Funding Opportunities Newsletter
January & February 2025

Upcoming Grants

• The US Forest Service (USFS) Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program (due January 13) provides funding for communities to acquire and conserve forests that provide public access and recreational opportunities, protect vital water supplies and wildlife habitat, serve as demonstration sites for private forest landowners, and provide economic benefits from timber and non-timber products.
• The CA Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Forest Legacy Program (due January 13) protects environmentally important forest land threatened with conversion to non-forest uses through conservation easements or fee title.
• The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Small Grants Program (due January 14) supports planning, education, and applied research projects that expand access to healthy, sustainably produced, and culturally appropriate foods, and improve food and farming systems.
• The CAL FIRE Forest Health Grant Program (due January 15) funds active restoration and reforestation activities, as well as fuels management, fire reintroduction, treatment of degraded areas, and conservation of forests.
• American Trails: The Trails Capacity Program (due January 15) supports small, local trail research, stewardship, and maintenance projects that engage the community and connect trail assets to a broader spectrum of users.
• The Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation Sustainable Forests and Community Initiative (pre-proposal due January 15) supports the development of environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable communities in forested regions of the United States.
• The US Geological Survey (USGS) Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program: National Ground-Water Monitoring Network (due January 16) supports data providers for the National Groundwater Monitoring Network (NGWMN) with funding, information, and equipment.
• The Water for Wildlife Foundation (due January 21) supports the conservation of wildlife through the development of supplemental water and habitat resources.
• The CA Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Duck Stamp Project Grants (due January 22) support projects that protect, restore, enhance, and develop migratory waterfowl breeding and wintering habitat; evaluate habitat projects; and conduct waterfowl resource assessments and other waterfowl-related research.
• The US Department of Energy (DOE) Tribal Clean Energy Planning and Development Program (due January 23) provides funding to conduct clean-energy planning, assess the feasibility and viability of deploying clean-energy technology, and conduct clean-energy design and development activities.
• AmeriCorps State and National Competitive Grants (due January 23) fund AmeriCorps members who receive a living allowance and other benefits to engage in community service in such areas as capacity building, disaster services, economic opportunity, and environmental stewardship.
• The US Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) Native American Affairs Technical Assistance to Tribes Program (due January 27) establishes partnerships with Indian tribes to assist them as they develop, manage, and protect their water and related resources.
• The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Five-Star Restoration Grant Program (due January 30) provides modest financial assistance to diverse local partnerships focused on improving water quality, as well as the watersheds and the species and habitats they support.
• The Pacific Gas and Electric Company Resilience Hub Grant Program (due January 31) funds feasibility studies and design/build projects for Resilience Hubs that further community resilience to climate-driven extreme weather events, as well as wildfires and public safety power shutoffs.
• American Trails: The Trails Capacity Program (due January 31) supports trail maintenance, research, and stewardship training across the country, serving all types of trail users and focusing on small, local trail projects that engage the community and connect trail assets to a broader spectrum of users.
• The CA Strategic Growth Council Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (pre-proposals due January 31) provides planning and acquisition funding to protect agricultural lands from conversion to more GHG-intensive uses.
• The Western Mining Action Network and Indigenous Environmental Network: Grassroots Community Mining Mini-Grant Program (due February 1) provides financial assistance to Indigenous communities and nonprofit grassroots organizations threatened or adversely affected by mining.
• The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) California Forest and Woodlands Resource Management Program (due February 3) funds high-priority work, such as activities that promote forest and woodland health, sustainable forest management, fire resiliency, biomass utilization for bioenergy, habitat conservation needs, and insect, disease, and fire recovery on public lands.
• The CA Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) Boat Launching Facilities Grant (due February 3) funds facilities, such as boat-launching ramps and boarding floats and associated parking areas, restrooms, and lighting for motorized and non-motorized boating.
• The American Library Association: Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grants (due February 3) provide modest funding for libraries to implement community empowerment projects that address a local issue and build upon community assets.
• The Sierra Meadows Partnership Grant Program (due February 5) restores mountain meadows within the Sierra Meadows strategy area by restoring meadow habitat or advancing the practice of meadow restoration and management through strategic monitoring, research, coordination, and/or communications.
• The Sierra Meadows Partnership Grant Program: Indigenous-Led Projects (due February 5) supports Indigenous-led projects that have a nexus with meadows and address the priorities and goals of Indigenous groups as they relate to meadow restoration, meadow restoration training, cultural practices, and outreach and education.
• The National Forest Foundation Matching Awards Program (due February 7) funds projects that directly benefit America’s National Forests and Grasslands, focusing on in-person community engagement and completion of appropriate stewardship activities.
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Restoring Fish Passage Through Barrier Removal Grants (due February 10) provide financial and technical assistance to locally led fish passage through the removal of dams and other in-stream barriers for native migratory or sea-run fish, focusing on projects that rebuild productive and sustainable fisheries; contribute to the recovery and conservation of threatened and endangered species; enhance watershed health; promote resilient ecosystems and communities; and improve economic vitality, including local employment.
• The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Western Big Game Seasonal Habitat and Migration Corridors Fund Grants (due February 13) conserve critical winter range and migration corridors to maintain healthy populations of pronghorn, elk, mule deer, and the phenomenon of big-game migration.
