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Wilderness Stewardship Performance (WSP) Funding Program

Wilderness Stewardship Performance is the suite of activities the Forest Service uses to measure their wilderness stewardship accomplishments. Wilderness Stewardship Performance (WSP) guides much of the wilderness work the Forest Service and its wilderness stewardship partner organizations do by informing performance goals and identifying needs for funding to support them.

2024 Wilderness Stewardship Performance Grants*

Application Period Opens: October 16, 2023
Application Period Closes: November 30, 2023
Funding Available: $190,000
Funding Amounts: $2,000 - $30,000 per organization
Project Period: Projects completed between February 1 – December 31, 2024

*You must be a current NWSA Member Organization to apply

Overview

The National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance (NWSA), in partnership with the USDA Forest Service, is proud to bring our members this funding opportunity to support their work with Forest Service partners on Wilderness Stewardship Performance (WSP) activities on National Forest Wilderness Areas across the U.S. Approximately $190,000 is available for work completed between February and December of 2024 and award amounts will range between $2,000 and $30,000 per organization. Projects that support volunteers receive additional emphasis. The application period opens October 16, 2023 and closes November 30, 2023. Awards will be announced by January 30, 2024.

This funding program is for 501(c)(3) organizations working with Forest Service partners to complete wilderness stewardship activities that contribute to overall improvement in Wilderness Stewardship Performance scores for individual national forest wilderness areas to help the agency to meet their performance goals. There are a variety of activities that qualify for consideration. See the Forest Service Wilderness Stewardship Performance Guidebook for more detailed information about these and other activities.

Program Requirements

  • Must be a 501(c)(3) organization in good standing to qualify for funding.
  • Must be a current NWSA Member Organization to apply (JOIN OR RENEW).
  • Projects must contribute to Forest Service Wilderness Stewardship Performance scoring and meet all Qualifying Projects criteria.
  • Applicants must demonstrate collaboration and partnership with local Forest Service personnel.
  • 20% match requirement (can be combination of cash and in-kind contributions)
  • Maximum award amount is $30,000.
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion components are strongly encouraged.
  • WSP activities chosen must match with the local unit’s chosen 10 elements for each wilderness.

Application Materials

Please review the Request for Proposals before proceeding with your application and budget.

2024 Wilderness Stewardship Performance Request for Proposals

2024 Wilderness Stewardship Performance Grant Application

2024 Wilderness Stewardship Performance Grant Budget Sheet

WSP Resources

Visit Wilderness Connect for Complete Information on Wilderness Stewardship Performance and explore these resources:

Read about the awards and see a list of the organizations we funded in the 2023 WSP Funding Round HERE.

Questions

Questions about the National Forest Wilderness Stewardship Performance Partnership Funding may be addressed to Joelle Marier, Executive Director at [email protected].

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