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10YWSC Off-the-Top Funding Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much money is available, and where did it come from?
A: Various program areas contributed into a fund (totaling $1.52 million) to support progress on the
Chief’s Ten Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge in 2011. This funding was set aside to be
administered through a grant program to make tangible progress on the 10YWSC. Distribution of this
funding will attempt to mirror the amount contributed by each funding source. Here is an outline of
which funding source contributed to making progress on each element:
• NFRW ($500,000, or 33%) Elements 4(Education Plan), 5(Solitude), 6(Recreation Sites), 7
(Outfitters and Guides), 8(Forest Planning), 9(Information Management)
• NFVW ($520,000, or 34%) Elements 2(Invasive Plants), 3(Air Quality), 8(Forest Planning), 9
(Information Management)
• NFIM ($250,000, or 16%) Elements 2(Invasive Plants), 3(Air Quality), 5(Solitude), 6(Recreation
Sites), 8(Forest Planning), 9(Information Management)
• WFPR ($250,000, or 16%) Elements 1 (Fire), Elements 2(Invasive Plants), 8(Forest Planning)
Q: What is the purpose of this granting program?
A: This program is designed to support measurable progress on the Chief’s 10YWSC by providing
funding to the field for specific projects. This program is designed to help those who are struggling raise
their scores, and to assist those who are above minimum stewardship level in retaining that status.
Here are the objectives of the granting program:
• Increase the number of wildernesses in the 10YWSC scoring 60pts or higher
• Lay the foundation for funding in future years
• Spend funds on projects consistent with source Budget Line Item (NFRW, NFVW, NFIM, WFPR)
Q: How will funds be allocated?
A: Funds will be allocated to Regions and Forests through the use of grants, as follows:
• Forest Grant Funds (~$900,000)
• Regional Strike Teams (~$450,000)
• Supplement to NFF Wilderness Stewardship Grants ($150,000)
Q: Are those amounts fixed?
A: No. The allocations outlined above represent an initial target. The actual amounts distributed for
each category will be based on the strength (and quantity) of the proposals submitted in each.
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Q: How and when will funds be distributed? When can I start planning my project?
A: Decisions regarding grant applications will be announced by the end of February at the latest.
Forests, Districts and Regions are strongly encouraged to complete some ground work, investigations,
and pre-planning in advance of receiving notice of funding so they can “hit the ground running.” Details
regarding how the funds will be distributed to the Forests are still being worked out, so stay tuned…
Q: How will proposals be evaluated? How should I design my project to be the most competitive?
A: Each proposal will be evaluated and assigned a score, based on how well the application lines up
with the objectives of the grant and the scoring criteria. This point system is designed to provide
fairness in evaluating all proposals. Each proposal will then be looked at a little more subjectively, and
there may be some interaction between the applicant and the evaluators to clarify points of confusion
or to strengthen proposals. Here is an outline of the scoring criteria used for the Regional Strike Teams
and Forest Grant Funds:
• Current (FY10) 10YWSC score: The Forest Grant Funds and Regional Strike Teams funds will be
evaluated differently on this component (described below). However, any wilderness meeting
the initial screen criteria will be considered.
• Does the project bring in additional support? Support includes funds from other program
areas, volunteer labor, or other partner contributions. There is no minimum matching
requirement.
• Planned accomplishment: How many points would be gained on the 10YWSC score for each
wilderness?
Q: What types of projects are not eligible to compete for funds?
A: Here are some guidelines:
• The project must occur in one or more of the original 406 wildernesses in the 10YWSC
• Funds cannot be used to support trail maintenance
• While proposals can be received for work on any of the elements, a projected improvement in
scores in Element 10 (Baseline Workforce) cannot be used as a justification for a proposal
• Awards will not be made for implementation activities (monitoring, treatment actions, etc.)
proposed in the absence of a management plan
• Funds are not to be used for wildernesses that did not complete the performance reporting in
the previous year.
Q: Which grant should I apply to?
A: Apply to the grant that makes the most sense after reading all of the documents associated with the
program. Keep in mind that if a grant application has lots of potential, but may have been submitted in
the wrong category, evaluators will contact the applicant to discuss options rather than dismissing it
from consideration. Here are some guidelines and examples:
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Apply to Forest Grant Funds if… You are planning a project on a Forest with existing capacity
that has demonstrated prior ability to make progress on the Challenge, but you need additional
resources to increase scores above 60-points (or to keep from slipping below). The top funding
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priority will be forests scoring between 50-59 points in the FY10 reporting, though any
wilderness can compete. Forest Grant applications are to be submitted directly to the WO by
the Forest. Some examples of Forest Grants could include:
o A District proposes to hire two seasonal rangers to work in one wilderness conducting
recreation site monitoring (to replace aging data) and implementing priority actions
from their education plan. They expect to raise their score from 4 to 6 on Element 5,
and retain their score of 8 on Element 6, raising their overall score from 59 to 61.
o A Forest proposes to hire four temporary seasonals to form an invasive species task
force to map and treat weeds on several wildernesses on the forest. The Forest has a
Forest wide invasive species management plan and hopes to raise their Element 2
scores in these wildernesses from 3 to 5 and their overall scores from a range of 45-58
to 47-60.
Apply to Regional Strike Teams if… You are working on a project at the Regional or Forest level
to improve scores on multiple wildernesses across multiple Forests through a concerted effort.
