End of the Year Message from Endowment President & CEO Pete Madden

Dear Valued Partners and Grantees, 

As we close out 2025, I want to extend my sincere gratitude for the continued support, collaboration and trust you’ve shown the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. This year has been one of meaningful progress and new milestones that have strengthened our mission to sustain working forests, markets and the communities that depend on them. 

A Year of Growth and Impact 

2025 has been a year of growth and achievement for the Endowment, as we continued to strengthen partnerships, expand our impact and advance innovation across the forest sector. Together with the U.S. Forest Service, we supported wood product manufacturers nationwide and administered $5 million in Wood Innovations Grants to accelerate market development, technological advancement and forest-based economic opportunity.  

We celebrated several significant milestones that underscore our long-term commitment to conservation and responsible management. The Endowment received a $19.5 million award from the Natural Resources Conservation Service to conserve West Georgia’s working forests, ensuring the continued vitality of one of the South’s most important forested landscapes and a region rich with wood-using industries. 

This year also brought exciting progress across our core programs. We announced the fifth round of Innovative Finance for National Forests Program grant recipients, awarding $600,000 to advance creative financial solutions for forest management. And we launched the second round of our Impact Investing Program, making up to $6.5 million available to companies, funds and projects that bolster markets and create systemic and transformative benefits for the health and vitality of our nation’s working forests and the communities that rely on them.

Pete Madden

President & CEO at the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities

Leadership and Partnerships 

At the same time, we continue to strengthen the leadership that guides our work. This year, we are pleased to welcome Brian Boland and Chuck Garrett to our Board of Directors. Their experience and commitment will be invaluable as we look ahead to new opportunities to advance the Endowment’s mission. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to outgoing board members Soile Kilpi and Adrian Blocker for their exceptional service. Their guidance has helped create and sustain healthy markets for forest products to benefit forest-reliant communities, and we wish them the very best in their future endeavors. 

We also officially welcomed Katie Norris to the Endowment team as Program Coordinator. Since joining us in August, Katie has been instrumental in enhancing coordination across projects, strengthening grants management support and improving the efficiency of our internal processes. Her work has already made a meaningful difference in how we serve our partners and steward our growing portfolio of programs. 

Looking Ahead 

As we enter 2026, the Endowment is building on the momentum of the past year to deepen our impact and expand opportunities across the forest sector. Our focus remains on driving market-based solutions that strengthen forest economies, support rural communities and ensure the long-term sustainability of our nation’s working forests.  

At the same time, we fully recognize the difficult moment facing the sector. Mill closures, shrinking markets and economic pressures are putting real strain on rural communities, supply chains and the management practices that keep forests healthy. These issues have no simple answers, but they underscore why our shared work is so very important. 

To help address these pressures, our Board recently approved a five-year continuation of our impact investing program, with investments focused on bioenergy, rural housing, consumer and construction products, supply chain technology and traditional infrastructure. These areas reflect some of the most promising opportunities to rebuild and diversify forest markets while strengthening rural economies.  

We are also launching a residual and low-value wood initiative, dedicating $1 million annually for five years to support practical and scalable uses for sawmill residuals and other low-value fibers. 

Even in a difficult moment, we remain steadfast in the strength of America’s working forests and the communities that care for them. With your partnership, we will continue to advance solutions that support forest health, economic resilience and long-term opportunities across the sector. 

Best regards, 

Pete Madden 
President and CEO 
U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities