About National Forest Foundation
To connect Americans to their national forests and fund on-the-ground conservation and restoration projects—including tree planting, watershed protection, collaborative capacity building, and stewardship—so national forests are healthy, resilient and accessible for future generations.
Focus Areas
Forestry / ReforestationEnvironmental conservationWatershed protectionClimate mitigation (planting for climate)Community capacity buildingGrantmaking and stewardship funds
Who They Fund
US national forests (federal public lands)US national grasslands (federal public lands)land managers / stewardship organizations responsible for national forests and grasslandsforest and grassland ecosystems
About National Forest Foundation
National Forest Foundation’s grantmaking centers on U.S. national forests and grasslands, with support directed to restoration, stewardship, watershed protection, collaboration, and access to public lands. The recent grants list shows a clear emphasis on large-scale, on-the-ground work: Conservation Legacy received $1,943,515 in 2025 to support U.S. national forests and grasslands, and Wetland Initiatives received $673,731 in 2024 for the same broad purpose. Those awards sit alongside repeated support for organizations working in forest health, wildfire resilience, youth stewardship, and Tribal co-stewardship across the National Forest System. The foundation also uses program structures that connect funding to specific stewardship needs, including collaborative capacity work, matching awards, stewardship funds, and competitive opportunities tied to national forests and grasslands. Its giving pattern reflects a funder that backs both field implementation and the groups that help coordinate it, from conservation corps and watershed organizations to tribes, universities, and local stewardship partners. Across the recent grants, the recurring thread is support for public lands projects that keep forest and grassland ecosystems functional and accessible.
What National Forest Foundation Funds
In forest stewardship and restoration, National Forest Foundation funded Ecoculture with $602,943 in 2025 and $379,950 in 2024, both for support of U.S. national forests and grasslands. Watershed work also appears prominently: Truckee River Watershed Council received $512,434 in 2025, and Big Thompson Watershed Coalition received $250,000 in 2023, each tied to the same public-lands support language in the recent grants list. The foundation also backs community-based conservation and workforce-style stewardship. Rocky Mountain Youth Corps - Co received $365,688 in 2024 and $315,055 in 2025, while American Conservation Experience received $342,500 in 2023. Tribal partners are present as well, including the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes and the Washoe Tribe of NV and CA, both funded for work connected to national forests and grasslands.
How National Forest Foundation Gives
Typical awards cluster in the tens of thousands: the 25th percentile is $19,482, the median is $34,639, and the 75th percentile is $78,000. The recent grants list also shows that the foundation makes much larger project grants alongside those smaller awards, with several awards in the hundreds of thousands and some above $1 million. Recipients appear in multiple years, including Conservation Legacy, Wetland Initiatives, Ecoculture, Southern Highlands Reserve, Rocky Mountain Youth Corps - Co, Rio Grande Return, and the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, which points to repeat support rather than one-off giving. National Forest Foundation is a regular funder and does not fund individuals or program-related investments. It also posts competitive opportunities and unsolicited application pathways through several program pages.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$17.4M
Total Assets
$96.2M
Total Revenue
$132.1M
Total Expenses
$123.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $19K and $78K, with a median of $35K.
25th Percentile
$19K
Median
$35K
75th Percentile
$78K
Geographic Reach
Regional30 states funded
About 5% of grants go to recipients in CO.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
DIETER FENKART-FROESCHL
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