You plan on using outside resources (such as Regional air quality specialists, a detailer to
manage a recreation site inventory program, etc) to make progress on an element across more
than one wilderness area. This funding is designed to support progress on the 10YWSC with low
scoring wildernesses that really need some help in making significant improvement on the
Challenge. These forests can best be supported by using off-forest resources to make significant
headway. The top funding priority will be those forests scoring less than 50 points in the FY10
reporting. Some examples of Strike Teams could include:
o A Regional Office proposes to fund a “team” of employees that will be managed out of a
central location to inventory wilderness recreation sites all summer. This team will work
in 12 wilderness areas on 5 different Forests. This effort is expected to raise the score
on Element 6 to 6 points for each of these wildernesses, raising the score of two of
these wilderness areas higher than 60 points, and making significant progress on the
other, lower scoring wildernesses.
o Several Forests have wildernesses located within the same Class I airshed. They propose
to work together to fund a detailer for an air quality specialist to create an air quality
monitoring plan for the wildernesses contained within the airshed. Because a significant
amount of monitoring is currently occurring on the Forests through other efforts, they
expect to raise the score of their 6 wildernesses from 0 to 10 on Element 3.
Apply to NFF Wilderness Stewardship Grants if… You are designing a project in coordination with a
newly formed or low capacity wilderness stewardship group that is unable to compete for the routine
Wilderness Stewardship Grants requiring a 1:1 cash match. Applications will be considered from
501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, including community-based and national organizations, Native
American tribes, and universities implementing projects that support Wilderness stewardship work in
support of the Forest Service 10-Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge. Apply for this grant directly
through the National Forest Foundation website at: http://nationalforests.org/. Some examples of NFF
Grants could include:
o A loosely organized group of retired wilderness stewards is interested in doing a service
project. They work with the local Forest to design a project to conduct monitoring of
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invasive weeds within their wilderness and to treat known problem areas. This group
applies for the NFF grant to fund their field support. Through this effort, the Forest
expects to raise the score on Element 2 from 3 to 5, and the overall score of their
wilderness from 43 to 45.
A newly formed wilderness stewardship group is looking to take on their first
stewardship project. They have limited financial resources and are just beginning to
develop their volunteer network. They work with the local Forest(s) to design a project
to conduct recreation site monitoring within their wilderness and to rehabilitate known
problem areas. This group applies for the NFF grant to fund a Student Conservation
Association volunteer to recruit volunteers and to coordinate field logistics. Through
this effort, the Forest expects to raise the score on Element 5 from 4 to 6, and the
overall score of their wilderness from 58 to 60.
Q: How do I apply?
A: Detailed information regarding how to apply for these grants will be coming soon, and will be posted
on a website for your convenience.
Q: Can I apply for funding to maintain current scores?
A: Absolutely. The Forest Grants are aimed toward helping wildernesses meet or maintain a minimum
score on the Challenge. The overall objective by which success will be measured are the number of
wildernesses managed to standard, which includes both raising wildernesses above the 60-point level,
as well as keeping wildernesses currently meeting standard from slipping below. Wildernesses with
lower scores are also eligible to compete in this category.
Q: My forest has very few resources to manage additional funds to make progress on the Challenge,
but our scores are low and there is a great need for improvement. How does my wilderness fit in?
A: The Regional Strike Team category is designed to support wildernesses such as yours by providing
funding to centralized efforts to improve the scores of multiple forests/wildernesses at once. If you see
a need or have an idea of how a strike team could help, contact your Regional wilderness leadership to
discuss strike team options and how your wilderness could benefit, or design a strike team project
yourself in concert with neighboring Forests.
Q: How will accomplishments be tracked? What is the mechanism for accountability?
A: Each grant recipient (Region or Forest) will report accomplishments and provide an explanation of
any underachievement by October 31st, 2011. Accomplishments will also be tracked by comparing
projected score improvements with scores reported at year’s end in Infra-WILD. Applicants are
encouraged to provide realistic estimates of progress as this track record becomes a criterion for grant
scoring in future years.
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Q: How much should I apply for to be the most competitive?
A: You should apply for the amount needed to complete your project, as long as that amount is within
the stated limit for that category. There is no pressure or benefit in applying for the maximum amount.
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Forest Grant Funds
Regional Strike Teams
NFF Wilderness Grants
grant size limit-$50,000; total available-$900,000
grant size limit-$75,000; total available-$450,000
grant size limit-$25,000; total available-$125,000
Q: Do all grant funds need to be spent by the end of FY2011?
A: Yes, unless funds are obligated in an agreement.
Q: What role does the Regional Office play?
A: The role of the Regional Office (Wilderness Program Manager, Recreation Program Manager, etc) will
likely vary between Regions depending on the specifics of each Regional program. The Regional Office
will notify Forests of the granting opportunities. In addition, they have the opportunity to develop
Region-wide Strike Team proposals or to coordinate the development of multiple-Forest Strike Team
proposals and submit them for funding.
Q: What role does the Forest play?
A: Forests may choose to submit a proposal for Forest Grant Funds directly to the WO. They may also
choose to participate in a Regional Strike Team organized by the Regional Office, or to design their own.
Although the name may be a little misleading, a group of Forests may choose to develop and submit a
Regional Strike Team proposal if the project uses outside resources to benefit multiple wildernesses on
multiple Forests. This proposal would then need to be channeled through the Regional Office for final
coordination and submittal.
Q: How can I get answers to other questions about my proposal?
A: Contact your Regional Wilderness Program Manager to discuss questions regarding your proposal.
For detailed information and forms for grant applications, please visit the webpage (TBA soon…). For
questions regarding the application process or grant logistics, you may also contact Steve Boutcher in
the Washington Office (sboutcher@fs.fed.us; (802) 951-6771 x1210).
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