Forest Legacy Program - FY2028 Funding
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- USDA-FS-2028-FLP
- Agency
-
Forest Service
Department of Agriculture
- Applications due
- Award size
- $5,000 to $20,000,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
-
- 10.676 Forest Legacy Program
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Category
-
- Natural Resources
- Eligible applicants
-
- Other
- Points of contact
-
- Cassie Adams cassie.adams@usda.gov
- Full announcement
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The USDA Forest Service is soliciting applications for the Forest Legacy Program FY2028 funding, with applications due September 11, 2026, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time via Grants.gov. Only state-designated Lead Agencies are eligible applicants; individuals, tribes, and other entities cannot apply directly but must coordinate with state agencies.
A mandatory 25% non-federal cost share is required, which may include cash, in-kind services, or donation of land or interests in land. Individual award funding is capped at $20 million per project, with estimated total program funding of approximately $130 million supporting 10–15 awards. Each state Lead Agency may submit no more than five projects not exceeding $30 million in total requests.
Eligible land must be privately owned forest land, at least 75% forested or planned for reforestation to that level, located within designated Forest Legacy Areas per the state's Forest Action Plan, and the landowner must be willing to sell or donate the interest in perpetuity. The program funds conservation easements or fee-title land purchases to protect environmentally important forestlands threatened by conversion to non-forest uses and to support state priorities.
Awards carry a two-year performance period for land acquisition. Pre-award costs incurred within one year prior to grant issuance may be included in cost-share calculations.
Applications are evaluated on three National Core Criteria worth up to 80 points total: Importance (30 points) covering environmental, social, and economic benefits; Threatened (20 points) assessing conversion risk; and Strategic (30 points) evaluating contribution to landscape-scale conservation initiatives. Additional ranking factors include project readiness, proximity to wood products mills, public access type, state and local support, cost-share levels exceeding 25%, outstanding previous project funding, and past applicant performance.
Applications must include completed SF-424 and SF-424C forms, a narrative (maximum 5 pages), supporting documentation, tract details with shapefiles, four photographs, one full-page map, and Letters of Concurrence uploaded to Grants.gov; other supporting materials are provided to the Forest Service upon request. Required submission materials include draft easement language, cost-share commitments, option or purchase agreements, title searches, and mineral rights evaluations demonstrating project readiness.
The program is authorized under the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 and funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (CFDA 10.676).
Synopsis
Updated open/close date to release NOFO -
The USDA Forest Service is requesting applications for the Forest Legacy Program (FLP), authorized by the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978, as amended (16 U.S.C. 2103) and funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The Forest Legacy Program is a competitive grant program that is administered by the Forest Service in partnership with State agencies to encourage the permanent protection of privately owned forest lands through conservation easements or land purchases in support of state priorities, as described in each State Forest Action Plan. USDA Forest Service and States also cooperate with tribal and local governments, other Federal agencies, forest landowners, land trust organizations, and other partners to implement FLP. Landowner participation in the program is entirely voluntary.
The purpose of the program is to identify and conserve environmentally important forestlands that are threatened by conversion to non-forest uses and provide the opportunity for continuation of traditional forest uses. Conservation of private forests through the Forest Legacy Program maintains a multitude of public benefits, including: opportunities to hunt, fish, and camp; clean and abundant drinking water; habitat for fish and wildlife; and timber, fuel wood, and other forest products.
More information on the program and past awarded projects can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/private-land/forest-legacy.
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