Browse Ambrook’s collection of funding programs by The Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership (MBCP)

Application period: June 1 - June 22, 2026 by 11:59 pm (NOW CLOSED). Notices of Awards and Rejections were to be issued by July 20, 2026. "All bids are final once the application period is closed."

Bids are submitted through the online bid form: https://birdreturns.org/program/farmlands/submit-a-bid/ - the page is live but currently reads "We're sorry, but we are not currently accepting applications. For more information, please contact us at birds@tnc.org."

New in 2026: each individual field submitted in a bid must be entered on a separate line, and there is a 500-acre cap per property in the initial bid analysis unless more funding becomes available. Applicants whose fields fall in mosquito hot spots should contact the BirdReturns program manager (jbarfield@tnc.org) before applying.

To be notified when the next cycle opens, sign up for BirdReturns email updates: https://forms.gle/nmtnQuPAtvzUyV7B7.

Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership / BirdReturns

Program inquiries

Julia Barfield

Xeronimo Castaneda

Working Lands Program Director, Audubon California

"The&#x2004;objective of the BirdReturns-2026 Late Summer Farmlands Habitat Program is to incentivize farmers to create shallow wetland habitat for migrating shorebirds and other species when flooded habitat for migrating shorebirds is scarce in late summer and early fall. By maintaining shallow, mud-flat conditions on idle or harvested and unvegetated fields for a five-week period in August and September, farmers can provide critical habitat while supporting their farms and local communities."


"Different from most other habitat incentive programs which offer participants compensation at a fixed rate, the BirdReturns Late Summer Farmlands Habitat Program requires applicants to submit bids that are informed by their unique costs and individual circumstances." Bids are stated as a dollar amount per acre and need not be itemized.


The program is managed by the Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership (The Nature Conservancy, Audubon California, and Point Blue Conservation Science), with support from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.



"The objective of the BirdReturns-2026 Late Summer Farmlands Habitat Program is to incentivize farmers to create shallow wetland habitat for migrating shorebirds and other species when flooded habitat for migrating shorebirds is scarce in late summer and early fall. By maintaining shallow, mud-flat conditions on idle or harvested and unvegetated fields for a five-week period in August and September, farmers can provide critical habitat while supporting their farms and local communities."

"Different from most other habitat incentive programs which offer participants compensation at a fixed rate, the BirdReturns Late Summer Farmlands Habitat Program requires applicants to submit bids that are informed by their unique costs and individual circumstances." Bids are stated as a dollar amount per acre and need not be itemized.

The program is managed by the Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership (The Nature Conservancy, Audubon California, and Point Blue Conservation Science), with support from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Eligible applicants:

- Fields capable of maintaining flooding ("in the past some enrollee's fields have been too permeable to hold water")
- Fields in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the Sacramento Valley
- Idle or rotating/resting fields, or fields harvested before the target habitat period that meet vegetation management requirements
- Fields 30 acres or larger (continuous smaller fields may be accepted)
- Open fields with no trees or vines within or immediately adjacent
- Fields with access to ground and/or surface water

Eligible crop types "include but are not limited to: wheat and other cereal grains, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, potatoes, sunflower, safflower, corn, or rice."

Ineligible applicants:

- Fields enrolled in any annual incentive program (i.e., NRCS EQIP) that provides payment to conduct flooding during the same time window proposed for enrollment
- Fields within 5 miles of major airports, including Sacramento International and Travis AFB
- Fields less than 30 acres in size
- Fields located close to population centers or within mosquito hot spots, depending on local conditions or concerns

Lessees may bid and participate "as long as they are authorized to sign a contract of this kind."

A contract to sell an environmental outcome the operation produces - sequestered carbon, a water-quality credit, a habitat credit - to a buyer, rather than receiving an award. Payment is typically per unit (per acre or per ton CO2e) over a multi-year term and contingent on verification, so records using this instrument carry the payment.* and contract.* fields rather than award.min/award.max. Covers both credit-generating programs, where credits are sold to outside buyers, and supply-chain insetting programs, where a company the operation already sells to pays for the practice.

