The Vermont Urban & Community Forestry Program (VT UCF), a partnership between the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation and University of Vermont Extension, seeks applicants needing financial assistance to increase and maintain a healthy urban tree canopy and access to nature in disadvantaged communities.
Donor Name: Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
State: Vermont
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 01/05/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Urban & Community Forestry grants will support a broad range of activities including urban and community tree canopy expansion and protection, urban wood utilization, urban food forests, extreme heat mitigation through tree planting, workforce development, local tree nursery establishment, and increasing capacity to care for and manage community trees. This work aligns with and supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative by strategically identifying, reaching, and assisting disadvantaged communities in the state.
With special funds through the USDA Forest Service’s National Urban & Community Forestry Program and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, these grants advance work within disadvantaged communities to support more resilient urban and community forests.
Funding Information
Grant awards will be between $5,000 and $50,000, for a total of $300,000 available in 2024. There is no cost-share requirement for Urban & Community Forestry Grants.
Project Eligibility
Projects should create and foster more resilient urban forests by increasing and maintaining a healthy urban tree canopy and access to nature. Projects must take place in or must directly serve at least one disadvantaged community, as defined above. Urban & Community Forestry Grants will support a broad range of activities, including but not limited to:
- Urban and community tree canopy expansion and protection (e.g. tree planting, community tree nursery establishment)
- Tree maintenance
- Urban wood utilization
- Urban food forests
- Extreme heat mitigation and climate resilience
- Workforce development
- Increasing capacity to care for and manage community trees
Eligibility Criteria
- Municipalities, public educational institutions, and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations may apply for an Urban & Community Forestry grant.
- Eligibility for funding will be determined in accordance with criteria that have been approved by the USDA Forest Service’s National Urban & Community Forestry Program. Projects must take place in or must directly serve at least one disadvantaged community, which for the purpose of this grant program are defined as census tracts included in one or more of the following datasets:
- The federal Council on Environmental Quality’s Climate & Economic Justice Screening Tool
- The US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Opportunity Zones dataset
- The US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s dataset for low to moderate income areas
For more information, visit VT UCF.