Repurposing Closed Wood Products Facilities for Bioenergy Development Grant

The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities is a private nonprofit organization focused on advancing systemic, transformative, and sustainable change for the health and vitality of forest ecosystems and forest-reliant communities across the United States. Through strategic investments, the Endowment supports initiatives that promote economic development, environmental stewardship, and innovation in forest-based industries. This Request for Proposals seeks to address a growing challenge and opportunity: the closure of wood products manufacturing facilities across the country, which has left behind valuable industrial infrastructure, workforce capacity, and logistical assets that could be repurposed for emerging bioenergy applications. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to support feasibility assessments for repurposing closed wood products facilities into bioenergy production sites, including biopower generation or biofuel production. The Endowment aims to determine whether such redevelopment can serve as a scalable and replicable model for biomass utilization, renewable energy production, and rural economic revitalization. By funding high-quality pre-development analyses, the initiative intends to inform future investment decisions and provide a clearer understanding of the technical, financial, and community viability of such projects. Funding under this opportunity will support one or two projects conducting comprehensive feasibility studies equivalent to a Front-End Loading Level 2 analysis or similar industry-standard pre-development assessment. These studies must evaluate site-level due diligence, engineering feasibility, financial viability, infrastructure requirements, risks and mitigation strategies, and community and workforce considerations. The funding may be structured either as a grant or as a Program Related Investment that becomes repayable if the project advances to construction financing. If the project does not proceed, the funding may be forgiven as a grant. Eligible applicants include U.S.-based private companies and organizations with demonstrated experience in energy project development, industrial facility redevelopment, wood products manufacturing, or similar large-scale infrastructure projects. Applicants must demonstrate site control or access through ownership, leasehold interest, purchase option, or formal authorization. Proposals are evaluated based on criteria including site readiness, team experience, financial preparedness, and alignment with community and regional economic development goals. Applications must be submitted through the Endowment’s online grants portal and include a proposal narrative of no more than five pages. Required components include a detailed project description, site control documentation, methodology and approach, and supporting materials such as engineering data, financial analyses, environmental reports, and stakeholder engagement documentation. Applicants may also provide access to a secure data room containing relevant technical and commercial information. The Endowment may request additional information or conduct interviews during the review process. The timeline for this opportunity begins with the RFP posting on June 15, 2026, followed by a deadline for submitting questions on July 17, 2026, and responses posted on July 24, 2026. Final proposals are due by August 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Selected projects are expected to begin contracting and project initiation in September 2026. There is no matching requirement for this funding opportunity, and participation does not guarantee future funding, although strong projects may receive priority consideration for future engagement. Awardees are required to provide the Endowment with access to all reports and deliverables generated through the project and participate in periodic reviews. While proprietary information will be protected, the Endowment reserves the right to publish aggregated findings and lessons learned. For technical questions, applicants may contact the designated program representative via email, and application support is available through a general inbox.

Demonstrate clear site control and redevelopment pathway; highlight technical expertise and financial readiness; align with community and workforce priorities; provide strong supporting data and partnerships