Fund is intended to be a locally, led, rancher-driven effort. 

“Ranching families are some of the nation’s most important stewards of amazing grassland habitats and iconic wildlife populations, from grassland birds to migrating waterfowl to big-game species such as mule deer, pronghorn and elk,” he said. 

When someone is unsure about where and how to begin, the Fund has resources and support to help implement conservation practices that a rancher could adopt. Awards will enable non-profit organizations to help with the process. 

“The Great Plains Grassland Fund is about keeping working lands working and giving ranchers and communities more tools to keep grassland intact while sustaining the economic and ecological benefits those lands provide,” West said. “This fund will prioritize strong engagement with local ranching communities and community input during project planning and implementation.” 

Overall, the effort should create a long-term funding mechanism that pools public and private funds that supports the community and rancher-led conservation in the region. 

“Healthy grasslands support an extraordinary range of wildlife while sustaining ranching families, rural economies and vital food supply chains,” Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF, stated in a news release. “With this critical investment from the Walmart Foundation, McDonald’s USA and its suppliers, the Great Plains Grassland Fund establishes a framework where stakeholders and other public and private funding partners can provide additional support for advancing conservation throughout the Great Plains.” 

America’s grasslands give birds, fish and wildlife an essential habitat, support ranch economies and the beef supply, as well as connecting migration corridors and water conservation, proponents say. Many help form economic and cultural foundations of rural communities across the Great Plains. 

From Walmart, McDonalds

According to a NFWF news release, the commitment is a major conservation investment by the Walmart Foundation. It is aimed at bringing together two founding philanthropic funders around a shared goal—supporting ranchers. They recognize those individuals have been stewarding the lands and protecting and regenerating native grasslands and the wildlife habitat they provide for many generations. 

The Great Plains Grassland Fund will address these challenges by giving ranchers the tools and resources needed to keep working lands working and grasslands intact, continuing a legacy of land stewardship that ranching families have carried forward for generations. 

“For Walmart and the Walmart Foundation, regeneration is a long-term commitment to the natural resources and people our business and communities depend on,” said Julie Gehrki, senior vice president of Walmart and president of the Walmart Foundation, in a news release. “Two decades of work with NFWF through Acres for America have shown the value of sustained investment in critical habitats.” 

Gehrki hopes through the experiences they can continue building the connections that can help support healthy grasslands, ranchers and a more resilient beef supply chain.  

“This Walmart Foundation investment puts that work into practice in the Great Plains,” she said. 

The new fund builds on the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative, launched in 2025 by NFWF, McDonald’s USA, some of its key beef and beverage suppliers, including Cargill, Golden State Foods, Lopez Dorada, OSI, The Coca-Cola Company, among others, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. The initiative seeks to improve the health and resilience of 4 million acres of grasslands over seven years. 

“The Walmart Foundation has been an important strategic funder for some of our farm-level resilience efforts, and we’re thrilled to deepen the impact of the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative with them,” said Cesar Piña, senior vice president and chief supply chain officer North America at McDonald’s USA. “Since the initiative launched last year, it has supported two rounds of grantees advancing voluntary conservation practices across U.S. grasslands.” 

According to Piña, the support for the Walmart Foundation’s Great Plains Grasslands Fund reflects a partnership that’s crucial in strengthening ecosystems, supporting ranching communities and building a more resilient U.S. beef supply chain. 

Additional information

Projects will build on locally led efforts and may use voluntary conservation easements, grassbanks, grazing associations and other community-based models that keep grasslands intact and sustain their value to ranchers, wildlife and business alike.  

To help measure conservation outcomes, NFWF will work with implementation partners to track progress related to grassland protection, biodiversity, water resources, and ranching livelihoods. 

NFWF will issue a competitive initial Request for Proposals through the Great Plains Grassland Fund. Up to $10 million is expected to be available for projects through this funding opportunity, and awards are expected to be announced in 2027. 

Kylene Scott can be reached at 620-227-1804 or [email protected]