Funding Opportunities Newsletter
December 2024 & January 2025

Upcoming Grants

• The US Forest Service (USFS) Wood Innovations Grant Program (due December 11) expands and supports U.S. wood-product and wood-energy markets, with a focus on mass timber, renewable wood energy, and technological development that supports hazardous fuel reduction and sustainable forest management.
• The National Park Service Save America’s Treasures: Preservation Projects Grants (due December 12) support the preservation of nationally significant resources, which are designated as a National Historic Landmark or listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
• The USFS Landscape Scale Restoration Grant Program for Federally Recognized Tribes (due December 16) supports collaborative, high-impact projects that leverage public and private resources and further priorities identified in a science-based restoration strategy, such as a tribal forest plan, state forest action plan, or other equivalent restoration strategy.
• The Temper of the Times Foundation Grant Program (due December 16) helps nonprofit organizations underwrite advertising designed to promote the conservation and restoration of native wildlife, plants, and ecosystems in the United States.
• The USFS Community Wood Grant Program (due December 18) provides funding to install thermally led community wood-energy systems or to build innovative wood-product-manufacturing facilities, with an emphasis on assisting sawmills in economically challenged areas to retool or add advanced technology.
• The USFS Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance Grant Program (due December 18) provides support for facilities that purchase and process byproducts of ecosystem-restoration projects, including applications to establish, reopen, retrofit, expand, or improve a sawmill or other wood-processing facility in close proximity to federal or Indian lands that need ecosystem restoration and generate byproducts.
• The Council of Western State Foresters Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Grant Program (due December 20) funds fuel reduction, education, and planning projects that mitigate risk from wildland fire within the WUI.
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (due December 20) provides financial assistance directly to eligible fire departments, non-affiliated emergency medical service (EMS) organizations, and state fire-training academies for critical training and equipment.
• The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Grants (due January 8) provide funding for recovery land acquisition, conservation-planning assistance, and habitat conservation plan land acquisition.
• The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant – Turnkey Program (due January 10) increases the availability of local foods in schools and connects students to the sources of their food through education, taste tests, school gardens, field trips, and local food sourcing for school meals.
• The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections Program (due January 10) supports the preservation of collections in priority areas, including projects that further public understanding and knowledge of the federal Indian boarding school system.
• The 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 projects that engage the community and connect trail assets to a broader spectrum of users, including trail research, stewardship, and maintenance projects.
• 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, comprehensively 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 engage in community service and receive a living allowance and other benefits 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 USFS Community Wildfire Defense Grant (due January 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.
• The USFS Community Wildfire Defense Grant for Indian Tribes (due January 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.
• 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, 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, including wildfires and future public safety power shutoffs.
• 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 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 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 US Department of Energy – 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 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 National Park Service 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 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 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 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 CA Dept of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Restoration Grant Opportunities: Nature-Based Solutions (Part A): Wetlands and Mountain Meadows Restoration (rolling) provides funding for projects that restore or enhance wetlands and watershed ecosystems and provide co-benefits, consistent with the Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy and Pathways to 30×30. The program will also support pilot projects for CDFW’s Beaver Program.
• CDFW Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program Grants (rolling) provide funding for livestock producers who have had a “confirmed” or “probable” wolf depredation on or after July 1, 2024.
• 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.
• The Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) Land Acquisition Program (rolling) supports the acquisition of real property or rights in real property for conservation use through conservation easements, water rights, and fee purchases.
• The Economic Development Administration (EDA) Economic Adjustment Assistance Program (rolling) assists communities and regions in devising and implementing long-term economic development efforts through a variety of non-construction and construction projects. The program has a new Assistance to Indigenous Communities Addendum, which provides targeted capacity building and planning support for federally recognized tribes.