Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program
Open Posted
- Opportunity number
- USDA-FS-2026-GLRI-CFP
- Agency
-
Forest Service
Department of Agriculture
- Applications due
- Award size
- Up to $1,000,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Categories
-
- Community Development
- Environment
- Natural Resources
- Recreation and Tourism
- Eligible applicants
-
- County Governments
- Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
- 501(c)(3) Nonprofits
- City/Township Governments
- Points of contact
-
- Liam Krause liam.krause@usda.gov (414) 238-4843
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Department of Agriculture Forest Service is soliciting applications for grants of up to $1,000,000 to acquire and establish community forests on private forest land in the Lake Superior Basin of Michigan and Wisconsin, with applications due December 8, 2026. Eligible applicants are federally recognized Indian Tribes, county governments, city/township governments, and 501(c)(3) nonprofits qualified to acquire and manage land; a 50% non-federal cost share is required. Total estimated program funding is $3,500,000 with 4–6 awards anticipated.
Eligible projects must consist of forested properties at least five acres in size and at least 75% forested, threatened by conversion to non-forest uses, and located within the designated Terrestrial Habitat Connectivity Pilot Area. Allowable costs include land purchase price and transactional costs such as appraisals, surveys, legal fees, title examinations, and community forest plan development.
Evaluation is on a 40-point scale: community benefits (up to 20 points), including economic, environmental, educational, and recreational benefits; community engagement (up to 10 points), emphasizing underserved populations; strategic contribution to terrestrial habitat connectivity and landscape conservation initiatives (up to 5 points); and threat of conversion to non-forest uses (up to 5 points).
Selected projects must complete acquisition and establish the community forest within two years of award, including real estate due diligence, fee-simple acquisition, public access provision, community engagement initiation, and Community Forest Plan development. Post-award recipients must provide GIS shapefiles and final Community Forest Plans within 120 days of land acquisition and submit annual performance metrics on conserved acreage, timber production, jobs supported, recreation and economic benefits, habitat connectivity improvements, and community engagement.
Applications are submitted through Grants.gov (Funding Opportunity Number USDA-FS-2026-GLRI-CFP) by 11:59 PM Eastern Time December 8, 2026, with award notification anticipated in Spring 2027. The initial grant period is two years, with extensions available on request submitted 60 days in advance. CFDA 10.689.
Synopsis
Federally recognized Indian Tribes, local government entities, and nonprofit organizations that are qualified to acquire and manage land may apply for up to $1,000,000 for the fee simple acquisition of private forest land in portions of the Lake Superior Basin of Michigan and Wisconsin. Projects submitted for funding consideration must be forested properties at least five acres in size that are threatened by conversion to non-forest uses and that provide community benefits including economic, environmental, educational, and recreational benefits. An additional focus of this opportunity is to protect, enhance and increase resilience of habitats necessary for sustaining native aquatic and terrestrial species important to the Lake Superior ecosystem. Competitive proposals will be those that demonstrate exceptional public benefits, meaningful community engagement, and strategic contributions to terrestrial habitat connectivity within the defined Terrestrial Habitat Connectivity Pilot Area.
For additional information and requirements, please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity document linked in both the "Related Documents" tab and the "Instructions" link located in the "Package" tab.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| GLRI CFP FS-2026-06_OMB.docx | DOCX document | |
| GLRI CFP FS-2026-06_OMB.docx | DOCX document |
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