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Forest Legacy Program Capacity and Project Development 2026

Grantor:
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Portal ID:
191109
Status:
Active
Open Date:
9/8/26 10:30
Opportunity Type:
  • Grant
Last Updated:
 | 
Categories:

Details

Purpose:

CAL FIRE’s Forest Legacy Program funds landscape-scale conservation projects intended to conserve working forests and working forested landscapes. This solicitation aims to increase organizational capacity for eligible applicants and support the development of high-quality forest conservation projects. Funding for this solicitation is limited to the preparation and development of potential future projects. 

Description:

Eligible Activities: 

Future Projects - Funding for Forest Legacy Grant Due Diligence: Grant funds can be requested to prepare and develop future working forest conservation easement or fee acquisition projects for completion under a Federal OR State Grant. These will be referred to as “Future Projects” throughout the grant guide. The actual transactions for these Future Projects will need to be prepared and submitted for Federal or State Forest Legacy Funding at a future date, for either Forest Legacy solicitations, or solicitations to other federal or state conservation programs. Projects receiving funding under this grant line item are not guaranteed Federal or State Forest Legacy funding for projects in the future.

Future Projects can include costs for preparing the following: Market analysis or restricted use appraisal for Future Projects in development; Preliminary title report and any associated documents listed in that report (deed, easements, MOUs), as well as the costs to remove exceptions; Minerals Remoteness Report or statement; Land survey with acreage and Description verification; Mapping products / GIS; Development and negotiation of Conservation Easement (CE) Deed (if not acquiring in fee); CE Baseline Document (if not acquiring in fee);    Phase 1 Environmental Assessment; Forest Management Plan, Agricultural Management Plan and/or Grazing Management Plan; Soliciting and developing potential FLP projects; Organizational staff time associated with preparation of the above mentioned documents or general work towards completion of the project; Salaries, fringe benefits, travel and supplies that directly support the FLP; Facilitating the donation of lands or interests of lands into the FLP.

Eligible Applicants: 

These can include, but are not limited to; nonprofits, land trusts, and conservation organizations. This program will not grant funding to a private person, business or other private entity to hold ownership of these interests (fee title or CE) using State funds. Any applicant not eligible to hold a Land Conservation Easement shall specify the intended Land Conservation Easement organization within the application.

Eligible Lands are:

Land that can support 10-percent native tree cover of any species, including hardwoods, under natural conditions, and has a minimum of 75 percent forestland or a documented plan that includes sufficient landowner capacity to reforest to at least 75 percent forestland. The land should allow for management of one or more forest resources, including timber, grazing, aesthetics, fish and wildlife, biodiversity, water quality, recreation, and other public benefits.

Eligible Costs:

The following costs are eligible for reimbursement: Future Projects – Due Diligence for Future Forest Legacy Project (a) The development and due diligence costs for future conservation easement or fee acquisition projects as stated above under Future Projects.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

  • Nonprofit
  • Other Legal Entity

Eligible Applicants: These can include, but are not limited to; nonprofits, land trusts, and conservation organizations. This program will not grant funding to a private person, business or other private entity to hold ownership of these interests (fee title or CE) using State funds. Any applicant not eligible to hold a Land Conservation Easement shall specify the intended Land Conservation Easement organization within the application.

Eligible Geographies:

Eligible lands must be at least partially within or adjacent to a Forest Legacy Area. (Please see Appendix B of the Grant Guidelines for the Map of the Forest Legacy Area).

The area eligible for funding is non-federal forest lands as defined in 14 CCR §1571

Matching Funding Requirement:

Match funding is not required or given preference in this grant. 

Important Dates

The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight.
The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.
October 2026
The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized.
End Date: 6/30/2028

Funding Details

The total projected dollar amount of the grant.
$500,000
A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
4 – 10
Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
$50,000 – $150,000
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent.
No
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.
No
The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.
  • Federal

Funding Source Notes:

Future Projects are funded by Federal Financial Assistance Award of Domestic Grant 24-DG-11052021-209 between CAL FIRE and the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. The Federal Assistance Listing (formerly Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance – CFDA) number and name are 10.734 Inflation Reduction Act – Forest Legacy Awards. 

 

The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly).
  • Reimbursement(s)

Funding Method Notes:

Grantees will submit invoices for reimbursement. See Appendix C of the grant guidelines for a sample invoice, invoice template, and guidance. 

How to Apply

State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

Resources

For questions about this grant, contact:
Kevin Kiniery: Forest Legacy Program Coordinator, 1-559-281-8479, forestlegacy@fire.ca.gov

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