The Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC), in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (USFS), announced the Trees Across Mississippi (TAM) Urban and Community Forestry (U&CF) Grant Program.
Donor Name: Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC)
State: Mississippi
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/15/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 4 Years
Details:
The program is designed to encourage projects that plant trees and increase the benefits of the tree canopy, to create and support long-term and sustained urban and community forestry programs, and to promote the care of trees in communities throughout Mississippi with an emphasis on disadvantaged communities.
Federal Program Objectives
The objectives of the Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program are:
IRA objectives:
- Integrate Urban and Community Forestry into all scales of planning.
- Promote the role of Urban and Community Forestry in human health and wellness.
- Cultivate diversity, equity, and leadership within the Urban Forestry community.
- Strengthen Urban and Community Forest health and biodiversity for long-term resilience.
- Improve Urban and Community Forest management, maintenance, and stewardship.
- Diversify, leverage, and increase funding for Urban and Community Forestry.
- Increase public awareness and environmental education to promote stewardship.
- Prioritize projects focusing work on extreme heat mitigation, urban wood utilization, urban food forests, and workforce development.
BIL Objectives
- USDA strategic goals:
- Combat Climate Change to Support America’s Working Lands, Natural Resources and Communities.
- Ensure America’s Agricultural System is Equitable, Resilient, and Prosperous.
- Foster an Equitable and Competitive Marketplace for All Agricultural Producers.
- Provide All Americans with Safe, Nutritious Food.
- Expand Opportunities for Economic Development and Improve the Quality of Life in Rural and Tribal Communities.
- Attract, Inspire, and Retain an Engaged and Motivated Workforce that’s Proud to Represent USDA.
- US Forest Service National Priorities:
- Uplifting and empowering the employees through a respectful, safe working environment.
- Being good neighbors and providing excellent customer service.
- Promoting shared stewardship by increasing partnerships and volunteerism.
- Improving the condition of forests and grasslands.
- Enhancing recreation opportunities, improving access, and sustaining infrastructure.
State Program Goals
In Mississippi’s Statewide Forest Resources Strategy 2020, the goals for the Urban and Community Program are described as:
- Increase awareness of the importance of trees and urban forest management in the urban environment.
- Work to ensure a healthy urban environment and livable cities in Mississippi through urban forest management.
- Increase technical expertise in urban and community forestry practices and provide education and training opportunities to urban forest managers, tree care providers, consultants, foresters, and volunteers on urban and community forest management and proper tree care.
- Develop self-sustaining urban and community forestry programs at the local and state levels.
- Encourage partnerships in support of urban and community forestry in Mississippi.
- Seek funding opportunities for implementing urban and community forestry programs in Mississippi.
Eligible Projects
Eligible projects must meet Federal and State Program Objectives. The Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program is intended to support new initiatives, programs, projects, staff positions, or activities not currently being funded through other sources.
Some examples of eligible categories you could use depending on your approved narrative are described in detail below.
- URBAN FORESTRY PROGRAM SUPPORT – projects that encourage improved management of community forest resources.
- Professional staffing – Full or part-time employment of an urban forestry professional to assist in community forestry program management. A draft position description and qualifications must be submitted with the application. Examples: staff or contract positions
- Workforce Development – Projects that help move towards a more diverse and inclusive workforce in urban forestry and arboriculture. Grant funding may be used to build leadership, conduct outreach activities, increase capacity, or provide training and education to support local community development efforts—examples: Youth Development programs, training programs, internships, apprenticeships, and professional certifications.
- Technical Assistance – projects that develop or collect data needed for efficient management of community forestry resources. Examples: Canopy mapping/assessments, tree inventories, tree management plans, greenspace master plans, and/or urban heat island mapping.
- Tree Ordinance/Policy Development or Revision – Projects that develop or revise ordinances or policies needed for efficient management of community forestry resources.
- The ordinance or policy should address the establishment of municipal authority over public trees, assign responsibility to a public department, arborist position, or established tree board or commission, and set maintenance and management standards. The ordinance or policy may also address other issues such as landscape requirements and tree retention or replacement on development sites, riparian buffers, and for the protection of urban forest ecosystems.
- Storm Readiness & Resiliency – projects that develop a cohesive strategy to help communities prepare for storms. Example: Developing a storm readiness plan addressing pre-storm contracts, tree risk assessments along critical routes, and establishing vegetative debris staging areas. A maximum of 30% of the grant award can be used for risk mitigation pruning/removals along critical routes.
- Invasive species removal – projects that address invasive species that adversely impact community forests.
- TREE PLANTING – All projects funded under this category must be to address tree equity, mitigating the effects of extreme heat and climate change, replacing storm-damaged canopy, creating greenspaces, reducing stormwater runoff, and/or increasing the environmental and social benefits of trees. The cost of removing and stump grinding diseased, high-risk, or invasive trees to create planting spaces for new trees is an allowable expense, as is stump grinding. Food forests are eligible if the project’s primary focus is establishing canopy to mitigate extreme heat with the secondary benefit being food products. These projects should use mostly native species that require less maintenance such as pecan, mulberry, pawpaw, and persimmon trees. Also eligible are projects that include the cost of removing impervious surfaces to create appropriate planting spaces/soil volume. These impervious surface removal projects must follow technical specifications as outlined by MFC.
- All tree planting projects must meet the following criteria:
- Take place on non-federal public property such as city/county parks, schools, playgrounds, greenspaces, rights-of-way, business districts, parking lots, and downtown areas.
- Include a tree planting site plan and map using aerial photography or GIS. Locations (addresses, zip codes, or GPS coordinates) of all trees must be provided by the end of the project. If applicable, include details of impervious surface removal.
- Include a 3-year maintenance plan.
- Include a letter of support from the local government or from the Department of Transportation, if the applicant is not the property owner.
- Complete and sign the liability waiver included in the application.
- TREE ADVOCACY GROUP DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT
- Tree Board Creation/Development – Projects to organize a new tree board/commission or provide training or planning assistance for existing tree boards. A new tree board or commission should be charged by ordinance to act on behalf of the local government in coordination with the community’s urban forestry program.
- Non-profit Program Development – Projects that develop or enhance a non-profit 501(c)3 group’s ability to support tree care, tree planting, or tree education efforts in a community or area. Ex: non-profit establishment, tree care training program, staff position to conduct tree planting and education programs, staff position to outreach to disadvantaged neighborhoods or groups to provide tree care education or encourage tree care activities.
- URBAN WOOD UTILIZATION – Projects that increase knowledge, awareness, and visibility of urban wood utilization and recycling. Grant funding may be applied to education and outreach materials, demonstration of specialized equipment and techniques for working on smaller interface woodlots, and assessments of the feasibility of recycling and processing urban waste wood. Funds can also be used to develop a business plan for an emerging urban wood program for public entities or non-profits.
Funding Information
- IRA-qualified projects can apply for amounts between $10,000 and $20,000. Multi-year projects may apply for a maximum amount of $20,000 per year for four (4) years. The maximum award for a multi-year IRA-qualified project is $80,000.
- Up to 9% of the total ask can be used as administrative but supporting documentation is required. Any products, language, or signage associated with these activities will acknowledge the contribution of the USFS Inflation Reduction Act Urban and Community Forestry funding. Non-IRA projects may apply for amounts between $4,000 and $20,000.
Eligible Applicants
Funds may be awarded to units of local governments (city, town, county), non-profit 501(c)3 organizations, or public educational institutions. Other organizations, such as community tree volunteer groups, neighborhood associations, or civic groups that are not 501(c)3 are eligible but must apply in partnership with a non-profit organization or with their local government.
For more information, visit MFC.
