Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS 2024 COHESIVE STRATEGY
The Forest Service Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy RFA 2024 (Funding Opportunity Number: USDA FS 2024 COHESIVE STRATEGY) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Forest Service that funds projects aimed at reducing wildfire risk and improving resilience across the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. It is framed around the Forest Service "shared stewardship" approach, which emphasizes cross-boundary, multi-partner work at the landscape scale so that investments in wildfire risk reduction and preparedness are coordinated across ownerships and jurisdictions rather than being limited to a single agency or property boundary. In practical terms, the program is trying to support collaborative, strategically targeted work that produces measurable improvements in wildfire outcomes at the scale where fire actually moves and communities experience risk.
This competitive Request for Applications is specifically intended to advance the first two goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (often referred to as the National Cohesive Strategy). The first goal, Restore and Maintain Landscapes, focuses on making landscapes across all jurisdictions more resilient to fire-related disturbances in a way that matches management objectives. That typically points to activities that improve the condition of forests, grasslands, and other fire-prone ecosystems so they can experience fire with less severe or less damaging effects, and so that post-fire recovery and long-term ecosystem function are more stable. The second goal, Create Fire Adapted Communities, centers on preparedness and risk reduction where people live and where critical infrastructure exists, with an emphasis on ensuring that communities can withstand wildfire without loss of life and property. In other words, this opportunity is designed to fund both the land management side of wildfire resilience and the community-facing side of wildfire adaptation, as long as projects align with those two national goals and the current year budget direction referenced in the notice.
The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity area is categorized under Disaster Prevention and Relief and Natural Resources. The opportunity is associated with CFDA numbers 10.697 and 10.698, which are the federal assistance identifiers used for Forest Service financial assistance programs. The maximum award amount listed (award ceiling) is $300,000, and the Forest Service anticipated making about 25 awards under this solicitation. The posting indicates an original application closing date of January 16, 2024, and a creation date of November 16, 2023, which signals the time window when applicants were expected to develop and submit proposals.
Eligibility is broad and intentionally includes many of the partners needed for cross-jurisdiction wildfire work. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education); and other entities identified as eligible under the opportunity. This broad eligibility supports the shared stewardship concept by allowing local governments, tribes, nonprofits, and educational institutions to lead or participate in projects that connect land management, community planning, and on-the-ground risk reduction.
A notable phrase included in the description is "Forest Fire Compacts," which commonly refers to multi-jurisdictional arrangements or cooperative frameworks that help states and partners coordinate wildfire management resources, mutual aid, and planning across borders. While the notice text provided does not spell out specific compact-related deliverables, its inclusion reinforces the overall emphasis on coordination and cross-boundary collaboration, particularly relevant in the Eastern Region where wildfire risk often intersects a patchwork of federal, state, tribal, local, and private lands.
Overall, this RFA is best understood as a targeted Forest Service funding opportunity meant to push practical, partner-driven projects that improve landscape resilience and strengthen community wildfire readiness in the Midwest and Northeast. The program is aligned with national strategy goals, encourages shared stewardship across ownerships, and offers mid-sized awards (up to $300,000) to a wide range of public and nonprofit entities positioned to plan and implement cohesive wildfire risk reduction efforts.Apply for USDA FS 2024 COHESIVE STRATEGY
- The Forest Service in the disaster prevention and relief, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Forest Service Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy RFA 2024" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.697, 10.698.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2023-11-16.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-01-16. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others.
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Forest Service Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy RFA 2024 (USDA FS 2024 COHESIVE STRATEGY) - FAQs
What is the Forest Service Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy RFA 2024?
It is a competitive, discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Forest Service (Funding Opportunity Number: USDA FS 2024 COHESIVE STRATEGY) that funds projects designed to reduce wildfire risk and improve resilience, particularly through coordinated work across partners and jurisdictions.
What is the main purpose of this grant program?
The program supports strategically targeted, collaborative projects that produce measurable improvements in wildfire outcomes at a landscape scale, especially where wildfire risk crosses ownership boundaries and affects communities.
What geographic area does the opportunity focus on?
The opportunity is focused on the Midwestern and Northeastern United States.
