FIRE Forest Health Research Program (FY 2026-27) Proposition 4 California Climate Bond Grants (RP-RFP-2026-03)
🏛 Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (California)
✓ Free, no account · Source: California Grants Portal · Last verified Jul 10, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for research organizations, universities, and collaborative research teams conducting forest health and climate mitigation research in California.
Applicants must propose collaborative, landscape-scale research that addresses forest health, wildfire resilience, or greenhouse gas reduction. Multiple partners across organizations, institutions, jurisdictions, or disciplines are required.
Research may focus on forest management strategies, wildfire impacts, ecosystem restoration, carbon storage, emissions reduction, or climate policy. Implementation of treatments is optional but not required.
California-based or California-focused research teams are the primary audience.</eligibility_summary>
<parameter name="faq_text">Q: Who can apply to this grant?
A: Collaborative research teams with multiple partners across organizations, institutions, or disciplines. Universities, research organizations, and government agencies may participate.
Q: What types of research are funded?
A: Forest health, wildfire resilience, greenhouse gas reduction, carbon sequestration, ecosystem restoration, and climate policy research at landscape scales. Implementation of treatments is optional.
Q: When are deadlines?
A: Concept proposals due July 15, 2026 (3 p.m. PDT). Full proposals due November 4, 2026 (3 p.m. PST). Selected applicants invited between deadline periods.
Q: What is the typical award size?
A: Grants range from $1,000,000 to $1,500,000. Total funding pool is $3,000,000.
Q: Is cost-sharing required?
A: No cost-sharing or matching funds are required for this solicitation.
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Program description
The application consists of a concept proposal followed by review and selection. Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal followed by a second review and selection period. Concept proposals are due by 3 p.m. (PDT), July 30, 2026. Full invited proposals are due by 3 p.m. (PST), November 14, 2026. This solicitation funds collaborative research to support forest health and greenhouse‑gas reduction at landscape scales through improved forest and vegetation management across California. This solicitation is purposefully intended to consider research proposals that focus on a broad range of challenging questions relevant to forest and fire management at large spatial scales, and we encourage applications from any discipline that meaningfully intersect with landscape-scale management. Research funded through this solicitation should be collaborative in nature, and include multiple partners working across organizations, institutions, jurisdictions, and/or disciplines. Projects should substantially advance their field of research and produce meaningful applied benefits for any of the following broad themes: a) improved forest or vegetation management strategies and activities to reduce unwanted disturbance impacts, promote recovery after disturbance, enhance carbon storage, sustain and promote biodiversity, improve water and air quality, provide regional economic benefits, or facilitate an adaptive management feedback loop (including beneficial fire, tribal stewardship, forest fuels reduction, pest management, reforestation, biomass utilization, forest watershed restoration, upper watershed, riparian, and mountain meadow restoration) at landscape-scales; b) Improved decision support for planning and prioritizing risk reduction activities, including large-scale prescribed fire, across scales from Potential Operational Delineations (PODs) to individual projects. Improvements may include but are not limited to fire behavior modeling, fuels quantification, andprioritization schema. c) Improved understanding of current impacts of large-scale wildfires and other large disturbances, or management strategies within large disturbance footprints, such as second-entry treatments in fire footprints; d) Improved predictions of future conditions, disturbance regimes, or treatment effectiveness; e) Emissions reductions and/or avoided live vegetation losses, improved long-term carbon storage and sequestration, or improved quantitative assessment of greenhouse gas impacts across large scales; Or f) Improved policy related to the California Forest Carbon Plan or other State climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. The research may – but is not required to – include forest treatment implementation such as forest fuels reduction, pest management, reforestation, biomass utilization, forest watershed restoration, upper watershed, riparian, and mountain meadow restoration. The research may – but is not required to – build off other previous or current implementation or research projects funded through other sources (e.g. Forest Health, Fire Prevention, Tribal Wildfire Resiliency, or other CAL FIRE or non-CAL FIRE grants).
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- Concept proposal (initial submission)
- Full proposal (if selected)
- Partner letters of commitment
- Budget and budget justification
- Project timeline and deliverables
- Project narrative addressing one or more research themes
Program contact
- 📧 FHResearch@fire.ca.gov
- 📞 1-916-327-3939
💡 Tips for applicants
- Emphasize collaboration across multiple partners and disciplines. Single-institution proposals are unlikely to be competitive.
- Connect your research directly to landscape-scale forest health or California climate goals. Vague proposals get rejected.
- Address at least one of the six broad themes explicitly (forest management, wildfire impacts, predictions, emissions reduction, or policy).
- Use the concept proposal to test your idea and gather reviewer feedback before investing time in the full proposal.
- Include letters of commitment from all partner organizations early in the process.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Proposing single-institution research instead of true multi-organizational collaboration. Failing to clearly connect research to landscape-scale management or California climate mitigation goals. Submitting vague concepts that don't address one of the six specified research themes.
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