Sustainable Forestry Initiative Accepting Proposals For Conservation, Community Project Grants

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Tuesday announced the opening of its annual request for proposals for the SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program.  The deadline for applications is October 10.

The grants program supports SFI's work to promote sustainable forest management through partnerships with conservation groups that are contributing to the understanding of critical links between forests and communities across the range of American and Canadian forests, and community groups working at the intersection of sustainable forestry, responsible procurement and thriving communities.

"SFI is proud to stand with so many partners that lead the way on positively impacting the future of our forests. This new grant cycle allows us to reassert our role as a sustainability leader that is working beyond supply chain assurances to elevate conservation value and foster community engagement," said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc. "We look forward to this round of proposals and how they will contribute to our scientific understanding, long-standing commitment to forest research, and shared quality of life."

Since 2010, SFI has awarded more than 100 grants to foster conservation and community-building projects across North America. When leveraged with project partner contributions, the combined investment exceeds $13.2 million.

SFI grants are available to academic institutions, nonprofit organizations and Indigenous groups.

For SFI Conservation Grant applications, SFI Inc. is placing a priority on projects that measure, demonstrate, or establish methodologies to demonstrate, the conservation-related values of SFI-certified forestlands, or values promoted by the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard.

Particular attention will be paid to applications focused on conservation values in the areas of water, climate change (including both carbon attributes and forest resiliency), and biodiversity.

SFI's Community Partnerships Grant Program is focused on elevating and enriching the links between people and forests. SFI awards grants to collaborative community-based projects, activities or events that support SFI's core mission to connect communities to forests.

Applications that feature creative partnerships or high degrees of leverage (e.g., matching funds, scale of impact, etc.) are preferred.

Visit the SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program, read about current and past grant projects, and review the RFP process on the SFI website.  Questions should be directed to Rocco Saracina, Manager of Conservation Partnerships, by sending email to: rocco.saracina@sfiprogram.org.