The Angeles National Forest (ANF), Los Padres National Forest (LPNF), and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) are excited to announce the next round of funding availability for landscape scale restoration efforts on U.S. Forest Service lands.

This partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and NFWF will direct funding to restore watersheds impacted by fires, and leverage the expertise, capacity, and passion of partners to help recover forest landscapes, improve watersheds, and increase resilience on the forest.

Beginning on Jan. 14, NFWF and their USFS partners the Angeles National Forest and Los Padres National Forest will welcome proposals for the next round of grant funds through the Southern California Forests and Watersheds – Wildfires Restoration Grant Program.

Approximately $8 million dollars will be available for award in this grant cycle to be directed toward fire restoration and recovery stemming from the following past fires: on the ANF, the Copper, Powerhouse, and Sayre fires, and on the LPNF, the Jesusita, Piru, and Zaca fires.

Details of the program, application information, and submittal deadlines are available through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s website at www.nfwf.org/socal. Preliminary proposal submissions are due Monday, February 17, 2020. Applicants will be expected to leverage at least 50% in matching value. Grant applications that maximize matching contributions and partnerships are strongly encouraged.

Additionally, NFWF will host two Open House meetings to discuss the program and how to apply for grants. The Open House meeting near the Angeles National Forest will be held on:
· Wednesday, Jan. 22, from 1:00 – 2:30pm at the Arcadia Women’s Club, 324 S. First Ave., Arcadia, CA.

The Open House meeting near the Los Padres National Forest will be held on:
· Friday, Jan. 24, from 3:00 – 4:30pm at Bren Hall – Room 1414 on the University of California, Santa Barbara campus.

For those who cannot attend any of the Open Houses in person, a webinar will be held on Thursday, Jan. 23. Registration information can be found here and on the program’s RFP page.

Thank you very much for your time, interest and dedication to the Southern California Forests and Watersheds – Wildfires Restoration Grant Program. We look forward to engaging with partners, strengthening relationships, and working in collaboration to manage, protect, and restore this great resource. Please feel free to forward this to any of your contacts or partners who may be interested. If you have any questions, please contact Jim Bond with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.