BLM-National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) Primary Announcement (3 task statements) | FA NOFO0026 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for FA NOFO0026 002

The Bureau of Land Managements National Interagency Fire Center Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) is offering a discretionary funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number: FA NOFO0026 002) to support applied research and science delivery that improves wildland fire and fuels management. Awards will be made as cooperative agreements, which typically means the funder expects active involvement and coordination during the project rather than a hands-off grant relationship. The opportunity sits at the intersection of disaster prevention and relief, environment and natural resources, and science and technology research and development, reflecting JFSPs role in producing actionable fire science for managers, investigators, and partner agencies. The listed maximum award amount is up to $500,000 per award.

This announcement is organized around three task statements. The first focuses on accelerating science to action in fire-prone ecosystems where fire regimes are changing, with an emphasis on moving research results into real-world use. This includes spurring innovation in fire management through knowledge exchange and place-based partnerships, meaning proposals should show strong collaboration among researchers, practitioners, and local or regional partners, and should be designed with clear pathways for adoption by fire and land management communities. The second task statement targets evaluation of fire potential forecasts, encouraging work that assesses how well fire potential forecasting products perform, how they are used in decision-making, and how they might be improved for operational planning and risk management. The third task statement supports research that strengthens wildland fire investigations, which can include improving methods, data, and tools used to determine fire origin and cause, document fire behavior and effects, and support investigative processes that stand up to technical and legal scrutiny.

Applicants are instructed to consult the JFSP database for the specific requirements tied to each task statement at https://www.firescience.gov/, suggesting that critical details such as scope boundaries, required outputs, evaluation criteria, and any task-specific eligibility or partnership expectations are posted there rather than fully described in the notice text. Eligibility is open to a range of organizations, including state governments, independent school districts, federally recognized tribal governments, other tribal organizations, qualifying 501(c)(3) nonprofits that are not institutions of higher education, and private institutions of higher education.

The application deadline is firm: proposals must be submitted no later than September 18, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time, using the electronic submission process on the JFSP website. Submissions through Grants.gov are not accepted, and the notice emphasizes that no exceptions will be made to the closing date or time, so applicants should plan to use the JFSP portal and allow time for account setup, uploads, and any internal approvals before the deadline.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the disaster prevention and relief, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM-National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) Primary Announcement (3 task statements)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.232.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-06-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-09-18. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Independent school districts, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for FA NOFO0026 002

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