Up to $300,000 in grant funding available to support the expansion and acceleration of the wood energy and wood product markets throughout the United States.
The intent of the Wood Innovations funding opportunity is to stimulate, expand, and support U.S. wood products markets and wood energy markets to support the long-term management of National Forest System and other forest lands.
Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants are non-profits; local, state, and tribal governments; businesses, companies, corporations (for profit); institutions of higher education; and special purpose districts (public utility districts, fire districts, conservation districts, school districts, and ports.)
Eligible projects
- Completing requirements, such as architectural and engineering designs, cost analyses, and permitting necessary for commercial construction projects that use wood as a primary building material, and/or wood energy project development to secure financing.
- Establishing or increasing wood products manufacturing capacity and/or markets that support forest ecosystem restoration.
- Showcasing quantifiable environmental and economic benefits of using wood as a sustainable building material in a constructed commercial building to increase acceptance and encourage growth in the construction industry.
- Establishing statewide wood utilization teams or statewide wood energy teams.
- Developing a cluster of wood energy projects in a geographic area or specific sector; or installing a wood energy system at a facility (e.g., prisons, hospitals, universities, manufacturing, or industrial sector) that will use forest woody biomass or forest products manufacturing residues.
- Developing commercial wood biomass and wood product utilization industrial parks.
- Overcoming market barriers and stimulating expansion of wood energy in the institutional, commercial, or industrial sectors.
Funding
The Forest Service plans to award up to $24 million under this announcement, dependent on the FY 2023 Forest Service budget appropriation. The maximum for each award is generally $300,000; however, the Forest Service may consider awarding more to a proposal that demonstrates the ability to have a significant and sizeable impact on wood product or energy markets.
Deadline
Thursday March 23, 2023