Collaborative Capacity Program - Standard Grant: Community Partner Applicants

The National Forest Foundation’s Collaborative Capacity Program offers financial awards to enhance collaboration among communities, tribes, and the Forest Service. Aimed at improving wildfire resilience and forest health, these grants support efforts that lead to long-term stewardship outcomes. Funding ranges from $10,001 to $75,000, with a 20% match required. The program seeks to empower local partners to develop strategic plans and strengthen collaborative initiatives, ultimately benefiting National Forest System lands.

Collaborative Capacity Program - Standard Grant: Community Partner Applicants
The National Forest Foundation’s Collaborative Capacity Program financial awards provide resources to support collaborative activities that increase wildfire resilience, recreation opportunities, forest health, and rural economies. Eligible efforts must describe how investments in collaboration will support a long-term strategy for achieving stewardship outcomes and how these outcomes benefit National Forest System lands.
Purpose
The CCP financial awards aim to increase and improve the capacity for collaboration among local communities, tribes, other strategic partners, and the Forest Service to achieve long-term forest stewardship outcomes that benefit National Forests and Grasslands. Collaborative forest stewardship efforts in all stages of their development require capacity support of some kind, and the specific capacity needed will vary depending on the area of focus, existing resources, relationships, and skill sets. For example, these financial awards may assist with startup costs for a collaborative in a specific landscape and writing a strategic plan for the collaborative over the next five years. Alternatively, financial awards may help expand the scale and impact of existing collaborative efforts by providing stipends to participants or funding for coordination or facilitation support.
While the CCP’s financial awards do not directly support on-the-ground project implementation, the outcomes proposed by applicants must aim to provide meaningful benefits to forests and grasslands currently managed by the USDA Forest Service as part of the National Forest System.
Award Amount: $10,001-$75,000
Appx. Number of Awards: ~10-15 awards of up to $30,000; ~5-10 awards of up to $75,000
Matching Requirements: 20% Cash or in-kind match is required for Standard Grants