Funding FAC Work

Grant opportunities and resources for community-based wildfire resilience

Finding and sustaining funding for work across the FAC framework is a critical part of community wildfire resilience! This page provides information and resources to help FAC practitioners identify, apply for, and manage funding for their work, with a particular focus on the specifics of federal funding sources. Learning how to properly apply for and manage Federal grants is a huge part of capacity building for FAC work.

Featured Resources

Intro to SAM.gov and Grants.gov

5 steps to get started

Navigating Forest Service Match

Guidance for practitioners

Federal Grants Management

Webinar Series

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Featured Forest Service Funding Opportunities

These are grant opportunities with open application periods as of winter 2025. Please be sure to check Forest Service programs and original Notice of Funding Opportunity documents (available on grants.gov) for the most up-to-date information on these programs.

  • Community Wildfire Defense Grant: Funds communities and Tribes to plan for and implement actions to reduce wildfire risk. Deadline: February 28, 2025
  • Urban and Community Forestry pass-through funding: Funding dedicated to enhancing and expanding the nation’s urban forest resources via tree planting, restoration, maintenance, and resilience. Additional programmatic goals are: workforce development, planning and community engagement, and extreme heat mitigation. UCF funding has been distributed to states and national nonprofits to subgrant to smaller partners. Many states have opened grant opportunities for this funding. A list of nonprofit pass-through and state agency funding opportunities, deadlines, and links can be found HERE.
  • Wood Innovations: Funding for wood processing infrastructure and markets. Annual funding offerings, generally in the fall.
  • Firewood Bank Assistance Program: Provides financial and educational resources to public and tribal firewood bank programs. Deadline: Funds for 2024 are exhausted. Funding for 2025 expected to be announced in the spring.
  • Forest Service Outreach of Interest offerings: COMING SOON!

Grants Database

This is a broader database of funding opportunities for wildfire resilience and is sourced by The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network and Coalitions and Collaboratives staff.

How to use this spreadsheet: This database can be sorted by any field using the “sort” button. To view upcoming opportunities, click the “sort” button and select the “deadline” field, then sort by earliest → latest to make sure the upcoming opportunities are at the top. Other easily sortable fields include funding source (e.g. federal, private, state) or funding entity (e.g. Forest Service, BLM, or state agencies). To clear any sorting criteria, click the “x” to the right of that sorting function. To download this spreadsheet or view a larger version, click the the hyperlinks on the bottom right of this table.

Grant Readiness Resources

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Resources for registering with SAM.gov and Grants.gov

Introduction to SAM.gov and grants.gov (FAC Net and the Watershed Research and Training Center): Two-pager with basic steps for registration and links to key resources for additional support.

Navigating SAM.gov videos (Hispanic Access Foundation): Series of four short videos that provide step-by-step guidance about how to register for SAM.gov.

SAM.gov for Tribal Governments Native American-Owned Businesses webinar (General Services Administration): Provides guidance and considerations unique to Tribal entities registering on SAM.gov.

Components of grant readiness

Federal grant readiness rubric (Nevada Grant Lab): Use this checklist to identify organizational strengths and gaps for obtaining and managing federal grants.

Grant readiness checklist (FAC Net and the Watershed Research and Training Center): Follow this checklist to help you gather the necessary information most applicants will need to have on hand to apply to a federal grant. 

Aligning organizational mission, programs, and funding

Rooting in Values: Communicating Your Organization’s Mission and Vision (University of Washington): A helpful visual for conceptualizing the connections between an organization’s mission, vision and program goals/activities to inform overall strategy, program design, and funding proposals.

Template for reviewing funding opportunities (University of Washington): Template to help potential applicants ensure they meet all requirements of a funding opportunity when considering applying.

Understanding funding and partnership tools

Understanding Forest Service Grants and Agreements: This three-part webinar series reviews the Forest Service as an agency, the suite of grants and agreements tools available for land stewardship and restoration-related activities, and the people and processes associated with these tools. 

