2024 National Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant Program | USDA FS UCF 010 2024

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS UCF 010 2024

The 2024 National Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant Program is a USDA Forest Service (Forest Service) funding opportunity delivered through the agency's Urban and Community Forestry (U&CF) Program, the federal government's only dedicated urban forestry program. The program supports nature-based solutions in the places where most Americans live and work by strengthening urban and community forests and the green infrastructure they support. This specific 2024 competition is framed around improving the health, resilience, and long-term sustainability of urban tree canopies across the United States and its Territories, with a strong emphasis on climate readiness and better alignment between what communities need and what tree nurseries can supply.

For this funding round, the featured category is "Urban and Community Forestry Climate-Resilient Tree Nurseries." The core goal is not simply to plant more trees, but to improve the quality and suitability of trees that communities are able to source and plant, aligning with concepts such as the International Society of Arboriculture guidance that encourages a shift toward higher-quality planting stock and better outcomes. The opportunity is explicitly tied to the National Ten Year Urban and Community Forestry Action Plan (2016-2026), particularly Goal 4 (increasing biodiversity, health, and resilience in urban/community forests) and Goal 5 (supporting locally grown, regionally adapted, pest-resistant, and diverse native or otherwise site-appropriate species). In practical terms, the Forest Service is looking for work that helps communities understand which tree species are actually available in the marketplace and which suppliers can meet demand for trees that can tolerate urban stressors and climate impacts.

The main project deliverable described in the notice is a national-level inventory and assessment focused on tree nurseries and urban-appropriate nursery stock. The Forest Service maintains a major national directory through its National Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources unit (RNGR) at https://rngr.net, and that directory is being updated and expanded to become more searchable and to include a broader range of suppliers and services, potentially including a future marketplace function. However, the directory currently does not clearly identify nurseries that supply trees suitable for urban or developed environments, nor does it adequately flag species and stock that may be more resilient to climate-related stressors such as extreme heat, rapid temperature swings, pests, flooding, salt intrusion, high winds, wildfire impacts, and ice storms. This grant is essentially a call for an entity to fill that gap by conducting a comprehensive assessment of the existing RNGR inventory and, as needed, expanding it through additional inventory work to identify nurseries not yet captured, document the availability of urban-appropriate species, and potentially capture public or community requests for desired species.

Applicants are expected to work within the RNGR unit's existing inventory template, while also being allowed to propose additional fields or components that are particularly relevant to urban and community forestry. Examples mentioned include tracking desired tree characteristics (for instance native status or pest resistance), and using innovative technologies or methods that make the database easier for the public to search and use. Because nurseries respond to consumer demand, the broader intent is to create a clearer, more actionable picture of what is available and what should be grown more of, leading to a more reliable supply of climate-resilient, regionally appropriate trees for cities and towns nationwide.

This opportunity is not designed to fund local, on-the-ground urban forestry projects. The notice is clear that local project requests are not eligible under this specific request, and communities looking for local planting or local program support are encouraged to contact their State Forestry agency's urban forestry program manager instead. In other words, this competition is aimed at a national-scale inventory and assessment effort rather than city-by-city implementation.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is a discretionary grant using a Cooperative Agreement funding instrument, reflecting that the Forest Service expects substantial involvement or collaboration during the project. The Funding Opportunity Number is USDA FS UCF 010 2024 and the CFDA/Assistance Listing number is 10.675. Eligible applicants include a wide range of public and nonprofit entities: state, county, and municipal governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status. The award ceiling is listed as $1,000,000, and the agency anticipates making about three awards. The original closing date shown is March 21, 2024, and applicants are directed to apply through the link provided in the full Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) under "Additional Information," which takes applicants to the online application system and the complete program requirements.

Finally, applicants must be registered in the federal System for Award Management (SAM) at https://sam.gov, and the notice advises allowing at least two weeks to complete or renew that registration. This is a common eligibility gate for federal awards and can be a timeline risk if left until the last minute.

• The Forest Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2024 National 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 2023-11-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-03-21. (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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), 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.

Apply for USDA FS UCF 010 2024

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