Braiding Together Reforestation, Indigenous Partnerships, and Indian Youth Service Corps (IYSC): A Path Towards Resilient Forests and Communities | USDA FS 2023 24 40 WFD

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS 2023 24 40 WFD

The USDA Forest Service opportunity titled "Braiding Together Reforestation, Indigenous Partnerships, and Indian Youth Service Corps (IYSC): A Path Towards Resilient Forests and Communities" is set up as an Outreach of Interest (OOI), meaning it is primarily a relationship-building and project-scouting process rather than a typical grant competition with a defined award amount. The Forest Service is using this OOI to invite Federally recognized Indian Tribes, Tribal Organizations, Alaska Native Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs), and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities to share ideas and propose partnership concepts that could later become formal projects through Forest Service partnership agreements. The central goal is to braid together Indigenous priorities, Forest Service reforestation needs, and the Indian Youth Service Corps program to support healthier, more resilient national forests while strengthening Indigenous community involvement and co-stewardship.

At its core, the Forest Service is looking for potential partners who want to collaborate on reforestation or related forest improvement work on lands managed by the agency. The scope is intentionally broad to allow Indigenous communities to bring forward projects that reflect their unique needs, interests, and local knowledge. The OOI emphasizes co-stewardship, which signals a desire for shared planning and shared responsibility rather than a one-directional program where the agency simply contracts out work. The Forest Service frames these collaborations as essential for understanding what reforestation is needed, aligning priorities, building capacity, and improving long-term forest health outcomes across national forests.

A major pillar of the OOI is expanding and strengthening the Indian Youth Service Corps (IYSC) role in reforestation efforts. The Forest Service specifically indicates it wants IYSC participants actively involved in reforestation and forest restoration activities and highlights practical support elements that make youth engagement successful. This includes providing support and guidance to IYSC participants, sharing models that have worked well elsewhere, and helping structure agreements that include wrap-around services designed to remove common barriers to participation for Indigenous youth. In practice, this can point to supports like transportation, equipment, training, mentoring, and other services that help youth consistently engage in conservation and restoration work.

Procedurally, interested entities were asked to submit an OOI response package through Grants.gov, using the standard federal forms SF-424 and SF-424A, with attachments allowed for additional information. Submissions were to be provided in PDF or DOC format, and hardcopy submissions were not accepted. The deadline for responses was November 17, 2023 at 10:00 PM Eastern Time. The Forest Service stated it would send an automatic confirmation upon receipt and then follow up with each respondent within about one month. To help potential applicants understand the opportunity, the agency also scheduled a live informational webinar on October 10, 2023 (hosted on Microsoft Teams), including a Q&A session, with a recording to be posted later under the Grants.gov listing for the opportunity number USDA-FS-2023-24-40-WFD.

From a compliance and access standpoint, the announcement strongly encouraged electronic submission through Grants.gov and noted the practical requirements that can slow organizations down, especially first-time federal applicants. A Grants.gov account is needed to submit, and System for Award Management (SAM) registration is required to apply through Grants.gov across the federal government, with a warning that SAM registration can take significant time. The notice also encouraged organizations to subscribe to the Grants.gov opportunity listing (USDA-FS-2023-24-40-WFD) to receive updates, and it provided Grants.gov customer support contacts (phone and email) along with video tutorial resources. For program-specific questions, the Forest Service directed inquiries to accessga@usda.gov.

Eligibility was limited to Indigenous-serving and Indigenous-governing entities, including Federally recognized Tribal governments, Tribal organizations (including those other than Tribal governments), Alaska Native Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. The listing categorizes the opportunity under CFDA 10.699 and labels it as "Other" in terms of category, instrument type, and activity category, reinforcing that this is an outreach and partnership development pathway rather than a standard, single-purpose grant program with a stated award ceiling.

• The Forest Service in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Braiding Together Reforestation, Indigenous Partnerships, and Indian Youth Service Corps (IYSC): A Path Towards Resilient Forests and Communities" 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 2023-08-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-11-17. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Others.

Apply for USDA FS 2023 24 40 WFD

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