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Wilderness Stewardship Performance (WSP) Funding Program

Wilderness Stewardship Performance (WSP) is the suite of activities the Forest Service uses to measure their wilderness stewardship accomplishments. WSP informs Forest Service performance goals and funding needs and guides much of the wilderness work completed by the agency and its partner organizations. Since 2016, NWSA's WSP Funding Program has applied $2.4M to local projects and has helped the Forest Service gain or maintain over 1,300 WSP points across 170 designated wilderness areas. Grantees have leveraged this funding at a ratio of almost 3:1, contributing more than $6M in cash and in-kind resources to these projects and engaging over 7,000 volunteers in 150,000 hours of service. 

Wilderness Stewardship Performance Grants

Application Period Opens: Program paused due to federal funding issues
Application Period Closes: Program paused due to federal funding issues
Funding Available: TBD
Funding Amounts: generally $2,000 - $30,000 per organization
Project Period: Projects completed by December 31 of the award year

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Overview

The National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance (NWSA), in partnership with the USDA Forest Service, is proud to offer this funding opportunity to support Wilderness Stewardship Performance (WSP) projects on National Forest Wilderness Areas across the U.S. This funding program is for 501(c)(3) organizations working with Forest Service partners to complete wilderness stewardship activities that contribute to overall improvement in Wilderness Stewardship Performance scores for individual national forest wilderness areas to help the agency meet performance goals. There are a variety of activities that qualify for consideration. Projects that support volunteers receive additional emphasis. See the Forest Service Wilderness Stewardship Performance Guidebook for more detailed information about qualifying activities and WSP scoring metrics. 

Program Requirements

  • Must be a 501(c)(3) organization in good standing to qualify for funding.
  • Projects must contribute to Forest Service Wilderness Stewardship Performance scoring and meet all Qualifying Projects criteria.
  • Applicants must provide a signed letter(s) from local Forest Service personnel to demonstrate collaboration and support.
  • Minimum 20% match requirement (can be combination of cash and in-kind contributions)
  • Maximum award amount is generally between $20,000 - $30,000.
  • WSP activities chosen must match with the local unit’s chosen 10 elements for each wilderness.

Application Materials*

The WSP application is now online. You will see a link to the application when the application period opens. We are no longer accepting applications via email. If you are unable to submit your application online and/or require special accommodations, please contact [email protected].

Application materials will be available when funding for this program is secured.

Access the Application

WSP Resources

Webinar: 2025 Wilderness Stewardship Performance Funding webinar

Powerpoint: 2025 Wilderness Stewardship Performance Funding webinar slides

Visit Wilderness Connect for complete information on Wilderness Stewardship Performance and explore these resources:

Read about the awards and see a list of the organizations we funded in the 2025 WSP Funding Round HERE.

Questions

Questions about the National Forest Wilderness Stewardship Performance Partnership Funding may be addressed to Joelle Marier, Executive Director at [email protected].

Stay Updated!

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