Landscape Scale Restoration Grant Program for Non-Federal Lands
Competitive grants for collaborative, science-based forest landscape restoration projects on eligible non-federal rural forest lands that reduce wildfire risk, improve habitat and water quality, or address invasive species, with 1:1 nonfederal match required.
⚑ 1:1 non-federal cost share required · All non-Tribal applications require sponsorship by the relevant State Forester(s) · State Forester may sponsor up to 10 applications total, including up to 5 single-state and up to 5 multi-state · Eligible project lands are limited to rural non-industrial private forest land and/or rural state or local government forest land outside Census places >50,000 population at latest Census data threshold for this program definition of rural
This is a forest restoration implementation grant focused on on-the-ground land management, wildfire risk reduction, habitat, and watershed work on non-federal lands. IPPRA’s team studies public risk perception, warning communication, energy/nuclear policy, and education evaluation—not forestry restoration or applied land-management delivery—so this is not a plausible PI-level fit.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-10-29
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 70 strong | technical depth: substantial; funds applied research |
| IPPRA | 58 good | portfolio topics: environment, climate_weather, water_resources (primary); signature methods: community engaged; social/behavioral work is minor; funds applied research |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 25 weak | funds applied research; deep-tech content |
Description
The Forest Service is offering this one LSR non-federal lands Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) which replaces the three regional (Southern/IITF, Western, and Northeast/Midwestern) NOFOs. The purpose of the Landscape Scale Restoration (LSR) Program is to encourage collaborative, science-based restoration of priority forest landscapes. This competitive grant program supports collaborative high impact projects that lead to measurable outcomes on priority forest landscapes, leverage public and private resources, and further priorities identified in a State Forest Action Plan or equivalent science-based restoration strategy. Proposals should reduce wildfire risk, improve fish and wildlife habitats, maintain or improve water quality and watershed function, and/or mitigate invasive plants, insects, and disease.
Eligible Lands : LSR projects must be conducted on rural non-industrial private forest land, and/or rural state or local government forest land. See NOFO for more definitions. For the purposes of this program, “rural” is defined as all areas outside Census places greater than 50,000 people according to the latest United States Census. Please use the LSR Project Planning Tool (Project Eligibility) to confirm if your proposed project location is eligible within this definition.
Individual Award Funding :
Minimum: $100,000 per project. $50,000 per project for the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Freely Associated States of the Republic of Palau (Palau), the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Maximum: $300,000 for single-state projects; $600,000 for multi-state projects.
Cost Share Required : Grant recipients must match (cost share) the Federal grant funds 1:1 with non-Federal sources.
State Forester Sponsorship : All applications except those submitted by federally recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations require the relevant State Forester(s) to sponsor the project. Each State Forester may sponsor/participate in up to a total of 10 applications, including up to 5 single-state applications and up to 5 multi-state applications.
For Tribes and Tribal organizations : Federally Recognized Tribes are limited to 2 applications for this NOFO. There is a separate national LSR NOFO for federally recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations: USDA-FS-2026-LSR-TRIBAL. Federally recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations may apply to either or both NOFOs but cannot receive more than one award for the same scope of work.
For additional information and requirements, please refer to the NOFO document, which is posted in both the "Related Documents" tab and in the "Instructions" link located in the "Package" tab.
Eligibility
There is a separate national LSR Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for federally recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations: USDA-FS-2026-LSR-TRIBAL. Federally recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations may apply to either or both NOFOs but cannot receive more than one award for the same scope of work.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: <SM.FS.LSR@usda.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · USDA NIFA conventions SEE A USDA EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — USDA NIFA's document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.