Federal grant programs / Department of Agriculture

Cooperative Forestry Research (10.202)

Also known as McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research Program

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$172 million
• Grant awards399
• Typical award$359,207
• Awarded in FY 2025$35.2 million
• Size rank647 of 1824
• Type of assistanceFormula grants

Key findings

• Annual funding was roughly flat, $33.8 million in fiscal 2021 and $35.2 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 647th largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 50% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 53 states and territories.

What the program funds

The goal of McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research funding is to increase forestry research in the production, utilization, and protection of forestland; to train future forestry scientists; and to involve other disciplines in forestry research. The eligible forestry research mandated areas as defined by the McIntire- Stennis legislation are: 1.) reforestation and management of land for the production of crops of timber and other related products of the forest; 2.) management of forest and related watershed lands to improve conditions of water flow and to protect resources against floods and erosion; 3.) management of forest and related rangeland for production of forage for domestic livestock and game and improvement of food and habitat for wildlife; management of forest lands for outdoor recreation; 4.) protection of forest land and resources against fire, insects, diseases, or other destructive agents; 5.) utilization of wood and other forest products; and 6.) development of sound policies for the management of forest lands and the harvesting and marketing of forest products; and such other studies as may be necessary to obtain the fullest and most effective use of forest resources.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Funds are appropriated by Congress for distribution to State institutions certified as eligible by a State representative designated by the Governor of each State. Funds are apportioned among States by the Secretary of Agriculture after consultation with a National Advisory Council representing the State- certified forestry schools and other groups concerned with forestry research. This program is also available to Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, and Micronesia.

What the money can and cannot pay for

The purpose of this funding is to increase forestry research in the production, utilization, and protection of forestland; to train future forestry scientists; and to involve other disciplines in forestry research. The eligible forestry research mandated areas as defined by the McIntire-Stennis legislation are: 1.) reforestation and management of land for the production of crops of timber and other related products of the forest; 2.) management of forest and related watershed lands to improve conditions of water flow and to protect resources against floods and erosion; 3.) management of forest and related rangeland for production of forage for domestic livestock and game and improvement of food and habitat for wildlife; 4.) management of forest lands for outdoor recreation; 5.) Protection of forest land and resources against fire, insects, diseases, or other destructive agents; 6.) utilization of wood and other forest products; and 7.) development of sound policies for the management of forest lands and the harvesting and marketing of forest products; and such other studies as may be necessary to obtain the fullest and most effective use of forest resources. 1.) Funding may be used on approved McIntire Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research projects. 2.) Indirect costs and tuition remission are unallowable as MSCFR capacity grant expenditures in accordance with section 1473 of NARETPA (7 U.S.C. 3319).;

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. MSCFR recipients are to provide matching, either cash or in-kind, on a dollar-for-dollar basis on all federal funds allotted. 16 U.S.C. 582a-3 states, “The amount paid by the Federal Government to any State-certified institutions eligible for assistance under this subchapter shall not exceed during any fiscal year the amount available to and budgeted for expenditure by such college or university during the same fiscal year for forestry research from non-Federal sources.” The matching funds requirement is not applicable to the Virgin Islands and Guam. In accordance with 48 U.S.C. 1469a(d), eligible institutions located in other insular areas (i.e., American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, Micronesia, and the Northern Mariana Islands) are not required to match if the allocation is below $200,000.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

Funding is provided to the states through a formula-based allocation process which depends on several factors. First, a base amount (approximately $25,000) is allocated to each State; however, this base amount is excluded from the formula. The balance of funding to each State is determined through a ranking process and dependent upon the following three factors: 1.) forty percent of the remaining balance is allocated based on the area of non-federal commercial forest land; 2.) forty percent is allocated based upon the volume of timber cut annually from stock; and 3.) twenty percent is allocated based on the total expenditures for forestry research from non-federal sources. Funds are then distributed to the eligible State-certified Institutions within the State as determined by the Governors or their Designee. See the annual RFA and the Capacity Program Distribution Schedules webpage for more information.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: Nearly 700 active projects are supported across the eligible identified institutions. Examples of research and education across the McIntire-Stennis program include work focused on: 1) the role of forests in mitigating and management of wildfire; 2) impacts of forest and timber improvements on domestic and international economic markets; 3) improvements on habitats for critical or threatened wildlife communities; and 4) outcomes on society's health and well-being resulting from active forest management.

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Colleges and universities received 98% of the money, nonprofits 0.7% and state and local governments 0.4%.

By state

47 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.