The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and Forest Service, has issued a Request for Proposals for projects designed to stabilize African American forestland ownership across generations and enhance family wealth by increasing income and land asset value through sustainable forestry.

Through the Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program, the partnership will invest more than $4 million in organizations that support forest owners in rural areas of Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, western Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia with significant African-American populations. The program aims to improve forest management by connecting African American landowners to organized networks of forestry support, including federal and state government programs, businesses, and nonprofit conservation, legal, and community development organizations. It also supports landowners looking to resolve and prevent problems of insecure land tenure caused by heirs’ property and inadequate estate planning. Successful lead organizations and their networks will work closely with NRCS state conservationists and state forestry agencies.

Through the program, grants of up to $490,000 over three years will be awarded to lead organizations responsible for implementing the program. Matching funds of 25 percent are required over the course of the grant.

See the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities website for complete program guidelines and application instructions.

DEADLINE: APRIL 4, 2016

http://www.usendowment.org/forestlandretention.html