Funding Opportunities Newsletter
February & March 2026

Upcoming Grants

• The California ReLeaf: Growing Green Communities Small Grant Program (due February 15) provides modest funding for nonprofit organizations in California to plant trees and involve their local community in creating greener, stronger, and healthier neighborhoods.
• The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment California Wildlands Grassroots Fund (due February 17) helps preserve California’s wilderness and native biological diversity by championing conservationists advocating for the permanent protection, including restoration and stewardship, of intact wildlands on both public and private lands.
• The National Environmental Education Foundation: Driving Mobility and Accessibility on Public Lands Grant Program (due February 18) funds programs that address mobility and accessibility considerations on public lands, and that seek to improve the level of access, comfort, and enjoyment experienced by public lands visitors of all abilities, together with their families and friends.
• The National Park Foundation Partner Housing Catalyst Fund (Letters of Interest due February 19) supports partner-led projects to increase the availability of National Park Service workforce housing.
• The International Association of Fire Chiefs’ (IAFC) Wildfire Program (due February 27) supports staffing costs, contractual services, purchase of mitigation PPE, and purchase of small equipment for fire departments that work closely with the U.S. Forest Service and other partners on cross-boundary, fuels-reduction projects.
• The National Park Service Rivers and Trails Conservation Assistance Program (due March 1) provides professional technical assistance staff who work with communities to help achieve conservation and outdoor recreation project visions.
• 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 throughout the United States.
• The CA Department of Parks and Recreation Off Highway Vehicle Grant Program (Mandatory pre-applications due March 2) supports well-managed, off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation through grants for operations and maintenance, restoration, law enforcement, education, and safety.
• The CA Department of Fish and Wildlife Fisheries Restoration Grant Program (Concept proposals due March 2) supports projects that restore, enhance, or protect salmonid habitat in anadromous watersheds of California or projects that lead to restoration, enhancement, or protection of anadromous salmonid habitat.
• The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and Anheuser-Busch: Emergency Drinking Water for Wildland Firefighters Program (due March 6) provides emergency drinking water to volunteer firefighters from small communities who respond to wildfires.
• The Joseph and Vera Long Foundation Responsive Grants Program (due March 12) targets several program areas for funding, including connecting youth with nature.
• The Climate Smart Communities Initiative: Climate Resilience Project Grants (due March 12) fund project teams consisting of a local or regional government entity and a community-based organization to advance community-based climate resilience in communities or regions that are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
• The International Mountain Biking Association Trail Accelerator Grants ((due March 15) help accelerate the pace of mountain bike trail building by providing a jump-start to communities that have the interest and political support to develop trail systems but need assistance to get projects up and running. Rather than providing monetary awards, this program provides in-kind professional services, including professional trail planning and consultation services, valued between $10,000 and $30,000.
• The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Healthy American Forests Initiative (due March 17) supports watershed restoration and vegetation-management projects on National Forest System lands to achieve healthy forest ecosystems.
• The US Office of Wildland Fire Slip-on Tanker Units Grant Program (due March 23) provides local governments with financial assistance to acquire slip-on tanker units to establish fleets of vehicles that can be quickly converted to be operated as fire engines.
• The T-Mobile and Main Street America: Hometown Grants (due March 31) provide funding to small, rural towns to jumpstart shovel-ready projects focused on community spaces that foster local connections, including technology upgrades, outdoor spaces, the arts, and community centers.
• The CA Natural Resources Agency Tribal Nature Based Solutions Grant (Application and Escrow Ready Application due April 15) funds tribal multi-benefit nature-based solutions projects as well as escrow-ready multi-benefit ancestral land return.
• The Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation Grant Program (reviewed quarterly, submit request at the beginning of the quarter) provides lifesaving equipment and prevention education tools to first responders and public safety organizations.

• The Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Fund Local Impact Grant Program (rolling) provides up to $5,000 for projects, programs, or community events focused on conserving wildlife and habitat or connecting new audiences to the outdoors.

• The First Nations Development Institute – Community Navigator Project (rolling until funds are expended) provides up to $50,000 to eligible tribes and Native-led organizations to cover costs associated with building capacity, such as strategic planning, feasibility assessments, grant writing, project and grant management training, development of conservation strategies, etc.
• The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP): Caring For Our Relatives Technical Assistance Program (rolling) provides free comprehensive technical assistance to tribes that may be facing barriers to starting or completing ecological-resilience projects, which, for the purposes of this program, are defined as projects that will help non-human relatives to survive and thrive in a changing climate.
• The Hind Foundation Standard Grants Program (rolling) supports community-based projects proposed by nonprofit organizations that are at least three years old and have visible impacts in California. Areas of funding include ecosystem conservation, historical landmark restoration, plant and wildlife protection, and land conservation.
• The Groundwork USA: Nonprofit Brownfield Technical Assistance Program (rolling) supports community-led efforts to advance equitable brownfield projects that transform underutilized spaces into parks, trails, urban farms, and other community assets.