Environmental Market

Wheat

Tomatoes

Potatoes

Sunflowers

Safflower

Corn

Rice

Durum Wheat

Hard Red Spring Wheat

Potato Seeds

Processing Potatoes

Russet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Corn

Grain Corn

Industrial Rice

Japonica Rice

Long Grain Rice

Medium Grain Rice

Sweet Rice

Wild Rice

Row Crops

Vegetables

Specialty Crops

- 2026 Late Summer Farmlands Program flyer (PDF): https://birdreturns.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-LSF-Program-Flyer_FINAL.pdf
- 2026 Late Summer Farmlands Participant Contract Template (PDF): https://birdreturns.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-Late-Summer-Farmlands-Participant-Contract-Template_FINAL.pdf
- BirdReturns program FAQ: https://birdreturns.org/faq/
- Airport / mosquito hot spot exclusion map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1HB191Vikg7vOYhAlt8w7yZ0O87Dwk
- Sign up for BirdReturns email updates: https://forms.gle/nmtnQuPAtvzUyV7B7

Irrigation

Water Quality

Waterway Protection

Wetland Conservation

Conservation

Water Management

Bidding: Payments are made on the bid amount ($/acre) submitted by the applicant. BirdReturns "encourages applicants to consider the real costs they will incur to comply with the practice requirements" - field prep (disking, pulling berms, pulling drains), water supply, discretionary labor and field visits, and energy costs - and to exclude potential vector control treatment costs. "We reserve the right to reject any bids that are determined to be unreasonably priced."

Enrollment period: any continuous five-week period between August 3 and September 30, 2026; all enrollments begin on a Monday (start dates selectable between August 3 and August 31).

Water management: Weeks 1-3 flooding - maintain mudflat or ponded conditions puddled to a maximum depth of 4 inches, with no less than 75% of each enrolled field covered by water. Weeks 4-5 evaporative drawdown - allow standing water to evaporate; do not pull boards to drain or remove check levees.

Vegetation management: fields must have little to no standing vegetation, stubble, or crop residue; crop residue must be incorporated to expose the soil; standing crop stubble or other emergent vegetation must not exceed 10% cover.

Mosquito abatement: "Mosquito abatement costs incurred during the habitat period on enrolled fields will be fully reimbursable by BirdReturns... in 2026 if vegetation management requirements have been met prior to field flood up." Participants pay their Mosquito and Vector Control District directly and submit invoices to BirdReturns staff for reimbursement. All interested applicants must notify their local district of possible enrollment and flooding dates.

Scoring: "Sites will be scored and ranked based on bid price and characteristics important to habitat quality such as overall acreage, field size and location, timing and duration of flooding, and history of bird use in the general area." A diversity of crop types is selected. "Due to a smaller budget in 2026, we expect increased competition this year. Applicants that have earlier start dates and offer competitive pricing will rank higher." Previous participants who met program requirements receive additional weighting; first-time participants are also encouraged to apply.

Payment: per the 2026 participant contract template, the Participation Fee (enrolled acres x $/acre) is paid within 30 days following the end of the drawdown period and verification that habitat requirements were satisfied; the agreement expires October 30, 2026. Participants must allow the Conservancy access at least twice per week for monitoring.

Relationship to Bid4Birds: "The Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership is collaborating with the California Ricelands Waterbird Foundation to ensure BirdReturns and Bid4Birds remain closely aligned... We encourage applicants to apply to both programs. However, if you are selected, you may only enroll a given field in one program."

- Application

To apply for the Sandhill Crane Winter Program, farmers must submit an application consisting of the acreage of foraging and/or roosting habitat they wish to provide. Farmers accepted in the program will all be paid the same fixed rates per acre for these different habitat types.  


Billy Abbott


Bekka Rosenkrantz


BirdReturns has been working with farmers and landowners for 10 years to provide habitat for migratory shorebirds, cranes, waterfowl, and other waterbirds. This year, The Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership (MBCP), with funding and support from&#x2004;the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, will be using the BirdReturns Program to provide needed wintering habitat in the Sacramento Valley and Delta for the Greater Sandhill Crane, a California threatened subspecies. . Habitat provided through this program will also benefit a wide diversity of other waterbird species including waterfowl, shorebirds, and other wading birds.


