Federal grant programs / Department of Agriculture

Cooperative Forestry Assistance (10.664)

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$1.1 billion
• Grant awards932
• Typical award$431,500
• Awarded in FY 2025$331 million
• Size rank242 of 1824
• Type of assistanceFormula grants, project grants

Key findings

• Annual funding rose from $122 million in fiscal 2021 to $331 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 242nd largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 56% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 59 states and territories.

What the program funds

With respect to nonfederal forest and other rural lands to assist in the advancement of forest resources management and conservation; developing genetically improved tree seeds and seedlings; producing and distributing tree seeds and seedlings; promoting afforestation and reforestation; the encouragement of active forest management; the control of insects and diseases affecting trees and forests; the control of rural fires; the efficient utilization of wood and wood residues/biomass, including the recycling of wood fiber and biomass utilization; the improvement and maintenance of fish and wildlife habitat; and the planning and implementation of urban and community forestry programs; broaden existing programs on non-federal forest lands to meet the multiple use objectives of landowners; provide opportunities to private landowners to protect ecologically valuable and threatened non-Federal forest land; and strengthen educational, technical, and financial assistance programs that provide assistance to owners of non-Federal forest lands.

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

State Forestry or equivalent State agencies, Tribes, non-profits, and municipalities are eligible. All States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, and the territories and possessions of the United States are eligible.

What the money can and cannot pay for

To assist State Forester or equivalent designated state official(s) in forest stewardship programs on private, State, local, and other nonfederal forest and rural lands. Programs may include production of timber and efficient processing and use of wood products; developing genetically improved tree seeds and seedlings; producing and distributing tree seeds and seedlings; promoting afforestation and reforestation; timber stand improvement; improving wildlife habitat; assisting private woodland owners in harvesting, processing, and marketing activities; conversion of wood to energy; protection and improvement of forest soil fertility; forest insect and disease management; urban and community forestry; development and transfer of new and improved fire prevention, control, suppression and prescribed fire technologies; organization of shared fire suppression resources, and achievement of more efficient fire protection for States and local communities; provision of financial, technical and related assistance to local rural fire fighting forces; acquisition and loan of Federal excess property; organizational improvement; forestry resources planning; conservation of forest land; pursuit and development of new market drivers for conservation (e.g. carbon, ecosystem services, conservation finance); coordination of landscape scale efforts and the inclusion of private lands in large-scale planning and conservation efforts; and technology transfer.

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Government shall not exceed the amount expended by a State grantee or grantee for all programs except those covered by Section 11 of Public Law 95-313. Section 10(b)(2), State Fire Assistance program funds require a 1:1 match by the grantee, unless reduced with a waiver. Section 10(b)(3) Volunteer Fire Assistance program funds require a 50 percent match by the grantee. Section 13A Landscape-Scale Restoration program funds require a 50 percent match by the grantee. Cost-sharing ratios for Section 11(a) Management Assistance and Section 11(c), Technology Implementation programs shall be negotiated. Section 11(b), Forest Resource Planning program funds require 20 percent matching by the State. Amount of grant based on negotiated targets to be achieved.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

$25,000 to $6,000,000. Average $1,000,000

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: In FY25, awards advanced forest management, landscape scale restoration, reforestation, insect and disease control, wildfire risk reduction, urban and community forestry, utilization of wood and wood residues/biomass, and other activities on non-federal forestland through technical, educational, and financial assistance programs.

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

State and local governments received 75% of the money, nonprofits 13% and colleges and universities 11%.

By state

56 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.