2021 Wood Innovations Grant Program Request for Proposals

2021 RFP process is open

Overview Information

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number is 10.674

CFDA Title is Wood Utilization Assistance

Important Dates:

October 20, 2020 Issuance of Request for Proposals

January 20, 2021 Proposal submission deadline

May 2021 Approximate date for the U.S. Forest Service to notify applicants of results.

August 2021 Approximate date of award

The Forest Service will hold an informational Pre-Application Webinar on this and another related grant opportunity on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time to provide information and answer questions.

Connect to Adobe Connect: https://usfs.adobeconnect.com/wood-innovations/

(1) Keep “Enter as a Guest” selected, (2) type your name in the “name” box, and (3) click “Enter Room.”

For audio (two options): Listen-only through the computer or call into the phone line:

Phone: Mute your computer speakers and call in by phone: 888-844-9904 and use access code 9780832

- OR -

Audio through the computer: Listen-only with computer speakers or headphones (you may need to select your speaker from the Adobe Connect speaker drop-down button).

Note: Phone audio will allow you to both listen and speak up with questions. If you listen through the computer, you will not be able to speak up with questions, but everyone can type questions in the web meeting chat/Q&A pod.

Synopsis of Funding Opportunity:

The U.S. Forest Service requests proposals to substantially expand and accelerate wood energy and wood products markets throughout the United States to support forest management needs on National Forest System and other forest lands.

This Request for Proposals focuses on the following priorities to:

Reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest health on National Forest System and other forest lands.
Reduce costs of forest management on all land types.
Promote economic and environmental health of communities.

The intent of the Wood Innovations Funding Opportunity is to stimulate, expand, and support wood products markets and wood energy markets.

Projects can include, but are not limited to:

Completing requirements, such as engineering designs, cost analyses, and permitting necessary, in the later stages of commercial construction projects that use wood as a primary building material and in the later stages of wood energy project development to secure financing. Early phase project development proposals will not be competitive.
Developing manufacturing capacity, other necessary wood products infrastructure, and markets for wood products that support forest ecosystem restoration.
Showcasing quantifiable environmental and economic benefits of using wood as a sustainable building material in an actual commercial building and the projected benefits achieved if replicated across the United States based on commercial construction market trends.
Establishing statewide wood utilization teams and statewide wood energy teams. Only proposals from States without an existing (or former) team will be considered. Current teams are found on this map.
Developing a cluster of wood energy projects in a geographic area or specific sector (e.g., prisons, hospitals, universities, manufacturing sector, or industrial sector).
Overcoming market barriers and stimulating expansion of wood energy in the commercial sector.

Past funded projects can be explored from the Wood Innovations funded projects searchable database. All funded projects are required to provide reports (annual progress reports and final reports as project is completed).