Healthy American Forests Initiative (HAFI) Applicant Support

The Healthy American Forests Initiative (HAFI) is a funding opportunity administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) through an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service (USFS). The HAFI program supports watershed restoration and vegetation management projects on National Forest System lands to improve forest health, reduce wildfire risk, and strengthen community and ecosystem resilience. Healthy forests sustain local economies, particularly in rural areas, by supporting timber production, protecting lives and property, and maintaining long-term ecological balance. Competitive projects must be located on National Forest System Lands and align with a water source protection plan developed under Section 303(d) of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) of 2003, or a watershed restoration action plan developed under Section 304(a)(3) of HFRA.

Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc. (ECT) serves as a field liaison team to help applicants navigate the application process, understand program requirements and evaluation criteria, and submit compelling and competitive applications. ECT is part of the overall HAFI review team and will provide debriefs to unawarded applicants. While we clarify expectations and answer applicant questions, ECT does not draft, edit, or prepare proposals. All funding decisions are made by NFWF.

This page provides resources to applicants interested in submitting project ideas to the NFWF HAFI Program. It also includes available Field Liaison generated HAFI resources, such as the recorded applicant-support webinar, which are intended to complement NFWF’s materials by offering applicants additional guidance. If you have any questions, or would like to discuss your project idea one-on-one, please schedule an online meeting with our field liaison staff. You can also schedule a proposal discussion directly with NFWF here.