– Partnerships on Every Forest Resource Guide: User-friendly descriptions of partnership agreements tools, best practices for partnering, and important agency offices and connections.

Preparing to Partner: Important “How to” information for what to expect and how to go about partnering with the Forest Service.

Agreements Decision Tree: Visual representation of Forest Service partnership tools and decision-making pathways for how it might select which tools might fit various partnership and project types. 

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Initial proposal planning

Key considerations for Federal Grant Applicants (FAC Net and the Watershed Research and Training Center): A list of important factors to consider when evaluating a grant opportunity.

Developing a project charter (FAC Net and the Watershed Research and Training Center): A template to help you develop the core components of a project proposal. 

State Forest Action Plan and Forestry Agency Contact Directory: List of state forestry agencies, contact information, and link to forest action plans that often must be referenced in funding applications. 

Wildfire Risk Maps and Assessment Portals (WRAP) Roundup: Wildfire risk maps and assessment portals that can be referenced when developing a funding application related to wildfire risk reduction.

Federal grant forms and guidance

Federal grant forms repository (Grants.gov): Contains up-to-date copies of the federal forms used by awarding agencies to create grant application packages in Grants.gov

How to Complete a Grant Application Package (U.S. Forest Service Region 9): Guidance for funding applicants and awardees in the Forest Service’s Eastern region, including information to streamline your federal financial assistance application and grant proposal guidance.

Funding Resources (U.S. Forest Service Region 5): Guidance for funding applicants and awardees in the Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest region, including common errors in a grant package and pre-award grant checklist.

Grants Management Training for Applicants and Recipients (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency): Video recordings and written guidance with broad applicability to federal grants, including applying for a grant and meeting requirements for demonstrating financial management system and internal controls capability.

Grant Writing Basics (grants.gov): Advice about discussing impact, crafting needs statements, and building an effective budget narrative.

 Equipment Quick Guide for Federal Grant Recipients: Step-by-step guidance on what process awardees will need to go through if they plan to use federal dollars to purchase equipment. Great to provide up-front so applicants will know what to expect. 

Building your budget

Quick Guide to Preparing a Federal Grant Budget (Nevada Grant Lab): Strategies for navigating important aspects of grant proposal budgets, such as how much to ask for, and what to include in your budget.

How to Develop a Budget (EPA): Recorded webinars and associated: Guidance documents and recorded webinars that cover general principles and considerations, and specific directions about direct and indirect costs that apply to all federal financial assistance awards. 

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Grants.gov forms repository: Contains up-to-date copies of the federal forms used by awarding agencies for post-award reporting.

Grant Monitoring and Reports (Forest Service Region 9): Grant forms and associated guidance, developed for grant applicants and awardees in Region 9 (Northeast and Midwestern states).

Funding Resources (Forest Service Region 5): Grant resources, forms, and guidance, developed for grant applicants and awardees in Region 5 (California & Pacific Islands). Resources include, translating the award letter, and common errors in a grant package.

Grants Management Training for Applicants and Recipients (EPA): Video recordings and written guidance with broad applicability to federal grants, including accepting, managing, and closing out a grant.

Uniform Grants Guidance 2024 Revision (U.S. Office of Management and Budget): Explanation of the latest updates to the uniform guidance that applies to federal grants.

Top 10 Uniform Grant Guidance Updates and Mastering The New Procurement Requirements: What Do You Need to Know? (myfedtrainer.com): Two-page summary of 10 important updates to the Office of Management and Budget’s Uniform Grant Guidance and in-depth webinar explaining the changes. 

Understanding Single Audits (Office of the Inspector General, HHS): This course introduces key concepts of the Single Audit process.

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Information on this page compiled by staff with the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network and the Watershed Research and Training Center thanks to our work with the USDA Forest Service’s Community Navigator Initiative. Read more about our involvement in the initiative on the Watershed Center’s website and the Forest Service’s Community Navigators homepage