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California Urban and Community Forestry Inflation Reduction Act

Grantor:
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Portal ID:
59673
Status:
Active
Opportunity Type:
  • Grant
Last Updated:
 | 
Categories:

Details

Purpose:

To help create sustainable urban forests across the state, $30.8 million in funding will be available to support urban and community forestry projects in historically disinvested urban communities throughout California. 

Description:

The Inflation Reduction Act supports urban and community forestry investments that foster:

1)      Increased and equitable access to urban tree canopy and associated human health, environmental, and economic benefits in disadvantaged communities.

2)      Broadened community engagement in local urban forest planning, tree planting, and management activities.

3)      Improved community and urban forest resilience to climate change, extreme heat, forest pests and diseases, and storm events through best management and maintenance practices.

There are six grant options available: Urban Forest Expansion and Improvement, Urban Forest Management Activities, Urban Forestry Education and Workforce Development, Urban Forestry Regional or Statewide Impact, Urban Forest Equity Capacity Building, and Green Schoolyards.  

Projects must directly serve priority populations within one or more defined disadvantaged and/or low-income community in an urban area. In California, CAL FIRE’s Urban and Community Forestry Program is administering this federal grant funding.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

  • Nonprofit
  • Public Agency
  • Tribal Government

Local government entities: cities, counties, or qualifying districts. ​For Green Schoolyards: school districts and community college districts​.Federally Recognized Tribes: 25 USC 5304 (l), operating within California.Tribal-affiliated non-profit organizations: Section 501c(3) of the IRC.Non-profit organizations: Section 501c(3) of the IRC. ​For Green Schoolyards, includes non-profit childcare facilities receiving government funding. 

Eligible Geographies:

The project area must be in an "urban area" or "urban cluster," defined by the U.S. Department of Commerce as areas with a population of 2,500 or more persons. 

100% of the funds awarded through this grant opportunity must be spent on projects within urban Priority Populations, which include state-designated disadvantaged communities (DAC), low-income communities (LIC), and/or low-income households (LIH).

Matching Funding Requirement:

For the CAL FIRE Urban and Community Forestry IRA grant opportunity, match or cost share requirements are waived. 

Important Dates

The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight.
The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.
TBD
The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized.
2024 - 3/31/2028

Funding Details

The total projected dollar amount of the grant.
$30,800,000
A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent.
No
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.
No
The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.
  • Federal

Funding Source Notes:

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) Program awarded $1.5 billion to states, projects, and national initiatives that support urban communities in ensuring equitable access to trees and their benefits via the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The UCF Program is a covered program under President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, established through Executive Order 13985.  

The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly).
  • Reimbursement(s)

Funding Method Notes:

Requests for Advance Payments may be considered in cases of clear need.

How to Apply

State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

Resources

For questions about this grant, contact:
Rachel O'Leary, 1-916-838-0225, rachel.oleary@fire.ca.gov

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