Funding Opportunities Newsletter
October & November 2025

Highlighted Resource: Free Monitoring Workshop Series for Forest and Fire Projects

The Sierra Nevada Conservancy and the USDA California Climate Hub are excited to announce a three-part Monitoring Workshop Series focused on forest health and community-protection monitoring. This workshop series is being funded by the Department of Conservation’s Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program and is available to forest collaborations, partnerships, tribes, tribal organizations, and other entities working in the Sierra Nevada Conservancy Service Area who are interested in understanding and measuring the long-term impact of their work.

To kick off this series, we will host an online “Introduction to Monitoring” webinar on Monday, October 20 from 2:30 – 4 p.m. This will be followed by an online Q&A session on Friday, November 7 from 10 – 11 a.m. Both sessions will be recorded. These will be followed by sub-regional in-person workshops that will be held in spring 2026. Some individual assistance will be available for those developing monitoring plans.

To register for the webinar, please visit this link:
https://ucdavis.zoom.us/meeting/register/Q_NarqdAQ16B2kA_U0gJfA

To register for the Q&A session, please visit this link:
https://ucdavis.zoom.us/meeting/register/q9s4KcRcQdK1ijuSyquUkQ

Upcoming Grants

• The Coalitions and Collaboratives (COCO): Action, Implementation, and Mitigation (AIM) Program (concept papers due October 24) supports a wide variety of capacity-building activities, including personnel, planning efforts, and wildfire-risk-reduction work on nonfederal lands, with a focus on projects that will increase communities’ ability to overcome barriers to successful wildfire mitigation, multiply efforts, achieve quantifiable outcomes, support equitable and inclusive community wildfire-mitigation programs, and support place-based solutions.
• The California State Parks – Division of Boating and Waterways Aquatic Center Grant Program (due October 24) promotes a safer and more enjoyable boating environment through grants to nonprofit organizations, colleges, universities, and local agencies that offer on-the-water training to enhance basic boating safety.
• The National Association of Conservation Districts Technical Assistance Grant Program (due November 6) supports boots-on-the-ground assistance by conservation districts to help producers develop conservation plans, implement practices, and access funding and assistance programs through strengthening the technical skills of conservation district staff.
• The CA Department of Fish and Wildlife Boating Access Program (due November 7) provides funding for projects that increase access to recreational boating opportunities across California’s waterways.
• The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation (due November 10) provides general operating support, as well as support for specific projects or activities, to community-based nonprofit organizations for which a relatively small amount of funding might make a large difference.
• The Sierra Nevada Conservancy Wildfire and Forest Resilience Directed Grant Program (2025-‘26 invited full proposals due November 17) funds projects within the Sierra-Cascade region that reduce wildfire risk to people and communities and result in a combination of multiple watershed, ecosystem, and community benefits.
• The CA Department of Transportation (CalTrans) Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program (due November 21) supports transportation project planning, which can include community active transportation plans, extension of recreational trails, safe connections to tribal community facilities, evacuation route resilience plans, and tribal sustainable transportation plans.
• The Sierra Nevada Conservancy Sustainable Recreation, Tourism, and Equitable Outdoor Access Grant Program ((concept proposals due December 1) funds projects that enhance, promote, and develop sustainable recreation and tourism within SNC’s Sierra-Cascade service area.
• The US Department of Agriculture: Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program (due December 5) increases the availability of local foods in Child Nutrition Program (CNP) operations and connects students to the sources of their food through education, taste tests, school gardens, field trips, and local food sourcing for CNP meals.
• The CA Department of Parks and Recreation Clean Vessel Act: Pumpout Dump Station Installation Program (rolling) provides funding for the installation of Pumpout and Dump Stations on public and private property.
• The US Economic Development Administration Disaster Supplemental Grant Program (rolling) supports economic recovery activities in areas that received major disaster declarations because of hurricanes, wildfires, severe storms and flooding, and other natural disasters occurring in calendar years 2023 and 2024. Funding can be used for capacity building and strategic planning projects that set the stage for future investment; construction and non-construction projects that help communities recover from natural disasters and advance recovery and growth; and coalition-led, multi-project portfolios that transform regional economies through targeted industry development.
• The Alliance for Green Heat Firewood Bank Program (rolling) provides funding for firewood banks that source all or some of their wood from federally managed lands.
• 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 brownfield and land-reuse efforts through working with nonprofit organizations to advance equitable brownfield projects that transform underutilized spaces into parks, trails, urban farms, and other community assets.
• The CA Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) California Riparian Habitat Conservation Program (rolling) supports riparian restoration projects that further biodiversity, promote climate resilience, or help achieve other state priorities.
• The Wildlife Conservation Board Climate Adaptation and Resilience Program (rolling) funds projects that provide climate adaptation and resilience on California’s natural and working lands.
• The Wildlife Conservation Board Oak Woodlands Conservation Program (rolling) provides a mechanism to bring ranchers and conservationists together in a manner that allows both to achieve sustainable ranch and farming operations and healthy oak woodlands.
• The Wildlife Conservation Board Public Access Program (rolling) supports projects focused on the protection and development of public access areas and the promotion of hunting and fishing opportunities.
• 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 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 Agriculture 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 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, through the CA Office of Emergency Services (rolling) provides support for communities to implement mitigation activities to reduce risk to life and property from natural hazards. Federal funding is distributed through the state periodically, and Notices of Interest are accepted on an ongoing basis.