Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS R13 2024 24 24 REC 02
The USDA Forest Service grant opportunity titled "Partnership to Reach and Engage Underrepresented Audiences in a Fit-for-Purpose Outdoor Recreation Effort" is structured less like a traditional competitive grant solicitation and more like an Outreach of Interest (OOI) meant to start or deepen partnerships. The Forest Service is using this OOI as a way to identify organizations and governments that can collaborate on future recreation and visitor-related projects on national forest lands under existing partnership authorities. In practice, it is a relationship-building step that helps the agency find the right partners first, then shape specific project agreements later based on shared needs, community priorities, and what is feasible on the ground.
A central goal of the opportunity is to expand who is meaningfully included in the design and delivery of outdoor recreation opportunities on national forests and grasslands. The Forest Service explicitly wants to connect with partners that have historically been overlooked or underrepresented in recreation program implementation and in the way visitor experiences are planned. The intent is to better reach outdoor recreation audiences who are not currently represented in visitation patterns in a way that reflects the broader national demographics. This includes partners who can help the agency improve how it plans projects from the very beginning, not just how it implements them after decisions are made.
The agency highlights that national forest visitation has grown dramatically, citing a record 168 million visits in 2020. While this surge showed how important public lands are for stress relief, safe recreation, and community well-being, it also exposed gaps in equitable access and visitor experience. The Forest Service notes that not everyone feels welcome or connected in outdoor spaces, and it frames this effort as part of ensuring national forests and grasslands are truly open and accessible to anyone, regardless of background or ability. The opportunity is tied to improving affordable and safe access and creating recreation experiences that encourage long-term connection, stewardship, and care for natural resources, while also recognizing that public lands can support healing and bridge social divides.
What the Forest Service is looking for from potential partners includes support in developing "fit-for-purpose" recreation and visitor efforts that match the needs of specific communities rather than relying on one-size-fits-all approaches. The description emphasizes justice-oriented thinking in project formation, such as helping identify equitable funding criteria, creating objective ways to evaluate outcomes, and conducting robust community engagement so that affected communities have a real role in shaping recreation investments. In other words, partners are not only expected to deliver programs; they may also help define what success looks like and how decisions should be made.
Eligibility is broad and includes for-profit entities, nonprofits, institutions of higher education, federal/state/local governments, and Native American tribal governments. It also includes special purpose districts such as public utility districts, fire districts, conservation districts, school districts, and ports. The listing shows the agency as the Forest Service and associates the opportunity with natural resources (CFDA 10.699). The funding opportunity number is USDA FS R13 2024 24 24 REC 02. The posted closing date is February 7, 2025. The award ceiling is listed as 0 and expected awards are not specified, which aligns with the OOI format: it is an intake and partner-identification process rather than a straightforward announcement of fixed grant dollars per award.
Application instructions are not embedded in the main notice and instead direct interested parties to an attached "Outreach of Interest Template Instructions" document. That template is likely the primary mechanism for submitting an OOI response, describing your organization, communities served, relevant experience, partnership ideas, and how you could contribute to more inclusive recreation planning and engagement on national forest lands.Apply for USDA FS R13 2024 24 24 REC 02
- The Forest Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Partnership to Reach and Engage Underrepresented Audiences in a “Fit-for-Purpose” Outdoor Recreation Effort" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.699.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2024-10-07.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-02-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is this USDA Forest Service opportunity?
This opportunity, titled "Partnership to Reach and Engage Underrepresented Audiences in a Fit-for-Purpose Outdoor Recreation Effort," is an Outreach of Interest (OOI) used by the USDA Forest Service to identify and build partnerships for future recreation and visitor-related work on national forest lands. It is intended to start or deepen collaboration first, and then shape specific projects and agreements later.
2. Is this a traditional competitive grant solicitation?
No. The information describes it as structured less like a traditional competitive grant and more like an OOI. It functions as an intake and partner-identification process rather than a fixed, dollar-defined competition with a specified number of awards.
3. What is the main purpose of the OOI?
The Forest Service is using the OOI to find organizations and governments that can collaborate on future recreation and visitor-related projects under existing partnership authorities. The emphasis is on relationship-building and identifying partners whose capabilities and community connections align with Forest Service recreation and visitor goals.
4. What outcomes is the Forest Service trying to achieve through this effort?
The central goal is to expand who is meaningfully included in the design and delivery of outdoor recreation opportunities on national forests and grasslands. The Forest Service wants to better reach audiences not currently represented in visitation patterns in ways that reflect broader national demographics, and to improve inclusion from the earliest planning stages, not only during implementation.
