Oklahoma
Cost Share Opportunities and Options
Audubon
Audubon Conservation Ranching (ACR)
Audubon’s Conservation Ranching program operates in Oklahoma under a dedicated Kansas/Oklahoma program manager, helping ranchers develop Habitat Management Plans for grassland birds and pursue Bird-Friendly Land certification, which connects beef and other products to a market premium. Oklahoma currently has several certified ranches, including the Circle N Ranch near Waurika, with NFWF-backed plans to expand enrollment significantly across the state.
Website
Ducks Unlimited
DU Conservation Programs
Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 38,000 acres across Oklahoma through more than 300 projects on Wildlife Management Areas such as Hackberry Flat, Cottonwood Creek, and Drummond Flats. DU’s Lands Program staff also work with private landowners to secure conservation easements and wetland restoration through the Southern Great Plains and West Gulf Coastal Plain initiatives.
Website
Farm Service Agency
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) provides annual rental payments and cost-share assistance (up to 50%) to landowners who establish approved conservation cover – such as native grasses, trees, riparian buffers, or pollinator habitat – on eligible cropland. Continuous CRP signup for high-priority practices is available year-round through local FSA county offices.
Contact Information
Contact your local county office for more information.
Website
Habitat One
Free Food Plot Seed
To help ensure wildlife have access to adequate nutrition during these challenging conditions, Habitat One has established a Free Food Plot Seed Program. This program is designed to assist landowners in providing reliable winter food and cover for wildlife through the establishment of dedicated food plots.
Contact
Brooke Fricke, Operations and Administration Manager | Phone: 308-362-7061 | Email: brooke@habitat-one.org
Mule Deer Foundation
Private Lands Program
The Mule Deer Foundation’s Oklahoma chapter supports habitat conservation, youth outreach, and public land access projects benefiting deer and other wildlife in the state. Members can connect with the chapter to learn about local volunteer projects and funding opportunities.
Website
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
EQIP provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits, including wildlife habitat improvement. Eligible practices include prescribed grazing, brush management, native grass and forb establishment, wetland restoration, and pollinator habitat. EQIP also offers Conservation Incentive Contracts (CIC), which provide additional incentive payments for ongoing management of priority resource concerns, including wildlife habitat.
Payment Rates
Cost-share rates vary by practice and are set annually by the state NRCS office. Many wildlife habitat practices are eligible for enhanced incentive payments through EQIP-CIC.
Contact Information
Contact your local county office for more information.
Website
nrcs.usda.gov/contact/state-office-contacts/oklahoma-state-office
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
CSP rewards producers who maintain and improve existing conservation systems and adopt additional conservation activities to address priority resource concerns – including wildlife habitat enhancement – on working agricultural land and non-industrial private forest land.
Payment Rates
Annual payments are based on the conservation performance of the producer’s entire operation, with enhanced payments available for installing new conservation activities.
Contact Information
Contact your local county office for more information.
Website
nrcs.usda.gov/contact/state-office-contacts/oklahoma-state-office
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP)
The Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP) partners with landowners statewide to restore and improve native habitat, sharing the cost of approved projects – such as native grass planting, cedar removal, timber thinning, firebreaks, and small wetland creation – through partial reimbursement after project completion. Landowners agree to maintain the habitat for 10 years. The Department’s Private Lands biologists also provide free technical assistance and can help connect landowners to other cost-share programs.
Eligibility
Any Oklahoma landowner may apply, regardless of property size. Applications are accepted September 1 through December 31 each year.
Website
wildlifedepartment.com/lands-and-minerals/landowner-programs/whip
Pheasants Forever
Public Access to Habitat (PATH) Program
Oklahoma is home to multiple Quail Forever and Pheasants Forever chapters – including Big Bluestem, Big Hill, Plainsmen, Red Bud, Southeastern Oklahoma, and the newly formed Kofi and Boggy Depot chapters in southeast Oklahoma – that fund hands-on habitat projects and landowner outreach. Through the Public Access to Habitat (PATH) program, Pheasants Forever partners with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s Oklahoma Land Access Program (OLAP) to enroll more than 10,000 acres of upland habitat.
Website
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF)
Habitat Enhancement Grant Program
RMEF funds on-the-ground habitat projects across eastern Oklahoma’s Wildlife Management Areas, including firebreak construction and prescribed burning at Cookson, Spavinaw, and Pushmataha WMAs to benefit elk and other wildlife. RMEF grants have totaled over $28,000 across ten Oklahoma counties to date.
Website
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS)
Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program
The Oklahoma Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program provides free technical and financial assistance to private landowners restoring wetland, riparian, and upland habitat. There is no application deadline – landowners can contact their regional biologist at any time to discuss a project.
Contact Information
John Hendrix | (918) 382-4511 | John_Hendrix@fws.gov. Oklahoma Partners for Fish and Wildlife office: 9014 East 21st Street, Tulsa, OK 74129 | (918) 581-7458.
Website
fws.gov/office/oklahoma-ecological-services/partners-fish-and-wildlife