The Hispanic Access Foundation is accepting proposals for its Nuestros Bosques: Faith-Based and Strategic Local Investments.
Donor Name: Hispanic Access Foundation
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 11/15/2024
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
Urban canopy provides enormous benefits, from reducing the urban heat island effect and reducing energy bills, to absorbing carbon dioxide and pollutants, resulting in shortening hospital stays, reducing asthma rates in surrounding neighborhoods, and lowering stress, noise, and damage from wind and water. Planting trees along streets and in parks to increase the urban tree canopy can remove millions of tons of carbon dioxide a year from the atmosphere, helping to improve the climate.
Through funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (Funding Opportunity #: USDA-FS-2023-UCF-IRA-01) the USDA Forest Service, an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture is making historic investments in boosting the nation’s tree cover in urban, suburban and rural communities nationwide. In September of 2023, the USDA Forest Service announced funding awards of $1.13 billion, including awards for 12 national passthrough organizations.
Hispanic Access Foundation received a $25 million award from the USDA Forest Service to become a national pass-through partner for the “Nuestros Bosques IRA Initiative” promoting Justice40, Ten-Year Urban Forestry Action Plan, State Forest Action Plans, congressional, and America the Beautiful priorities. In alignment with the USDA Forest Service and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), 80 percent of the funding will flow directly to disadvantaged communities; 16 sub-awards were already identified through national competition.
Program Design Goals
Nuestros Bosques invests in disadvantaged communities with nature-based, community-led solutions aiming to address unmet social and environmental challenges by:
- Urban & Community Forestry Planning:
- Long-term urban forest planning, which may include development of an urban forest master plan, comprehensive tree inventory, or tree protection ordinance.
- Aid in planning, goal setting, and skill sharing with other professions such as urban planners, engineers, educators, recreational and public health officials.
- The project must demonstrate collaboration with any of the following entities: local urban forestry experts, Indigenous permaculture advisors, ISA-certified professionals, foresters, and arborists to provide technical assistance and support for projects.
- Tree Planting & Maintenance Activities:
- Planting and/or cultivating new native and/or climate-adapted trees and maintaining this new growth.
- Existing tree maintenance could include pruning, invasive species removal, hazard tree risk assessment, and tree removal.
- Demonstrated heritage connection to trees, such as the use of native species.
- The project must demonstrate collaboration with any of the following entities: local urban forestry experts, Indigenous permaculture advisors, ISA-certified professionals, foresters, and arborists to provide technical assistance and support for projects.
- Community Engagement: Improving community mental health and promoting access to nature:
- The project may propose fostering individuals, groups, and organizations in the communities served to become engaged participants in urban forest planning, planting, and management in disadvantaged communities.
Funding Information
- Total Funding Opportunity: $10,786,295.
- $2,000,000 to support faith-based organizations.
- $8,786,295 to support additional strategic local investments including Tribal organizations, community-based/nonprofit organizations, and faith-based organizations, which will target projects in disadvantaged communities.
- Award amounts: $50,000-$1,000,000.
Grant Period
The duration of the grant period will vary based on the scope and scale of the proposed project, with a maximum duration of nearly three years with an end date of December 31, 2027.
Eligible Lands
All work must be conducted within the United States, Puerto Rico, and/or U.S. Virgin Islands.
Eligible applicants may apply for funding for a project to be conducted on non-Federal lands such as:
- State and local government,
- Homeowner associations,
- Private lands, and
- Tribal/Alaska native corporation (includes Trust lands).
Lands owned or administered by the federal government are not eligible for this funding opportunity except for lands held in trust for Native American Tribes and individuals (hereinafter Trust lands).
Eligibility Criteria
- Organizations with a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status are eligible to apply. Eligible entities include:
- Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs)
- Community-Based Organizations (CBO’s)
- Federally Recognized Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations/villages, and Tribal organizations as defined in 25 USC 5304 (l) and operating within the United States, or its territories may also apply.
For more information, visit Hispanic Access Foundation.
