Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS UCF 01 2020
The 2020 Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant Program is a USDA Forest Service funding opportunity aimed at strengthening the resilience of urban and community forests in ways that matter beyond a single city or state. The program is framed around a simple idea: communities are often where invasive pests and diseases first arrive and spread, and where disasters like wildfire, hurricanes, tornados, flooding, and landslides can cause major damage to trees and the benefits they provide. By investing in better planning, prevention, response, and recovery in urban and community forests, the Forest Service is trying to reduce tree loss and help protect public health and safety, housing and infrastructure, habitat, water quality, local economies, and overall community well-being. The agency is specifically looking for innovative projects, meaning proposals that are new, cutting-edge, or thoughtfully build on existing studies and proven approaches.
The core focus for 2020 is the Innovation Grant category titled "Creating and Enhancing Resilient Urban and Community Forests." Competitive proposals are expected to align with the National Ten Year Urban and Community Forestry Action Plan (2016-2026) and address one or more of its goals. Those goals include integrating urban forestry into planning at all scales, connecting urban forestry to human health and wellness outcomes, cultivating diversity, equity, and leadership in the urban forestry field, strengthening forest health and biodiversity for long-term resilience, improving management and stewardship practices, diversifying and increasing funding for urban forestry, and expanding public awareness and environmental education that supports stewardship. The program also highlights a research need (Research Goal D) that emphasizes monitoring threats, anticipating emerging risks, reducing tree loss, sustaining ecosystem services, and exploring policy or social strategies that improve institutional readiness and community engagement.
A major eligibility and competitiveness requirement is scale: projects must have national or multi-state (or multi-tribal-land) application and impact. In other words, proposals need to produce tools, models, methods, research findings, training approaches, or replicable programs that can be used across multiple states, regions, or tribal lands, rather than only benefiting one local area. Proposed activities can include collaboration, research, prevention, planning, policy development, preparedness, implementation of best management practices, post-disaster recovery, and reforestation, as long as the work supports resilience in urban and community forests and fits within the program authorities established under the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act (specifically the Urban and Community Forestry authorities referenced in Section 9 and related program guidance).
For funding, the Forest Service anticipated approximately $900,000 total available for awards under this national competition in FY 2020, with an expected number of around 6 awards and an award ceiling of $300,000 per project. Funding is provided as a discretionary federal grant (CFDA 10.675), and all awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds, meaning the final amount and number of awards could change.
Eligible applicants are broadly defined as U.S. non-federal and tribal organizations operating within the United States or its territories. This includes state, county, and city governments; special districts; independent school districts; public housing authorities; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; other tribal organizations; and nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)). While partnerships with federal agencies are encouraged, federal agencies cannot receive grant funds and cannot be counted as match. Individuals are not eligible, and projects on private land are not eligible; the program supports projects on non-federal public land, with an emphasis on outcomes that can be applied nationally or across multiple states.
The program also clearly states what it will not fund. Proposals focused on local or single-state impact only, basic local or state tree-planting projects, and capital improvements to property (regardless of who owns it) are not eligible under this national resilience-focused competition. Applicants with more local tree planting or local-only efforts are directed to work with their State Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator to find more appropriate funding options at the state or local level.
Matching funds are required and must be at least a 1:1 match, meaning every federal dollar requested must be matched by at least one dollar from non-federal sources. The match can be cash or in-kind contributions such as volunteer labor, donated services, and non-federal public or private funds, but it must be directly tied to the project and clearly documented. Applicants also need to ensure their required applicant registration identifiers are in place and current, including DUNS and SAM registration, and they are advised to confirm these will not expire within the next 6 to 9 months to avoid processing delays.
Applications were submitted through the dedicated program portal at https://grants.urbanandcommunityforests.org (with a Grants.gov synopsis available under opportunity number USDA-FS-UCF-01-2020, CFDA 10.675). The deadline for submission was 11:59 PM Eastern on March 30, 2020, either electronically through the portal or via courier-delivered hardcopy. The Forest Service indicated that awards were typically made no later than September 30, 2020, and emphasized that selected projects could not begin work until the applicant received official award notification from the Forest Service grants and agreements official. Program questions were directed to Nancy Stremple, National Urban and Community Forestry Specialist, at nancy.stremple@usda.gov (with phone contact also provided), who also served as the point of contact for applicants unable to access online submission and needing mailed application materials.Apply for USDA FS UCF 01 2020
- The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2020 Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.675.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 30, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 30, 2020. (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 $300,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, 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, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.
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