Revegetation with Native Plants | USDA FS R13 2024 24 25 VE 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS R13 2024 24 25 VE 01

The USDA Forest Service "Revegetation with Native Plants" opportunity is an Outreach of Interest (OOI) designed to find and build relationships with partners who can support native plant revegetation and restoration work on National Forest System lands. It is not a traditional stand-alone grant solicitation in the usual sense; instead, it is a way for the Forest Service to invite organizations to share project ideas and capabilities so the agency can explore future collaboration and potential federal funding pathways through partnership agreements that fit within the agency's legislative authorities. In practical terms, submitting a response is a way to put your organization on the Forest Service's radar for upcoming work and to start conversations about where your goals and their restoration needs overlap.

The main focus is expanding the supply, knowledge base, and on-the-ground success of locally adapted native plant materials used to recover landscapes impacted by wildfire, drought, and invasive species. The Forest Service highlights that native seeds and other propagules are in short supply, which creates a bottleneck for restoration at the scale now needed across many forests. To address that shortage, the agency is looking for partners who can help with the full pipeline of native plant materials development and use: identifying and prioritizing target species, locating and mapping wildland seed sources, collecting seed at peak viability, cleaning and testing it, storing it appropriately, and then increasing supply through production fields. A key theme is genetic diversity and local adaptation, meaning the Forest Service is interested in seed sources that are suitable for the landscapes being restored and resilient under changing conditions. The agency also notes that building this supply can serve both National Forest needs and a broader, sustained native plant materials market that benefits restoration across all lands.

Beyond seed and plant material development, the OOI emphasizes monitoring and documentation of revegetation outcomes. Partners may propose efforts to track establishment success, evaluate restoration performance over time, and generate information that improves future revegetation priorities and techniques. The Forest Service is also interested in partners who can contribute technical capacity such as field crews, mapping and data management, botany expertise, native plant propagation knowledge, nursery or agronomy capabilities, and restoration science support. The overall intent is to establish shared priorities and expand capacity so forests can recover faster and more effectively with native plant communities.

Community engagement is another major component. The Forest Service explicitly encourages partnerships that educate and involve community members, youth, veterans, tribes, students, underserved communities, and STEM programs. The opportunity frames this as mutually beneficial: partners gain hands-on experience with identifying, handling, processing, and monitoring native plant materials, while the Forest Service gains additional capacity and local knowledge. The agency also points to broader outcomes like strengthening long-term relationships with the land and building public understanding of why native plants matter for ecosystem health.

Funding context is tied to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which the Forest Service says includes dedicated funds to develop and improve revegetation programs, including creating reserves of native herbaceous, shrub, and select tree species for future use. The notice also references executive-order-driven priorities encouraging outreach to tribes and Justice40 communities, signaling that projects with meaningful benefits to historically underserved communities and strong tribal engagement may align well with federal direction and agency priorities.

Eligibility is broad. The Forest Service lists for-profit entities, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and federal, state, local, and Native American tribal governments as eligible responders, along with special purpose districts such as public utility districts, fire districts, conservation districts, school districts, and ports. The opportunity is categorized as "Other" and uses an "Other" funding instrument type, reinforcing that this is a partnership-oriented outreach mechanism rather than a standard competitive grant with a defined award structure. The published award ceiling is listed as 0, which typically indicates that specific funding amounts are not set in this notice and may depend on future agreements and available funding.

Key administrative details include the opportunity title "Revegetation with Native Plants," funding opportunity number USDA FS R13 2024 24 25 VE 01, CFDA (Assistance Listing) 10.699, and an original closing date of 2025-02-07. Application instructions are provided through an attached "Outreach of Interest Template Instructions" document, and prospective partners are expected to use that template to submit their concepts, capabilities, and partnership ideas for Forest Service consideration.

• The Forest Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Revegetation with Native Plants" 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 VE 01

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