Forest Landowner Support

*Forest Service researcher John Schelhas and landowner Eleanor Cooper Brown discuss her family’s land and forests. (Courtesy photo by Dr. Sarah Hitchner, University of Georgia)*

Forest Landowner Support provides competitive grant opportunities to entities and organizations for delivering technical and financial assistance to private forest landowners—including Tribes, underserved landowners, and smaller-acreage landowners.

Grants are available through a series of funding opportunities outlined below. Applicant eligibility varies by funding opportunity. Individual landowners are not eligible to directly apply for these funding opportunities. Learn more about landowner assistance programs for landowners.

Open Opportunities

Opportunity #1: Supporting Underserved and Small-Acreage Landowner Participation in Emerging Private Markets [Due August 21, 2024]

Visit grants.gov and search for Opportunity Number USDA-FS-2023-IRA-FLS-01 to review detailed eligibility, frequently asked questions, and to apply.
Overview	The Forest Service is seeking proposals to support the participation of underserved landowners and landowners owning less than 2,500 acres in emerging private markets for climate mitigation or forest resilience.
Opportunity Number	USDA-FS-2023-IRA-FLS-01
Funding Source	Inflation Reduction Act, Section 23002(a), Provisions 2 and 3
Funding Limit	$2 million
Deadline to Apply	August 21, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Applications must be submitted through grants.gov. Applicants must be registered with SAM.gov prior to applying.
Eligible Applicants	See detailed list on grants.gov.

Opportunity #2: Tribal Access to Emerging Private Markets for Climate Mitigation or Forest Resilience [Due August 21, 2024]

Visit grants.gov and search for Opportunity Number USDA-FS-2024-IRA-FLS-02 to review detailed eligibility, frequently asked questions, and to apply.
Overview	The Forest Service is seeking proposals to support Tribal access to emerging private markets for forest resilience or climate mitigation.
Opportunity Number	USDA-FS-2024-IRA-FLS-02
Funding Source	Inflation Reduction Act, Section 23002(a), Provisions 2 and 3
Funding Limit	$2 million
Deadline to Apply	August 21, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Applications must be submitted through grants.gov. Applicants must be registered with SAM.gov prior to applying.
Eligible Applicants	Federally recognized Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations/Villages, and Tribal Organizations (as defined in the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, 25 U.S. Code § 5304).

Application Assistance

Frequently Asked Questions document for each funding opportunity is posted in the Related Documents tab on the grant listing. Forest Service staff will host live Office Hours to answer questions from participants. Office hours are:

June 26, 2024, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Mountain/3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern for the Tribal Access to Emerging Private Markets funding opportunity, hosted in partnership with First Nations Development Institute. Please register in advance for this session.
July 12, 2024, 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern for general office hours with Forest Service staff related to all current funding opportunities. To participate, visit the Forest Landowner Support Office Hours Microsoft Teams room at any point during this time. Pre-registration is not required.
July 17, 2024, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Mountain/3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern for the Tribal Access to Emerging Private Markets funding opportunity, hosted in partnership with First Nations Development Institute. Please register in advance for this session.

Contact Forest Landowner Support staff for other questions related to eligibility and the application process. Please note that staff cannot address questions related to the merits of specific proposals.

Community Navigators

The Forest Service is enlisting nonprofit organizations who work with historically underserved populations, Tribes/Indigenous communities, rural communities at high risk of wildfire and/or climate extremes, small acreage landowners, and new partners that have not previously worked with the Forest Service. Community Navigators will work to help eligible applicants identify funding opportunities, develop proposal ideas, provide guidance on completing applications, support financial and reporting compliance, and conduct training to help organizations be better positioned to access federal funding in the future.

If your organization represents underserved communities or small-acreage landowners, contact Forest Landowner Support staff and request to be connected to a Navigator organization.

Grants.gov Support

For technical issues with Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov. Forest Landowner Support staff does not provide Grants.gov account support.