The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the Walmart Foundation have launched the Great Plains Grassland Fund with a combined $18 million commitment to protect and restore grasslands across the U.S. Great Plains.

The new public-private conservation fund is backed by a $9 million grant from the Walmart Foundation and another $9 million in aligned investment from McDonald's USA and several of its key suppliers through existing contributions to NFWF's Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative.

The fund aims to protect high-value grassland habitat while supporting the ranchers and rural communities that depend on these landscapes.

Protecting Up to 400,000 Acres

The Great Plains Grassland Fund will combine voluntary land protection with technical and financial assistance for ranchers.

Through tools including conservation easements, the fund aims to permanently protect between 150,000 and 200,000 acres of high-conservation-value grasslands that could otherwise face conversion to cropland or development.

A further 150,000 to 200,000 acres could receive support for regenerative agriculture and other improved land-management practices through voluntary public and private conservation programs.

Participating landowners will retain ranching as the primary use of their land.

The broader goal is to establish a durable mechanism through which additional public and private funders can contribute to rancher-led conservation projects across the Great Plains.

Why Great Plains Grasslands Matter

Grasslands across the Great Plains provide habitat for birds, fish and other wildlife while supporting ranching economies and the U.S. beef supply chain.

They also connect wildlife migration corridors and play an important role in water conservation and filtration.

But the ecosystem is under significant pressure.

According to NFWF, roughly 2 million acres of Great Plains grasslands are converted to cropland each year, while only around half of the region's grasslands remain intact.

Once intact grassland is plowed, many of its benefits, including soil health, wildlife habitat, water-filtering capacity and grazing value, cannot be easily restored.

Much of the remaining grassland is privately owned and managed by ranching families.

These landowners can face difficult economic choices when the potential financial returns from converting land to crops or development compete with the value of maintaining grassland.

The new fund is designed to provide additional financial and technical support so ranchers can continue keeping these working landscapes intact.

Conservation and Ranching Together

The fund will prioritize projects that protect intact grasslands at high risk of conversion, conserve valuable wildlife habitat, connect protected areas and maintain migration routes.

Projects can also focus on improving water quantity and quality, supporting ranching livelihoods and strengthening local economies.

Community leadership is another priority.

NFWF says projects can use locally led approaches such as voluntary conservation easements, grassbanks, grazing associations and other community-based models.

The objective is to maintain the ecological value of grasslands without removing ranching from the landscape.

NFWF will also work with implementation partners to measure progress across grassland protection, biodiversity, water resources and ranching livelihoods.

Building on an Existing Conservation Initiative

The Great Plains Grassland Fund builds on the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative launched in 2025.

That initiative was established by NFWF, McDonald's USA, several McDonald's beef and beverage suppliers, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Participating companies include Cargill, Golden State Foods, Lopez Dorada, OSI and The Coca-Cola Company, among others.

The initiative's broader goal is to improve the health and resilience of 4 million acres of grasslands over seven years.

The new Great Plains fund adds Walmart Foundation support to that wider conservation effort.

Walmart Foundation and McDonald's Support

The Walmart Foundation's $9 million commitment establishes the new fund.

Walmart Foundation President Julie Gehrki said the organisation's work with NFWF over two decades through Acres for America provided a foundation for the new investment.

McDonald's USA is providing another $9 million in aligned investment through existing contributions to the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative.

McDonald's USA Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer for North America Cesar Piña said the partnership is intended to strengthen ecosystems, support ranching communities and build a more resilient U.S. beef supply chain.

NFWF CEO and Executive Director Jeff Trandahl said the funding creates a framework for additional public and private partners to contribute to conservation across the Great Plains.

Up to $10M Available for Initial Projects

NFWF will issue a competitive Request for Proposals through the Great Plains Grassland Fund.

Up to $10 million is expected to be available through the initial funding opportunity, with project awards expected to be announced in 2027.

The longer-term ambition is bigger than the first round of grants.

By combining philanthropic funding, public conservation programmes and private investment, NFWF and its partners are aiming to create a lasting funding mechanism for protecting Great Plains grasslands.

For ranchers, that could mean more resources to keep working lands intact.

For wildlife, it could mean protecting habitat and migration corridors before they are lost.

And for communities and food supply chains, the initiative aims to connect conservation with the long-term resilience of the region's ranching economy.