The Collaborative Capacity Program (CCP) financial awards invest in collaborative activities that support wildfire resilience, recreation opportunities, land & watershed restoration, and rural economies.
Donor Name: National Forest Foundation
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/04/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
This year’s program funds projects that prioritize shared decision-making and bring together multiple perspectives to co-create solutions for forest stewardship or increase Tribal co-stewardship of the National Forests and Grasslands.
Through funding, technical assistance, and peer networking, the CCP uses a comprehensive approach to provide capacity for collaborative planning efforts that lead to landscape-scale forest stewardship outcomes. The CCP encourages new and innovative practices to ensure effective, durable outcomes for the nation’s forests and grasslands and the communities that surround them.
The CCP 2026 grant program aims to strengthen collaborative capacity for natural resource management by funding projects that prioritize shared decision-making to reduce wildfire risk, ensure sustainable recreation and public access, and build economically resilient forests and communities. This year’s Request for Proposals (RFP) funds projects that bring together multiple perspectives to co-create solutions for forest stewardship or increase Tribal co-stewardship of the National Forests and Grasslands. The 2026 CCP opportunity is not intended to provide sustaining funds for existing partnerships, but rather to catalyze new initiatives, to support the development of innovative approaches to National Forest System lands management, or to bring new, different interests to participate in public lands decision-making.
Focus Areas
Every proposal for 2026 CCP funding must include the following components:
- Build capacity for collaborative planning and governance for shared decision-making around public lands management. These funds will not support on-the-ground implementation or coordination of imminent implementation.
- Support efforts that lead to landscape-scale forest stewardship outcomes, including wildfire resilience, forest health, sustainable recreation, and economic wellbeing.
- Encourage multi-stakeholder partnerships including with federal, state, and local entities, or costewardship agreements with Tribes.
Uses of Funds
Funding must support collaboration or collaboration-based activities that aim to benefit National Forest System lands through co-creating solutions for future management decisions. All eligible funding uses must be in support of collaborative decision making. Examples of eligible expenses include but are not limited to:
- Dedicated staff for coordination, facilitation, communications, writing support
- Stipends or honoraria for participation in collaborative and Tribal co-stewardship efforts
- Travel costs for participants to attend meetings and convenings
- Supplies and materials for outreach and communication deliverables
- Costs for meetings and convenings (e.g., venue rental, supplies, food)
- Contractor services to:
- Write governance documents, monitoring plans, science-based strategy development, strategic plans
- Deliver community needs or situational assessments
- Create outreach and communication deliverables
- Develop shovel-ready projects list within context of landscape-scale strategy
- Build broad consensus, identify shared purposes, and support planning processes for restoration projects
Funding Information
Award Amount: $20,000 – $50,000.
Grant Period
Funded projects will begin in October 2026 and will run for 12 months through October 2027.
Geographical Area
Proposals will be accepted from throughout the United States where there is a clear benefit to National Forest System lands.
Funding Source: Federal funds via the U.S. Forest Service.
Eligibility Critria
Applications to the Collaborative Capacity Program will be considered from:
- Federally recognized Tribal governments1 and federally recognized Tribal organizations
- Nonprofit organizations, local governmental entities, colleges and universities.
For more information, visit NFF.
