McIntire-Stennis (MS) Cooperative Forestry Research Program

The McIntire-Stennis (MS) Cooperative Forestry Research Program awards federal funding for forestry research and graduate education programs at state-certified schools of forestry and Land-Grant Institutions in the United States. The original legislation that provided this funding, a bipartisan initiative of Congressman Clifford McIntire (R) of Maine and Senator John Stennis (D) of Mississippi, was signed by President Kennedy in 1962. MS Program funds are distributed to each state based on a formula that considers the non-federal commercial forestland area, the annual timber harvest volume, and total non-federal forestry research expenditures. Funds are administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

Purpose

The purpose of the MS Program is to:

Increase research related to forest productivity, management, utilization and protection
Train future doctoral forestry scientists
Broaden forestry research into new and innovative areas

Who Can Apply?

CFRES tenure-track faculty are eligible to apply
Assistant Professors, Research Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, Research Associate Professors, Professors, Research Professors, Professors of Practice, and Assistant/Associate/Professor with or without tenure.
Faculty who have not received a MS award in the two previous years

Eligibility

To satisfy NIFA’s 2025 McIntire-Stennis Request for Proposals, all proposed MS projects must fall into one or more of seven legislatively mandated forestry research areas:

Reforestation and management of land for the production of timber and other related products of the forest
Management of forest and related watershed lands to improve conditions of water flow and to protect resources against floods and erosion
Management of forest and related rangeland for production of forage for domestic livestock and game and improvement of habitat for wildlife management of forest lands for outdoor recreation
Protection of forest land and resources against fire, insects, diseases, or other destructive agents
Utilization of wood and other forest product
Development of sound policies for the management of forest lands and the harvesting and marketing of forest products
Other studies as may be necessary to obtain the fullest and most effective use of forest resources.

In addition, proposed projects should address three critical goals as described in the current MS Strategic Plan:

Create the future generation of forestry educators, scientists, and practitioners through graduate education;
Build and sustain strategic relationships that enhance overall program effectiveness and support; and
Communicate the importance, impact, and successes of the McIntire-Stennis Program

CFRES MS Program Guidelines

CFRES MS program awards are dependent on available NIFA funding.

CFRES encourages faculty to use MS funding to support doctoral students for up to four years. Each award will consist of four semesters of PhD graduate support during each academic year (0.5 FTE) and 2 summer semesters. Faculty must show their matching plan to support the graduate student for the remaining 2 years (6 semesters). Faculty are also encouraged to use the funds for recruitment of new graduate students starting in the autumn quarter following proposal submissions. Doctoral students can be at any level of their graduate education; priority if given to current CFRES students.

Faculty who serve as PI for active MS funded proposals are excluded from the competition for the next 2-4 years, depending on available MS funds within CFRES. However, these faculty can serve as co-PIs for new projects.

Awards must be fully spent each year. Extensions or funding continuations between project years are not allowed. Purchases of supplies and equipment must be done before the end of each budget period, and materials must be received in time for realistic use on the project. Separate MTU grant indices are established for each year of a project.

Because of USDA-NIFA policies, any foreign travel for MS projects must receive prior approval from the sponsor, and MS funds may not be subcontracted to non-MTU entities. For international research activities to be considered by the sponsor, the following must be addressed in the proposal:

A clear link to how the research will provide benefits to the American people, forestry and forest management,
The PI should clearly explain why the proposed work cannot be done in the United States. McIntire-Stennis is a domestic program so all work should be focused on improving forest resources and forest management within the United States

Annual Deadlines and How to Apply

Annual Fall Round

The internal CFRES RFP is released annually the second week in October or before.
For the current CFRES 2027 MS RFP, submissions are due on Monday, November 2, 2026.
Awards will be announced by the last day of Autumn Semester, Friday, December 11, 2026.

All internally selected projects must submit a formal proposal to USDA-NIFA due in July 2027. Further details and the required template will be provided to internal award recipients.

Research will begin after NIFA formally approves each project, with a target start date of September 14, 2027.

Application Instructions

Complete the CFRES MS Cover Sheet.
1. Please note that you are asked to address the eligibility criteria in this form and in the White Paper as specified below.
Prepare a White Paper no longer than four single-spaced pages, 11 pt. font minimum, that meets the following requirements:
1. Provides a summer of the proposed or ongoing scientific project, including objectives and methods, as well as expected results. The White Paper should address the program criteria listed above in the “Eligibility” section (two pages maximum).
2. Includes a budget justification (one page maximum)
3. Includes References Cited as needed (one page maximum)
Draft a project budget using the MS Budget Template that meets the following requirements:
1. Includes the level of funding for the doctoral student you anticipate hiring. You may budget up to 4 academic semesters and 2 summer semesters for the student
2. Includes any required project essentials such as supplies and travel costs, not to exceed $8,000 per proposal.
3. Uses Schedule 3, per USDA-NIFA requirements, indirect costs and direct tuition are not allowed in the budget.
4. Describes how you will meet the 1:1 cost sharing requirement. For every dollar in MS award funding, one dollar of cost sharing is required using non-federal funds.
Submit your proposal packet via email by Monday, November 2, 2026 to CFRES Executive Assistant and Budget Director, Gina Goudge.

Please note that letters of support and/or collaboration will not be evaluated and should not be included as supplements to the proposal.

Questions about the application process? Email Gina (gmgoudge@mtu.edu) or David (djflaspo@mtu.edu)

Frequently Asked Questions

When are applications for funding due?

Research proposals are typically due the third Friday in November for the Annual Fall Round. See more details in the “Annual Deadlines and How to Apply” sections above.

What materials are required to apply for MS funding?

See the “Application Instructions” section under “Annual Deadlines and How to Apply" above

How much funding is available?

CFRES receives annual McIntire-Stennis (MS) funding from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The total amount of this award for Michigan Tech is calculated based on our non-federal forestry research expenditures, the area of non-federal commercial forest land, and the volume of timber cut annually. The Governor determines how much funding MTU (CFRES) receives, and how much goes to Michigan State University and the University of Michigan.

The SEFS Research Committee convenes and determines how many research projects we can award using the newest grant and any remaining MS funds from previous cycles. Typically this results in about 3-4 new funded projects per year.

What are the allowable uses for funding?

For a two-year research project proposal, CFRES encourages applicants to use NIFA funds to pay for nine semesters (3 years) of student researcher salary/wages plus benefits. This is intended to cover Fall-Summer semesters for three years of a typical four year doctorate.
Once those costs are covered, other allowable uses of the funds include contractual services, travel costs, supplies and materials, and equipment. Requested funds should directly support the doctoral student and their training.
Please reach out to Gina Goudge or David Flaspohler with any questions about specific uses of the funds.

What are the cost sharing requirements to receive MS funding?

NIFA requires a 1:1 cost sharing match for this award. Cost sharing must be contributed from non-sponsored awards that directly benefit the MS project, and incur expenses during the timeframe of the MS project. Typical sources of cost sharing include faculty effort, third-party contributions, non-faculty MTU employee effort, supplies, services, or other project expenses. The MS program does not allow for any indirect costs on these grants.

What kinds of research projects are a good fit for MS funding?

Refer to the introduction, “Purpose” and “Eligibility” sections above. We encourage creative submissions and welcome all ideas.