Forest Service Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy RFA 2023 | USDA FS 2023 COHESIVE STRATEGY

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS 2023 COHESIVE STRATEGY

The Forest Service Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy RFA 2023 is a discretionary federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, aimed at reducing wildfire risk and improving wildfire resilience through coordinated, cross-boundary work. It sits under the Forest Service's broader approach called "Moving Toward Shared Stewardship Across Landscapes," which emphasizes making targeted, strategic investments across different ownerships and jurisdictions so that wildfire risk is managed at the scale where it actually occurs, not limited by administrative borders. In practical terms, the program is built to encourage partnerships and shared planning between federal, state, local, tribal, nonprofit, and other eligible entities to produce measurable, on-the-ground outcomes.

This Request for Applications is specifically framed as the Eastern Region Cohesive Fire Strategy competitive program, with a geographic focus on the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. The intent is to advance the first two national goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (often shortened to the National Cohesive Strategy). The first goal, "Restore and Maintain Landscapes," is about strengthening the resilience of forests, grasslands, and other natural systems so they can better withstand and recover from fire-related disturbances while still meeting local land management objectives. The second goal, "Create Fire Adapted Communities," centers on reducing the vulnerability of people, homes, and critical infrastructure so communities can survive a wildfire without loss of life and with far less property damage. Together, these goals reflect a shift away from reactive suppression-only approaches and toward a more balanced strategy that includes proactive risk reduction, mitigation, and preparedness.

The funding instrument is a grant, and the eligible activity categories include Disaster Prevention and Relief as well as Natural Resources, signaling that funded projects are expected to reduce hazards and improve ecosystem and community conditions rather than simply respond after an incident. The opportunity is associated with CFDA numbers 10.697 and 10.698, which are commonly used to track Forest Service financial assistance programs. The listed award ceiling is $300,000 per award, and the Forest Service anticipated making around 25 awards, indicating a moderately competitive program designed to support a portfolio of projects across the region rather than a small number of very large initiatives.

Eligibility is broad and is designed to accommodate the mix of organizations typically involved in wildfire and land management work. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding nonprofit institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories). The notice also includes an "Others" category, with the expectation that applicants check the official eligibility clarification language in the full announcement. This wide eligibility suggests the Forest Service is intentionally trying to draw in diverse local and regional partners, including entities that are directly responsible for community safety, land stewardship, public education, and local planning.

From an applicant standpoint, the core message of the opportunity is that projects should clearly connect to one or both of the two Cohesive Strategy goals and demonstrate how they will reduce wildfire risk across boundaries. Strong proposals typically emphasize collaboration, shared outcomes, and a focus on the landscape or community scale where interventions make the most difference. In the landscape resilience space, that often means work that improves ecological conditions and reduces hazardous fuels in ways aligned with management objectives. In the fire-adapted communities space, it generally means activities that harden or protect communities, improve readiness and mitigation, and reduce the likelihood that a wildfire turns into a disaster for residents and infrastructure. The program description also notes that the RFA is intended to align with the current year budget direction, which is a reminder that selected projects should match federal priorities for that funding year and show clear public benefit.

Key administrative details from the announcement include the funding opportunity title "Forest Service Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy RFA 2023," the opportunity number "USDA FS 2023 COHESIVE STRATEGY," and an original posting timeline with a creation date of February 28, 2023 and an original closing date of April 30, 2023. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a competitive grant designed to accelerate practical, partnership-driven wildfire resilience work in the Midwest and Northeast, with funding sized to support discrete projects that can show tangible progress toward healthier, more fire-resilient landscapes and safer, better-prepared communities.

• The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service in the disaster prevention and relief, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Forest Service Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy RFA 2023" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.697, 10.698.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 28, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 30, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for USDA FS 2023 COHESIVE STRATEGY

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