The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is accepting proposals for conservation grants until Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
SFI Conservation Grants typically range from $25,000-$50,000 USD per project annually, but more extensive projects may be considered based on merit. Projects can be up to three years in duration.
Send in your conservation grant proposal today!
The SFI Conservation Grants Program
The SFI Conservation Grants Program supports collaborative projects that engage non-profit organizations, SFI-certified organizations, and other stakeholders. This work supports SFI’s mission of advancing sustainability through forest-focused collaboration. Since 2010, SFI has awarded 66 SFI Conservation Grants totaling more than $4 million USD to foster research and pilot efforts to better inform future decisions and best management practices for managing our forests. When leveraged with project partner contributions, total investment exceeds $15 million USD.
The SFI Conservation Grants Program strives to quantify and demonstrate the value of SFI-certified forestlands, and lands providing fiber through the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard, toward mitigating climate change impacts, enhancing biodiversity, and protecting water resources. SFI Conservation Grant projects, as part of the SFI Conservation Impact Project, help quantify the impact of SFI standard use and support continual improvement through the identification and implementation of best management practices at scale.
The 2021 SFI Conservation Grants program will seek to address gaps in past Conservation Impact work, identify best management practices toward attainment of existing and new requirements in the SFI standards, and find opportunities to expand or deepen understanding gained from previous project outcomes.
Grant proposals
Proposals should be structured in such a way as to test the validity of the hypotheses outlined in the RFP instructions and criteria document, and/or survey to identify best management practices in support of these hypotheses or build on past Conservation Impact work, relative to lands certified to the SFI Forest Management Standard or lands providing fiber through the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard.
Example of current SFI conservation grantee
The Splatsin Indian Band was awarded an SFI Conservation Grant to study culturally significant plant regeneration post-harvest in the Splatsin Territory.
With the assistance of Tolko Industries—an SFI-certified organization—and a professional biologist, they are measuring the presence and regeneration success of select culturally sensitive plants pre- and post-forest harvesting.
Indigenous Peoples in the U.S. and Canada have long relied on forests for cultural, spiritual, and material needs. SFI recognizes forest operations may have an impact on Indigenous communities in a variety of ways, including culturally significant ones. This study will provide data on how culturally important plant biota regenerate after forest management activities, such as harvests. This project will help to support forest managers in their efforts to manage forestlands in ways that respect Indigenous values by providing a model for evaluating the importance of culturally significant plants.
Send in your conservation grant proposal today!
About the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® Inc.
SFI advances sustainability through forest-focused collaboration. We are an independent, non-profit organization that leverages four interconnected pillars of work: standards, conservation, community, and education. SFI works with the forest sector, conservation groups, academics, researchers, brand owners, resource professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and governments. Collaborating with our network, we leverage SFI-certified forests and products as powerful tools to help solve sustainability challenges such as climate action, conservation of biodiversity, education of future generations, and sustainable economic development. Learn more: forests.org.