• The BLM California Wildlife Program (due February 14) helps maintain or restore habitats for upland game, waterfowl, big game, pollinators, sensitive species, and watchable wildlife species; conserve priority wildlife habitat or reduce threats to habitat or species; and monitor or inventory wildlife populations and habitats that depend on BLM-managed public lands.
• The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment: California Wildlands Grassroots Fund (due February 17) supports conservationists advocating for the protection, restoration, and stewardship of intact wildlands on both public and private lands to help preserve California’s wilderness and native biological diversity.
• The US Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Wildland Fire Slip-on Tanker Units Grant Program (due February 26) provides local governments with funding to acquire slip-on tanker units to establish fleets of vehicles that can be quickly converted to be operated as fire engines.
• The National Park Service (NPS) Historic Preservation Fund: Tribal Heritage Grants Program (due February 27) provides funding for federally recognized tribes to protect and promote their unique cultural heritage and traditions, including traditional skills, oral history, plant and animal species important in tradition, sacred and historic places, and the establishment of tribal historic preservation offices.
• The US DOE Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas Program (concept papers due February 27) provides support for rural and remote communities of 10,000 population or less to build clean-energy projects that benefit their communities.
• The USFS Community Wildfire Defense Grant (due February 28) helps communities plan for and reduce wildfire risks through development and revising of community wildfire protection plans (CWPPs) and the implementation of projects described in a CWPP that is less than 10 years old. This program provides large funding amounts, though some match is required.
• The USFS Community Wildfire Defense Grant for Indian Tribes (due February 28) helps tribes plan for and reduce wildfire risks through development and revising of community wildfire protection plans (CWPPs) and the implementation of projects described in a CWPP that is less than 10 years old. This program provides large funding amounts, though some match is required.
• The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business Development Grant Program (due February 28) promotes economic development and job-creation projects that benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas or towns.
• The BLM California Threatened and Endangered Species Program (due February 28) supports projects that are statewide or regional in scope and facilitate implementation of tangible, on-the-ground actions that will improve species populations or reduce population-level threats.
• The NPS Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (due March 1) supports community-led natural resource conservation and outdoor recreation projects through the assistance of recreation planning professionals who have a broad range of services and skills.
• The Access Fund Climbing Conservation Grant Program (due March 1) supports projects that preserve or enhance climbing access and opportunities and conserve the climbing environment.
• The Climate Smart Communities Initiative (due March 3) provides grants to climate adaptation and resilience professionals to create or advance a climate resilience plan or project in collaboration with a community that is on the front lines of the climate crisis.
• The CA State Libraries: Sustainable California Libraries Program (due March 12) supports climate and sustainability programming and encourages libraries to serve as community hubs that respond to local concerns and interests, such as community disaster preparedness and biodiversity protection.
• The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Conservation Planning Assistance Grants (due March 14) support the development of new, or the renewal or amendment of existing, habitat conservation plans (HCPs) and conservation benefit agreements (CBAs).
• The USDA Inflation Reduction Act Forest Legacy Program (due March 14) protects environmentally important forest areas that are threatened by conversion to non-forest uses, with a focus on large landscape projects, state-tribal partnership projects, and strategic small-tract projects.
• The AmeriCorps State and Native Nation Grants (due April 9) fund planning and implementation projects from federally recognized tribes or tribal organizations to engage members in community service projects and activities.
• The US BOR Water SMART Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program (due April 15) supports the study, design, and construction of aquatic ecosystem restoration projects that are collaboratively developed; have widespread regional benefits; and are for the purpose of improving the health of fisheries, wildlife, and aquatic habitat through restoration and improved fish passage.
• The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Challenge America Program (due April 24) provides modest grants to small arts organizations that extend the reach of the arts to underserved groups/communities.
• The CA Department of Water Resources (DWR) Stream Gage Improvement Program (rolling) supports projects that provide real-time flow and water-quality data to the public stream gage network to assist with the management of the state’s water resources.
• The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Targeted Brownfields Assessment Program (rolling) conducts free brownfields assessments, such as phase I and phase II environmental site assessments, to units of government, tribes, and nonprofit organizations to provide a better understanding of potential contamination issues and to assist in redevelopment planning.
• The CDFW Beaver Conflict Resolution Grant Opportunities: Nature Based Solutions: Beaver Restoration (rolling) support the implementation and promotion of human-beaver coexistence strategies, such as non-lethal beaver damage deterrence, in support of ecosystem restoration and protection.
• The USDA Rural Development Emergency Community Water Assistance Grant Program (rolling) helps rural communities prepare for or recover from an emergency that threatens the availability of safe, reliable drinking water.
• The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Emergency Watershed Protection Program (rolling) supports economically and environmentally defensible projects that provide protection from flooding or soil erosion, reduce threats to life and property, and restore the hydraulic capacity to the natural environment in situations of imminent threats to life and property caused by floods, fires, windstorms, and other natural occurrences that impair a watershed.
• The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Operations Program (rolling) provides technical and financial assistance to support the planning and implementation of authorized watershed projects for the purpose of watershed protection, flood prevention, public recreation, etc.
• The AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) Program (rolling) provides a crew of eight to 12 NCCC members and one team leader to serve with sponsoring organizations for three- to 13-week projects in a variety of areas, including environmental stewardship and conservation.
• The Rural Community Assistance Corporation Community Facilities Loan Program (rolling) offers short-term loans for community-facility development in rural communities, including early property acquisition and predevelopment, interim construction costs, and long-term permanent financing.