5. Who are the "underrepresented audiences" referred to in this opportunity?
The notice does not provide a fixed list of groups. It states the Forest Service wants to connect with partners that have historically been overlooked or underrepresented in recreation program implementation and in how visitor experiences are planned, with the broader aim of engaging audiences not currently represented in visitation patterns.
6. What does "fit-for-purpose" recreation and visitor efforts mean in this context?
"Fit-for-purpose" refers to recreation and visitor efforts designed to match the needs of specific communities rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. The Forest Service is looking for partners who can help tailor outreach, planning, and recreation experiences to community priorities and practical conditions on the ground.
7. What types of activities might partners support?
Based on the description, partners may support developing recreation and visitor efforts, conducting robust community engagement, and contributing justice-oriented thinking in project formation. This can include helping identify equitable funding criteria, creating objective ways to evaluate outcomes, and ensuring communities affected by recreation investments have a real role in shaping them.
8. Is the Forest Service only looking for organizations that can deliver programs?
No. The opportunity indicates partners may help define what success looks like and how decisions should be made. The Forest Service is interested in partners who can contribute to planning, evaluation, criteria development, and community engagement, not just program delivery.
9. Why is the Forest Service emphasizing equitable access and inclusion now?
The Forest Service cites record visitation of 168 million visits in 2020 and notes that, while the increase highlighted the importance of public lands for stress relief and community well-being, it also exposed gaps in equitable access and visitor experience. The agency frames this OOI as part of ensuring national forests and grasslands are open and accessible to anyone, regardless of background or ability.
10. How does the Forest Service describe the broader value of this work?
The notice links the effort to improving affordable and safe access, creating recreation experiences that encourage long-term connection and stewardship, and recognizing that public lands can support healing and help bridge social divides.
11. Who is eligible to respond to this opportunity?
Eligibility is broad and includes for-profit entities, nonprofits, institutions of higher education, federal/state/local governments, and Native American tribal governments. It also includes special purpose districts such as public utility districts, fire districts, conservation districts, school districts, and ports.
12. Can tribal governments participate?
Yes. Native American tribal governments are explicitly included in the listed eligible applicant types.
13. Are for-profit organizations allowed to apply?
Yes. For-profit entities are included in the eligibility description.
14. What is the CFDA program associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with natural resources and is listed under CFDA 10.699.
15. What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number provided is USDA FS R13 2024 24 24 REC 02.
16. What is the closing date for responses?
The posted closing date is February 7, 2025.
17. How much funding is available per award?
The award ceiling is listed as 0 and expected awards are not specified. This aligns with the OOI format described, where the focus is on identifying partners and shaping future project agreements rather than announcing fixed grant dollars per award at this stage.
18. Does an OOI response guarantee funding?
The information provided does not describe guaranteed funding. It characterizes the OOI as a relationship-building and partner-identification step used to shape specific future project agreements later based on shared needs, community priorities, and feasibility.
19. What should an organization include in its OOI response?
Application instructions are not included in the main notice and instead point to an attached "Outreach of Interest Template Instructions" document. The description indicates the template is likely used to share information such as your organization, communities served, relevant experience, partnership ideas, and how you could contribute to more inclusive recreation planning and engagement on national forest lands.
20. Where are the application instructions and required format?
The main notice directs interested parties to an attached "Outreach of Interest Template Instructions" document. That attachment is described as the primary mechanism for submitting an OOI response.
21. What makes this opportunity different from a project-by-project application?
Instead of starting with a fully defined set of projects, budgets, and award counts, this OOI is designed to identify partners first. Specific recreation and visitor-related projects and agreements are expected to be shaped later based on shared needs, community priorities, and what is feasible on the ground.
22. What does the Forest Service mean by including communities from the "very beginning"?
The description emphasizes improving how projects are planned from the start, not only how they are implemented after decisions are made. This includes robust community engagement so affected communities have a real role in shaping recreation investments, and justice-oriented thinking in project formation.
23. What kinds of criteria or evaluation support might partners provide?
The Forest Service highlights interest in partners who can help identify equitable funding criteria and develop objective ways to evaluate outcomes, as part of justice-oriented thinking in forming recreation and visitor efforts.
24. Which agency is offering this opportunity?
The listed agency is the USDA Forest Service.
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