Fire Science Innovations through Research and Education

The Fire Science Innovations through Research and Education (FIRE) program is a funding initiative by the National Science Foundation (NSF), a federal agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. The FIRE program is a response to the escalating complexity and impact of wildland fires across the United States and globally. The NSF seeks to catalyze large-scale, cross-cutting research to transform the understanding of wildland fire and its interactions with ecological systems, infrastructure, and human communities. This program supports collaborative, convergent research efforts that span multiple disciplines, stakeholders, and geographic scales, with the goal of realigning society’s approach to wildfire science and resilience. The FIRE program focuses on three main research and engagement areas. The first, FIRE-MODEL, supports the development of innovative predictive models that capture the complex and dynamic nature of wildland fires. This includes advanced modeling at various spatial and temporal scales, methods to address uncertainty, and technologies such as artificial intelligence and digital twins to improve forecasting and training. The second focus area, FIRE-WUI, targets research in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)—regions where human development meets natural landscapes and which are especially vulnerable to wildfire. This track encourages projects that investigate community adaptation, infrastructure vulnerability, public perception, and social inequities related to wildfire impact. The third area, FIRE-NET, is designed to foster interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral research networks that improve coordination, data sharing, and collaboration across scientific, governmental, and community-based stakeholders. Eligibility for this funding opportunity is broad, encompassing researchers, educators, practitioners, students, industry members, Tribal representatives, and community members. Specific eligible applicant types include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, Native American tribal entities, and individuals, among others. The program explicitly encourages collaboration among diverse groups and sectors, including those not traditionally involved in fire science research. Proposals should reflect multidisciplinary partnerships and demonstrate commitment to community engagement and educational impact. The FIRE program supports both research proposals and network-building conference proposals. It emphasizes the importance of new data strategies, innovative modeling, and scalable methods for reducing fire-related vulnerabilities. Proposals are reviewed by NSF in collaboration with partner organizations, including NASA, the Department of Defense (SERDP-ESTCP), and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Proposal copies and reviews may be shared with these partners where appropriate. Submissions must comply with NSF’s Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and should be submitted via Research.gov or Grants.gov according to the guide corresponding to the submission method. The current funding window is February 3–10, 2026, and will recur annually on the same dates. This submission window opens approximately 90 days after the publication of the program description and remains open for 100 days. Although the grant does not follow a rolling application process, it is recurring. Award conditions for grants and cooperative agreements issued after October 1, 2024, will follow updated federal guidance. Contact for the program includes multiple NSF program directors, all of whom can be reached through the shared email address wildlandfire@nsf.gov or individually by phone. One listed alternate email is yyanes@nsf.gov for Yurena Yanes. Applicants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the program video released on March 24, 2025, and all relevant materials on the NSF website. Applicants should also be aware of the standard 15% indirect cost policy now in effect. Comprehensive, multidisciplinary approaches and alignment with program focus areas are key to competitive proposals. The FIRE program is a robust funding avenue for those seeking to advance wildfire-related science, education, resilience planning, and community engagement.