The objective of the Sandhill Crane Program is to incentivize farmers to create new crane habitat to increase the resilience of the Central Valley’s population. Our goal is to complement existing habitat by providing additional foraging and roosting habitat. Individual growers may provide either foraging sites or roosting sites, or both in combination. (further details below) 

Roosting sites provide sanctuary habitat for cranes and other waterbirds to congregate and spend the night safe from predators. Fields must be unhunted and flooded from 3-9 inches in depth for at least 8 weeks between October 1, 2024 and March 15, 2025.

Foraging sites provide locations for cranes to feed near their night roosts. These sites must be harvested grain fields that are left untilled and initially unflooded to maximize the amount of food for the birds.   

On some fields, social attraction techniques that involve the use of decoys and broadcasting of crane vocalizations will be used to attract cranes. At these sites, access for setup and monitoring will be necessary. Participation in the social attraction aspect of the study is optional. 



BirdReturns has been working with farmers and landowners for 10 years to provide habitat for migratory shorebirds, cranes, waterfowl, and other waterbirds. This year, The Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership (MBCP), with funding and support from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, will be using the BirdReturns Program to provide needed wintering habitat in the Sacramento Valley and Delta for the Greater Sandhill Crane, a California threatened subspecies. . Habitat provided through this program will also benefit a wide diversity of other waterbird species including waterfowl, shorebirds, and other wading birds.

The objective of the Sandhill Crane Program is to incentivize farmers to create new crane habitat to increase the resilience of the Central Valley’s population. Our goal is to complement existing habitat by providing additional foraging and roosting habitat. Individual growers may provide either foraging sites or roosting sites, or both in combination. (further details below) 
Roosting sites provide sanctuary habitat for cranes and other waterbirds to congregate and spend the night safe from predators. Fields must be unhunted and flooded from 3-9 inches in depth for at least 8 weeks between October 1, 2024 and March 15, 2025.
Foraging sites provide locations for cranes to feed near their night roosts. These sites must be harvested grain fields that are left untilled and initially unflooded to maximize the amount of food for the birds.   
On some fields, social attraction techniques that involve the use of decoys and broadcasting of crane vocalizations will be used to attract cranes. At these sites, access for setup and monitoring will be necessary. Participation in the social attraction aspect of the study is optional. 

Open to individual farmers and landowners in the Sacramento Valley and Delta — you apply for your own fields, and eligibility turns almost entirely on where the field is, what was grown on it, and how big it is.

Where. "Sacramento Valley and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta—the primary wintering area of the Greater Sandhill Crane subspecies. Farmers can apply for sites located in Butte, Contra Costa, Colusa, Glenn, Placer, San Joaquin, Sacramento, Solano, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba Counties, California."

Minimum acreage — there is a real floor, and it differs by habitat type:
- Roost habitat, fall/winter: "Minimum of 30 acres, with enrollment capped at 250 acres per site/farm."
- Forage habitat, fall/winter: "Minimum of 50 acres, with enrollment capped at 500 acres per site/farm."
- Habitat complexes (roost + forage): "Minimum of 50 acres, with enrollment capped at 500 total acres per site/farm, including a maximum of 250 acres of roost habitat."
- Roost only, winter/spring: "Minimum of 30 acres, with enrollment capped at 500 acres per site/farm."
"Minimum acreage requirements may be met by combining contiguous fields. Intervening levees are permitted."

What your fields must be:
- Roost: "Post-harvest or fallow agricultural fields," open with no trees or vines, "a minimum width of 100 meters without continuous bands of large trees along the edge," and "reliable access to water for flooding maintenance" — they must be flooded to 3-9 inches by your start date and held there at least eight weeks.
- Forage: "Acceptable crop types include unflooded harvested rice, corn (but not silage corn), or other fields (e.g., barley, wheat, oats, etc.) where grain was grown in 2026 that total at least 50 acres." Left untilled and unflooded for the first six weeks; no burning, baling, tilling or stomping.

