At SFI, we understand that responsible forestry happens on the ground and in the community. There are hundreds of communities across the U.S. and Canada that rely on healthy working forests – for clean water, jobs, forest products, ecosystem services, and to preserve their quality of life – and there are many organizations working on projects which promote these benefits. SFI supports these efforts in many ways, including through our Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program. Since 2010, SFI has provided more than $1.65 million in funding for 40 grants that promote sustainable forestry and engage communities. This investment has leveraged more than $5 million in total support for local projects across the United States and Canada.
Conservation grants support projects that illustrate, inform, or improve the role of the SFI standard in areas of Carbon and Bioenergy; Forest Health; Water; Capacity Building; and Wildlife, Fish and Biodiversity. As an example, in 2011, Ducks Unlimited of Canada and its partners received a multi-year grant to determine best practices for planning and building forest roads to protect wetland habitat in the boreal forest. Numerous other projects have researched issues ranging from water quality protection to caribou habitat.
SFI’s Community grants illustrate SFI’s commitment to local communities through forestry related youth education, Habitat for Humanity projects, management of culturally important lands, and similar community-based projects which raise awareness of responsible forest management through the SFI program. For example, the Georgia SFI Implementation Committee worked with landowners, foresters, state agencies, loggers, and others on a Habitat for Humanity home build in Macon, Georgia, creating a legacy for one family and highlighting the role of sustainable forestry in Georgia’s construction industry.
To find more examples of the great projects funded through SFI’s Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program, check out our previously funded projects. To submit an application for your project, click on the SFI website link to find complete information about the grants program, the application, and guidelines for submission.
SFI will accept applications for the 2014 Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program until Friday, February 21, 2014. If you have a proposal that meets the program goals and criteria, we look forward to hearing from you. Let’s build something incredible for the future of our forests in 2014!
