Overview

With Ford Foundation support, the National Forest Foundation (NFF) has established the Mid-Capacity Assistance Program for locally-based collaborative efforts (see text box below) working on natural resource issues on National Forests and Grasslands. Its purpose is to support relatively young nonprofit organizations as they leverage their initial project successes and experiences, while strengthening their operating infrastructure.

The Mid-Capacity Assistance Program complements and adds to the NFF’s "continuum of assistance" spanning from the Community Assistance Program (CAP), which enables newly-forming collaborative groups to take the first steps towards becoming working organizations, to the Collaboration Support Program, which supports existing collaborative groups to innovate and move the field of collaboration forward, and the suite of grants is completed with our matching grant programs: the Matching Awards Program (MAP), Wilderness Stewardship Challenge (WSC) Program and Ski Conservation Fund (SCF). These programs provide matching grants for on-the-ground projects focused on community forestry, watershed restoration, wildlife habitat or recreation. The Mid-Capacity Assistance Program is for those organizations that find themselves in between the start-up and full-capacity implementation phases.

The Mid-Capacity Assistance Program provides awards for up to two years, with the second year being conditional on the organization demonstrating significant progress towards stated outcomes during year one. Awards will be for $35,000/year and require an annual match of $10,000. In their efforts to build ecological, social and economic sustainability, Mid-Capacity Assistance Program grantees are expected to continue their on-the-ground conservation work and produce measurable results for their organization, the community, the natural resources, and – as feasible - the local economy.