The National Forest Foundation’s flagship competitive grant program, the Matching Awards Program (MAP), focuses on community engagement and completion of appropriate stewardship activities.
Donor Name: National Forest Foundation
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Awards and Prizes, Matching Grants
Deadline: 01/22/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
Its goal is to create lasting change that provides all communities with opportunities to benefit from activities on National Forest lands or nearby public lands.
Funding Information
In recent years, NFF has considered applications ranging from less than $5,000 to over $70,000. The NFF suggests new MAP applicants submit applications requesting $30,000 or less.
Grant Period
Eligible projects are no more than 18 months in duration.
Geographical Areas
National, must take place on U.S. National Forests and Grasslands or adjacent public lands, and demonstrate benefit to National Forest System lands.
Eligible Activities
The NFF requires that all MAP projects include three elements: community engagement, hands-on stewardship activities completed by the engaged community members, and a direct benefit to the National Forest System.
- Community Engagement
- Public lands days, clean-up days, and similar events
- Field trips for schools or collaborative groups
- Outdoor skills training
- Indigenous ecological practices
- Ceremonies or celebrations related to natural resources
- Nature-based therapeutic activities
- Trail or site ambassador programs
- Community science projects
- Implementation of natural resource stewardship projects directly by community members
- Stewardship Activities
- Recreation site clean-up
- Native tree and shrub planting
- Trail maintenance
- Invasive species control
- Forest and watershed restoration
- Hazardous fuels reduction
- Ecological or social monitoring to inform management decisions
- Educating other public lands users to prevent resource damage.
- Expanding Beneficiaries of Public Lands, and Creating Long-Term Benefit
- Through MAP, the NFF is demonstrating its interest in expanding environmental and conservation work and who participates in this work. The selection committee will prioritize projects that aim to create opportunities to expand beneficiaries and/or collaborative leadership, whether during the MAP-funded performance period or in the future.
Eligibility Criteria
Nonprofit organizations, Tribal governments and organizations, and colleges and universities. Organizations that do not meet these eligibility types may be able to apply using a fiscal sponsor.
For more information, visit National Forest Foundation.
