Accelerating Wood Fiber Utilization through Business and Project Development Assistance

The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) aimed at addressing the challenges of managing underutilized wood fiber, including mill residuals, pulpwood, and other biomass materials. In recent years, rural communities and forest economies have been significantly impacted by the closure of biomass-consuming facilities such as pulp mills and bioenergy plants. In light of these challenges, the Endowment is launching this initiative to stimulate market-driven, scalable solutions that contribute to the health of forests and the resilience of local economies. The primary objective is to support organizations in accelerating wood utilization through enhanced business and project development assistance. This grant opportunity will award three to five grants to U.S.-based nonprofit organizations or institutions of higher education that demonstrate a strong track record in wood products manufacturing, biomass utilization, economic development, or related fields. The funding will be provided over a period of two to five years. Selected projects are expected to contribute to the development of new and expanding markets for wood fiber by offering business development services, mobilizing funding, and increasing regional capacity for project readiness. The Endowment will work closely with grantees to establish measurable milestones and evaluate progress throughout the grant period. A total of $5,000,000 is allocated for this RFP over five years, with up to $1,000,000 available each year. Additionally, an extra $500,000 is reserved for projects located within the four-state region of the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC)—Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. These NRBC-region projects will be required to adhere to specific federal regulations outlined in 2 CFR parts 200 and must also register in sam.gov and obtain a Unique Entity Identifier. Eligible activities for funding include strategic planning, market analysis, financial structuring, transaction support, project management services, industry coordination, stakeholder engagement, and administrative support. Special emphasis will be given to projects that demonstrate the ability to bring in additional leverage or resources. However, funds cannot be used for lobbying, litigation, political advocacy, the purchase of real assets, or implementation of forest management practices. Applications must be submitted via the Endowment’s online grantee portal. The submission deadline is May 22, 2026, by 5:00 PM EST. A Q&A session is scheduled via webinar on April 16, with responses to questions posted on April 28. Applicants must complete all required fields in the application portal, including a narrative proposal, team qualifications, organizational experience, work plan, financial details, and compliance certifications. Those applying for NRBC funding must ensure federal registration requirements are fulfilled. Proposals will be evaluated on criteria including the potential for timely and scalable project deployment, regional market insight, ability to leverage investment, proven experience, and clearly defined targets and metrics. Successful projects are expected to begin during the second quarter of 2026, pending satisfactory agreement terms and performance milestones. For technical questions, applicants may contact the program officer directly, and for portal issues, a separate support contact is provided. Through this initiative, the Endowment reaffirms its commitment to fostering innovation and sustainable economic growth in the forest products sector.

Demonstrate leverage and stakeholder engagement to align with priority criteria.