Community Forestry Grants helps communities develop sustainable programs that provide Texans with healthy trees and forests.
Donor Name: Texas A&M Forest Service
State: Texas
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/01/2026
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
With generous support from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, the Texas A&M Forest Service is now accepting proposals for the 2026 Community Forestry Grant Program (CFG). These competitive grants are designed to establish sound urban and community forestry principles that sustain and enhance urban and community forest ecosystems throughout the state of Texas.
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 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.
2026 Matching Grant Categories
- CATEGORY 1 – Community Resiliency
- The Community Resiliency grant category is designed to support projects that focus on enhancing the adaptability of urban ecosystems to create more resilient and sustainable Texas communities.
- CATEGORY 2 – Human Health Enhancement and Access
- The Human Health Enhancement and Access grant category is dedicated to supporting projects that aim to support human health by strategically enhancing people’s access to treed greenspaces that promote public health.
- CATEGORY 3 – Municipal Forester
- The Municipal Forester grant category is designed to fund a qualified city forester/arborist position, in a city that has not yet had one, to help support local capacity and advance urban and community forestry initiatives at the local level.
- CATEGORY 4 – Workforce Development
- The Workforce Development category is designed to train citizens and students in essential skills for community tree care and management.
- CATEGORY 5 – Tree Planting
- The Tree Planting grant category is dedicated to supporting initiatives that increase urban and community tree canopy coverage, engage the community, and promote the many benefits of trees in built environments.
- CATEGORY 6 – Watershed Protection Implementation
- The Watershed Protection Implementation Grant (WPIG) is designed to provide funding for the implementation of forestry components of active EPA accepted Watershed Protection Plans (WWPs) or plans that are in development.
Funding Information
- CATEGORY 1 – Climate Resiliency: $50,000
- CATEGORY 2 – Human Health Equity and Accessibility: $50,000
- CATEGORY 3 – Municipal Forester: $100,000 with phased funding over three years
- CATEGORY 4 – Workforce Development: up to $50,000 each
- CATEGORY 5 – Tree Planting: up to $20,000 each
- CATEGORY 6 – Community Greening Transformations: $2,375,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- Units of local governments (city, town, county)
- Non-profit organizations(501c3) in good standing
- Tribal entities
- State government agencies
- Educational institutions (ISDs, Colleges and Universities)
- Public utility districts (PUD, MUD, etc.)
- Other organizations, such as volunteer groups, neighborhood associations or civic groups which are not 501(c)3 are eligible but must apply in partnership with a nonprofit organization or with their local government.