• The CA Department of Parks and Recreation Boat Launching Facilities Grant (rolling) supports the development and improvement of public motorized and non-motorized boat launching facilities, including parking lots and restrooms.

  Note on Wildlife Conservation Board Grants: Because of issues with review of the Wildlife Conservation Board Proposition 4 Grant Application materials, new pre-applications are not currently being accepted. This is a temporary situation, so check on the Wildlife Conservation Board’s Grants Page to see the current status.

• The CA Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Wildlife Conservation Board California Riparian Habitat Conservation Program (rolling) supports riparian restoration projects that further biodiversity, promote climate resilience, or help achieve other state priorities.
• The CA Wildlife Conservation Board Proposition 1 Streamflow Enhancement Program (rolling) supports projects that enhance stream flows with the focus on streams that support anadromous fish; support special-status, threatened, endangered, or at-risk species; or provide resilience to climate change.
• The CA Wildlife Conservation Board Forest Conservation Program (rolling) advances the protection, restoration, and improvement of upper watershed lands in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains, including forest lands, meadows, wetlands, chaparral, and riparian habitat, in order to protect and improve water supply and water quality, improve forest health, reduce wildfire danger, mitigate the effects of wildfires on water quality and supply, increase flood protection, or protect or restore riparian or aquatic resources.
• The CA Department of Conservation California Farmland Conservancy Program (CFCP): Land Improvement Projects and Agricultural Conservation Easement Grants (rolling) support the voluntary acquisition of conservation easements and restoration of and improvements to agricultural land.
• The US Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 Targeted Brownfields Assessment Program (rolling) provides no-cost phase I and II environmental site assessments, which give applicants a better understanding of potential contamination issues at brownfields in their communities and assist them in redevelopment planning.
• The US Department of Agriculture Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program(rolling until funds depleted) provides loan guarantees to establish, reopen, expand, or improve sawmills and other wood-processing facilities.
• The US Fish and Wildlife Service National Fish Passage Program (rolling) provides technical and financial assistance to partners to remove instream barriers and restore aquatic connectivity, improve community safety, and support local economies.
• The US Department of Agricultural Natural Resource Conservation Service Emergency Watershed Protection Program (rolling) provides financial and technical assistance to help local communities relieve imminent threats to life and property caused by floods, fires, windstorms, etc.
• The US Department of Agriculture Rural Development Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households Grant (rolling) helps very small, low-income rural communities with predevelopment feasibility studies with design and technical assistance on water and waste disposal projects.

Additional Resources

Registration is now open for Workshop Part 1 of the Monitoring Workshop Series. The USDA California Climate Hub is excited to host two in-person workshops this March and April, focusing on developing monitoring plans. These plans will help measure the effectiveness of programs seeking to improve forest health and protect communities from wildfire. The workshops are free, and forest practitioners working in the SNC region are welcome to participate. Space is limited, so be sure to register soon to secure your spot. The Climate Hub will conduct four Part 1 workshops in different locations. The focus and content of each workshop will remain the same, so please register for only one location. Please reach out to Jess (jdellarossa@ucdavis.edu) with any questions.

Climate Action Grants Dashboard – This is a new funding opportunity database for climate action and Indigenous stewardship brought to you by the Collaborative of Native Nations for Climate Transformation & Stewardship and the Center for Community Energy & Environmental Justice. With over 50 grant focus areas, this online tool is designed to assist those in search of funding for projects involving research, conservation, and stewardship work.

The Hozhonigo Institute’s Tribal Funding Registry is a free searchable grants database designed for tribes and Native-led nonprofits. In addition to being a one-stop shop for grant opportunities, it includes how-to modules on the grant process, grant research, and grant writing. There are also opportunities to obtain expert assistance for personalized support and guidance.

More Information and Assistance

Consult with the SNC Funding Team to get advice about specific funding opportunities or general funding development strategies. Contact your SNC Area Representative to set up a meeting with the Funding Team.
Please note, due to limited funds and overwhelming demand, SNC is not currently inviting new concept proposals for the Sustainable Recreation, Tourism, and Equitable Outdoor Access Directed Grant Program and is not currently accepting proposals for the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Directed Grant Program.