What does the Forest Service mean by a "shared stewardship" approach in this RFA?
"Shared stewardship" refers to cross-boundary, multi-partner coordination at the landscape scale, so that investments in wildfire risk reduction and preparedness are aligned across different land ownerships and jurisdictions rather than confined to a single agency, property, or boundary.
Is this a formula grant or a competitive grant?
This is a competitive Request for Applications (RFA) and is described as a discretionary grant opportunity.
What type of funding instrument is used?
The funding instrument is a grant.
What activity areas does this opportunity fall under?
The activity area is categorized under Disaster Prevention and Relief and Natural Resources.
Which national strategy goals does this RFA support?
This RFA is specifically intended to advance the first two goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (National Cohesive Strategy): (1) Restore and Maintain Landscapes, and (2) Create Fire Adapted Communities.
What does "Restore and Maintain Landscapes" mean in practical project terms?
It refers to making fire-prone landscapes more resilient to fire-related disturbances across jurisdictions, consistent with management objectives. This often points toward work that improves the condition of forests, grasslands, and other ecosystems so they can experience fire with less severe impacts and sustain more stable recovery and long-term function.
What does "Create Fire Adapted Communities" mean in practical project terms?
It focuses on preparedness and risk reduction in places where people live and where critical infrastructure exists, aiming to help communities withstand wildfire without loss of life and property.
Does the RFA support both land management and community-facing work?
Yes. The opportunity is designed to fund both the landscape-focused side of wildfire resilience and the community-focused side of wildfire adaptation, as long as projects align with the first two national strategy goals and the budget direction referenced in the notice.
What are the CFDA numbers associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with CFDA numbers 10.697 and 10.698, which are federal assistance identifiers used for Forest Service financial assistance programs.
What is the maximum award amount for this grant?
The award ceiling listed is $300,000.
How many awards did the Forest Service expect to make?
The Forest Service anticipated making about 25 awards under this solicitation.
When was the opportunity posted and when were applications due?
The creation date listed is November 16, 2023, and the original application closing date listed is January 16, 2024.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes: state governments; county governments; city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education); and other entities identified as eligible under the opportunity.
Are nonprofit organizations required to have 501(c)(3) status to be eligible?
No. The eligibility language includes nonprofit organizations with and without 501(c)(3) status (provided they are not institutions of higher education).
Are colleges and universities eligible?
Yes. Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education are listed as eligible applicants.
Are tribal governments eligible?
Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments are listed as eligible applicants.
Why does the RFA include such broad eligibility?
The broad eligibility supports shared stewardship by allowing the range of partners involved in cross-jurisdiction wildfire work (local governments, tribes, nonprofits, and educational institutions) to lead or participate in coordinated projects that connect land management, community planning, and risk reduction.
What kinds of projects is this RFA trying to promote?
Based on the description, the RFA is trying to promote partner-driven, strategically targeted projects that coordinate wildfire risk reduction and preparedness across ownerships and jurisdictions and that produce measurable improvements in wildfire outcomes at landscape and community scales.
What does the RFA mean by working "at the landscape scale"?
It means planning and implementing work at the scale where fire actually moves across boundaries and where communities experience risk, rather than limiting projects to a single ownership or agency boundary.
What is meant by "Forest Fire Compacts" in the opportunity description?
"Forest Fire Compacts" commonly refers to multi-jurisdictional arrangements or cooperative frameworks that help states and partners coordinate wildfire management resources, mutual aid, and planning across borders. While the provided notice text does not describe specific compact deliverables, the phrase reinforces the emphasis on coordination and cross-boundary collaboration.
Is the RFA focused on coordination across federal, state, tribal, local, and private lands?
Yes. The opportunity emphasizes cross-boundary coordination, which is especially relevant where wildfire risk intersects a patchwork of federal, state, tribal, local, and private lands.
What is the overall takeaway about this funding opportunity?
It is a Forest Service grant opportunity aligned with the National Cohesive Strategy (first two goals) and the shared stewardship approach, offering awards up to $300,000 to a broad set of eligible entities to implement collaborative wildfire risk reduction and community preparedness projects in the Midwest and Northeast.
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