Fields that are flatly ineligible:
- "Fields enrolled in any annual incentive program (i.e., NRCS EQIP) that provides payment to conduct flooding during any overlapping time period." (Back-to-back enrollments are allowed.)
- "Fields located within five miles of major airports, including Travis AFB, Beale AFB, and Sacramento International."
- "Roost fields with trees along their borders are excluded."
- "Forage fields are not eligible if they were idle in 2026 or flooded after the 2026 harvest." Likewise "Fields that were idle in 2026 will not be eligible."

Hunting rules bite on eligibility, not just scoring: "No hunting is allowable on roost fields or fields directly adjoining." On forage fields hunting is optional, but "applications that commit to forgoing hunting on forage fields will receive extra points."

This is competitive, not first-come: "The highest-scoring applications will be selected until the acreage goal is met and/or the budget is spent," against a $400,000 budget and a 4,300-acre goal, with priority to "applications in regions of known historic use by cranes." Earlier fall start dates rank higher; later winter/spring start dates rank higher. You may submit multiple applications, but initially only the highest-scoring one per property is accepted.

No income limit, years-of-experience requirement, ownership-versus-lease test, or beginning/veteran/socially-disadvantaged restriction is published. The 2026-27 application window is "August 24, 2026-September 11, 2026 @11:59pm," with award decisions September 25-29.

A lump sum of money for a specific purpose that does not need to be paid back.

Grant

Air Quality

Carbon Capture

Certification

High Tunnel

Landscape

Regenerative

Soil Health

Wildlife & Pollinator Habitat

Certified Organic

Certified Grassfed

Cover Crops

Reduced Tillage

Paid as a fixed per-acre rate, not a lump-sum award — so what you earn depends entirely on how many acres you enroll.

2026-27 rates: "Farmers will be paid a fixed rate of $90 an acre for roost, forage, or both habitat types for the three program enrollment options that start in October and the program option that starts in December." For the later windows, "Farmers will be paid a fixed rate of $95 an acre for program enrollment options for roost habitat with a two-week gradual drawdown that end in March or April" (forage is not an option in winter/spring).

Acreage floors and caps per site/farm — these effectively set your maximum check:
• Fall/winter roost habitat: "Minimum of 30 acres, with enrollment capped at 250 acres per site/farm."
• Fall/winter forage habitat: "Minimum of 50 acres, with enrollment capped at 500 acres per site/farm."
• Fall/winter habitat complexes (roost + forage): "Minimum of 50 acres, with enrollment capped at 500 total acres per site/farm, including a maximum of 250 acres of roost habitat."
• Winter/spring roost only: "Minimum of 30 acres, with enrollment capped at 500 acres per site/farm."
Minimums may be met by combining contiguous fields.

The pot is finite and competitive: "PROGRAM BUDGET: $400,000" against a "SANDHILL CRANE HABITAT PROGRAM ACREAGE GOAL: 4,300 acres," and "The highest-scoring applications will be selected until the acreage goal is met and/or the budget is spent."

No match or cost-share is required. Two things that can cost you money: "Failure to meet start dates may result in a payment reduction," and habitat must be maintained "for a period of at least eight weeks."

Double-dipping is barred — ineligible are "Fields enrolled in any annual incentive program (i.e. NRCS EQIP) that provides payment to conduct flooding during any overlapping time period."

Application period: January 9, 2026 - February 1, 2026 (CLOSED). "All bids are final once the application period is closed."

Applications are submitted online through the Summer Wetlands Application page: https://birdreturns.org/program/summer-wetlands/summer-wetlands-application/ - the page is live but currently shows "Sorry, this form is not available" between cycles.

Applicants are encouraged to coordinate with their local mosquito and vector control district before applying to understand potential treatment considerations or costs associated with summer flooding.

To be notified when the next cycle opens, sign up for BirdReturns email updates: https://forms.gle/nmtnQuPAtvzUyV7B7. Questions: the BirdReturns Wetland Team at wetlands@audubon.org or 415-644-4601.

BirdReturns Wetland Team

Summer Wetland Program inquiries

"The objective of the&#x2004;BirdReturns Summer Wetland Program is to incentivize private wetland managers to provide nesting and brood-rearing habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl. By flooding-up suitable wetland units in spring and maintaining habitat through the summer, wetland managers can create this much needed habitat for nesting birds."


