Request for Proposals for Mid-Atlantic Environmental Justice Fund 2025

The Mid-Atlantic Environmental Justice Fund is a grant program that leverages forestry to address environmental justice (EJ) issues in the Mid-Atlantic.

Donor Name: Chesapeake Bay Trust

State: Selected States

County: All Counties

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline: 03/14/2025

Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000

Grant Duration: 4 years

Details:

The goal is to disperse and democratize the range of co-benefits that healthy community forests have for decades into the future. A just community forestry and tree stewardship effort that integrates environmental, climate, and energy justice is a powerful tool to improve the health of the Mid-Atlantic region. Increasing tree canopy improves local air and water quality, cools neighborhoods, fosters public health, stimulates local green jobs, encourages community cohesion, mitigates flooding and its adverse effects, and strengthens the region and its inhabitants.

This program has three tracks.

Track I: EJ Organization Capacity Building
- Increase an organization’s ability to advance forestry planning, planting, and maintenance efforts through training and technical assistance.
Track II: Tree Canopy for Resiliency and Public Health
- Tree planting and tree canopy improvements to address local public health, climate change, ecologic, and environmental issues like air pollution and stormwater management.
Track III: Workforce Development in Community Forestry
- To support projects that engage community members in job training related to forestry, including tree planting and maintenance, along with specialized youth and young adult training and professional education.

Funding Information

With a budget of over $17.5 million over four years.

Track I: EJ Organization Capacity Building
- To increase the ability of community-based organizations to advance urban forestry planning, planting, and maintenance efforts through training and technical assistance ($100,000 request maximum).
Track II: Tree Canopy for Resiliency and Public Health
- Tree planting and tree canopy improvements to address local public health, climate change, ecologic, and environmental issues like air pollution and stormwater management (No request maximum).
Track III: Workforce Development in Community Forestry
- Development of projects that engage residents in job training programs focused on developing forestry-related skills ($200,000 request maximum).

Eligible Projects

Track 1: Environmental Justice Organization Capacity Building
- Capacity-building projects should focus on addressing challenges to improve an organization’s ability to advance effective long-term forestry-related initiatives. Examples include but are not limited to:
  - Developing or refining a strategic plan for forestry related work.
  - Training of staff in forestry-related skills.
  - Collaborative models for forestry information and resource sharing.
  - Data collection and management for forestry purposes.
  - Shared technical assistance models.
  - Development of local native tree guides.
  - Community-based participatory planning for tree planting implementation.
  - Tree nursery management and seed propagation of native tree stock.
  - Development and pilot testing of innovative tree maintenance models, including experimental design.
  - Development or enhancement of hardware and software tool banks or other shared supplies models.
Track 2: Tree Canopy for Resiliency and Public Health
- Eligible Project Property Types include, but are not limited to:
  - Streets and right-of-way projects
  - Reclamation of mine-impacted lands projects
  - Abandoned agricultural land restoration
  - Institutional grounds, such as, but not limited to, faith, education, or health institutions.
  - Vacant lots
  - Tribal lands
  - Other types of nonfederal public or private property.
Track 3: Workforce Development in Community Forestry
- These include, but are not limited to:
  - Pre-employment, job placement, and career advancement support in community forestry.
  - Training in community forestry skills such as tree planting, maintenance, and green infrastructure.
  - Partnerships with local educational institutions like community colleges to create programs that include classroom instruction and hands-on experience.
  - Providing education, vocational training, experiential learning opportunities, and career pathways in the community forestry and arboriculture industry to returning citizens.
  - Establish apprenticeship programs that provide on-the-job training.
  - Programs that integrate the preservation, promotion, and revival of traditional forestry and arboriculture knowledge and practices with workforce development.
  - Create summer job opportunities, internships, and other educational workshops that introduce young people to careers in community forestry and arboriculture.
  - Engage local community members in training programs for recognized forestry certifications.
  - Collaboration with local non-profits to place workers into entry-level arboriculture positions.
  - Training of community members for careers in reclaiming/processing wood into green lumber, biochar, and compost.

Who can apply?

Community-based organizations that are tax-exempt or fiscally sponsored throughout the Mid-Atlantic region (DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, WV), particularly those who have historically faced barriers in securing funding to address EJ issues.

CBT welcomes requests only from tax-exempt or fiscally sponsored organizations including, but not limited to: