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
Recorded Trainings
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.
Some states and regions have their own grants databases. For example, see the following:
- Arizona Wildfire Mitigation Funding Opportunities Database
- Colorado Natural Resources Grants Database
- Colorado River Resilience: Funding for resilience projects in the Colorado River Basin
- Northwest Environmental Justice Center: Funding for environmental work in AK, ID, OR and WA
- West Environmental Justice Center: Funding for environmental work in AZ, CA, HI, NV and U.S. Pacific Islands
Recurring Funding Opportunities for FAC work
Please be sure to check program websites 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. Round 3 application period has closed.
- Check out our CWDG Round 3 primer and applicant flowchart
- 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. Funds for 2024 are exhausted. Information about new funds will be announced on the program website.
- Landscape Scale Restoration (LSR) Competitive Grant Program: Funding for collaborative, science-based restoration of priority forest landscapes, with a focus on wildfire risk reduction, watershed protection and restoration, and the spread of invasive species, insect infestation and disease. Landscape Scale Restoration proposal submissions are administered by three regional processes. The fiscal year (FY) 2025 LSR grant application process is closed to applicants. Proposal submissions are administered by three regional processes, linked on the USFS website. Application processes typically open in the fall.
- Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Grant Program (Western Region)/ Southern Area Wildfire Hazard Mitigation grant (Southern Region)/ Cohesive Fire Strategy grant (Northeast/Midwest Region) Competitive funding to mitigate risk from wildland fire within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) with emphasis on hazard fuel reduction in the WUI, information and education, assessment and planning, and monitoring through community and landowner action. The FY 2025 WUI grant application period is closed to applicants. Applications typically open in the fall and are administered through regional processes.
Grant Readiness Resources
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.
– 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.
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.
– Subrecipient v Contractor checklist (AGA): This document is intended to help a recipient of federal funds make a judgment as to whether each agreement it makes, for the disbursement of federal program funds, casts the entity receiving the funds in the role of a subrecipient or a contractor.
– 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 how to complete an application package for domestic grants and cooperative agreements.
– 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. **note: Since this document was published, updates to the uniform grant guidance (implemented 10/2024) increased the threshold above which item(s) are considered equipment. Equipment is now defined as nonexpendable personal property with an acquisition cost of at least $10,000 per unit and a useful life of more than one year.
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. Subrecipient v Contractor checklist
– Grants.gov forms repository: Contains up-to-date copies of the federal forms used by awarding agencies for post-award reporting.
– Federal Grants Compliance and Audit Requirements: Best Practices and Watch Outs (FAC Net and the Watershed Research and Training Center): In this two-part webinar series, audit experts from Clark Nuber review key aspects of federal grants compliance and implications for the Single Audit.
– Federal Grants Management: Principles and Best Practices (FAC Net and the Watershed Research and Training Center): This four-part series, featuring presenters from Kelley Nonprofit Consulting, provides a thorough review of the most important elements of successfully managing federal grants.
– 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.
– 2 CFR 200: Frequently Asked Questions (Council on Federal Financial Assistance): Addresses common questions regarding the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) guidance on Federal financial assistance, including revisions that became effective Oct. 1, 2024.
–Demystifying 2 CFR 200 Post-Award Procedures: Part 1 (GrantCycle): Explanation of federal grants regulations and implications, including financial management systems, internal controls, property standards, procurement standards, and performance and financial monitoring and reporting
– 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.
Information on this page compiled by staff with the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network and the Watershed Research and Training Center. Support for this work provided, in part, by the USDA Forest Service’s Community Navigator Initiative. Read more about our involvement in the initiative on the Watershed Center’s website.