"Wetland managers are asked to meet specific conditions in their units to provide high-quality habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl, specifically, wetland units that can maintain deep flooding and have the ability to conduct a gradual drawdown."


Payments are made through a competitive reverse auction: bids are ranked and scored by representatives of the Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership "using the best available science and tools that predict the habitat value of each application according to its location in the landscape, history of bird use in the surrounding area, and timing." BirdReturns is managed by the Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership (The Nature Conservancy, Audubon California, and Point Blue Conservation Science).



"The objective of the BirdReturns Summer Wetland Program is to incentivize private wetland managers to provide nesting and brood-rearing habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl. By flooding-up suitable wetland units in spring and maintaining habitat through the summer, wetland managers can create this much needed habitat for nesting birds."

"Wetland managers are asked to meet specific conditions in their units to provide high-quality habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl, specifically, wetland units that can maintain deep flooding and have the ability to conduct a gradual drawdown."

Payments are made through a competitive reverse auction: bids are ranked and scored by representatives of the Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership "using the best available science and tools that predict the habitat value of each application according to its location in the landscape, history of bird use in the surrounding area, and timing." BirdReturns is managed by the Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership (The Nature Conservancy, Audubon California, and Point Blue Conservation Science).

Eligible applicants:

- Wetland properties in the Suisun Marsh, Legal Delta, Sacramento Valley, Tulare, and San Joaquin Valley
- Summer wetland units greater than 15 acres throughout the Central Valley; minimum of 5 acres in Tulare
- Wetland owners with access to ground and/or surface water
- Wetlands that can maintain established low salinity targets (Suisun Marsh only)
- Must notify local mosquito vector control districts if selected to participate

Ineligible applicants:

- "Wetlands enrolled in any annual incentive program (i.e., NRCS EQIP) that provides payment to conduct flooding during the same time window"
- Wetlands within 5 miles of major airports, including Beale AFB, Sacramento International, Travis AFB, Fresno-Yosemite International, and Lemoore Naval Air Station
- Wetlands less than 15 acres in the Central Valley and less than 5 acres in Tulare
- Wetlands with high salinity and/or an inability to receive fresh water (Suisun only)

Lessees may bid and participate "as long as they are authorized to sign a contract of this kind."

- BirdReturns program FAQ: https://birdreturns.org/faq/
- Airport exclusion map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1HB191Vikg7vOYhAlt8w7yZ0O87Dwk
- Mosquito & vector control district map: https://www.mvcac.org/membership/member-agency-map/
- Sign up for BirdReturns email updates: https://forms.gle/nmtnQuPAtvzUyV7B7
- All BirdReturns wetland programs: https://birdreturns.org/program/wetlands/

Payment rates (per acre): Sacramento Valley and San Joaquin Valley (excluding Grasslands Water District) $260; Grasslands Water District, Suisun, and Delta $83; Tulare $988. Total program budget: $218,000.

Two summer management options:

- Semi-Permanent Wetland - Standard Drawdown: wetland units must be fully flooded April 1 - July 15; starting July 15, draw down water until reaching ~50% mudflats (50% flooded) on August 1.
- Permanent Wetland - Delayed Drawdown: wetland units must remain fully flooded April 1 - October 1.

For all management options: "Fully Flooded = minimum depth of 18 inches at the outflow, no exposed mudflat." Suisun properties must conduct a spring leach cycle by draining wetlands after waterfowl season and reflooding by April 1 to target depth. Participants must allow access to wetland units for compliance and biological monitoring.

Ranking strategy: "Primary ranking will be conducted at the regional level with twenty percent of the budget allocated per region (Sacramento Valley, San Joaquin Valley, Delta, Suisun, and Tulare). Each region will be ranked and funded independently... Once primary selections are complete, a secondary ranking will then be conducted" pooling all remaining eligible applications and funding them in priority order until residual funding is exhausted. Quality of previous participation may factor into scoring.

Payment timing (program FAQ): "Payments will be made within 45 days of the expiration date of the contract agreement." There is no limit on the overall amount of payment a grower could receive, and growers may submit multiple bids for multiple properties. If a field is out of compliance and cannot be brought into compliance, payment may be reduced or zero.

List of The Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership (MBCP) Funding Opportunities