Grassland Ecological Potential and Restoration Effectiveness Evaluation | USDA FS R13 2024 24 25 RM

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS R13 2024 24 25 RM

The USDA Forest Service is using this Grassland Ecological Potential and Restoration Effectiveness Evaluation opportunity as an Outreach of Interest (OOI), meaning it is not a traditional grant solicitation with a defined pot of money and a standard application package. Instead, it is a relationship-building and project-scouting process designed to identify potential partners and ideas that could later be supported through partnership agreements under existing Forest Service legislative authorities. Submitting a response is essentially a way to put your organization on the Forest Service radar, share proposed concepts, and start conversations that may lead to future funded or formally supported work aligned with Forest Service priorities.

The main purpose is to strengthen how the Forest Service understands grassland ecosystems on National Grasslands and the National Tallgrass Prairie, especially in two connected areas: ecological potential (what a site is capable of supporting under its environmental conditions and constraints) and restoration effectiveness (what restoration actions work, where they work, and why). The agency is specifically interested in leveraging and connecting existing ecological classification frameworks such as ecological sites and disturbance response groups, along with practical monitoring methods, to create more streamlined and scalable approaches. The emphasis is on developing tools, workflows, or shared methodologies that can be applied across the national grassland system rather than one-off, site-specific insights that do not transfer well.

The need behind the OOI is that grasslands are widely recognized as highly threatened ecosystems, even though they provide major public benefits such as wildlife habitat, open space, and climate-related services. The Forest Service notes both current and historical drivers of grassland degradation. Contemporary stressors include invasive and non-native species, woody plant encroachment, and climate change. Historical stressors include cultivation, disruption of natural disturbance processes (for example, altered fire or grazing regimes), and development. While many vegetation management and restoration efforts have already been implemented across the National Forest System grasslands, the Forest Service indicates that knowledge of ecological potential varies by place, and that consistent information about restoration success and the factors that control success is still lacking. With roughly 3.8 million acres of National Grasslands and National Tallgrass Prairie involved, the agency is looking for approaches that help compare conditions and outcomes across large geographies and different grassland types.

In practical terms, the Forest Service is seeking partners who can help determine ecological potential across the National Grasslands, assess grassland resiliency, and evaluate restoration effectiveness. The intent is to improve future decision-making, including prioritizing where restoration should occur and which restoration approaches are most appropriate under different ecological settings. A key outcome the agency is aiming for is better ability to maximize conservation return on investment, meaning that limited restoration dollars and capacity can be directed to actions and locations with the highest likelihood of durable ecological gains. The notice also points to additional related directions partners might pursue, such as linking restoration outcomes to measurable co-benefits like habitat improvement, stabilizing or improving grassland bird populations, increasing carbon sequestration opportunities, and enhancing pollinator habitat and abundance.

Eligibility is broad and includes for-profit entities, nonprofits, institutions of higher education, and government entities at the federal, state, local, and Native American tribal levels, as well as special purpose districts (including public utility districts, fire districts, conservation districts, school districts, and ports). The listing is categorized as “Other” rather than a standard grant program, and it shows no stated award ceiling and no specified number of expected awards, which fits the outreach and partner-development purpose rather than a typical competitive grant round. The closing date shown for submitting an OOI response is February 7, 2025. Application details are not embedded in the announcement text itself; respondents are directed to use the attached Outreach of Interest Template Instructions document, which likely contains the required format, questions to address, and submission method.

• The Forest Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Grassland Ecological Potential and Restoration Effectiveness Evaluation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.699.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-10-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-02-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA FS R13 2024 24 25 RM

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: