The Community Forestry Catalyst Fund will support urban and community forestry projects that benefit disadvantaged communities in the state of Maryland.
Donor Name: Chesapeake Bay Trust
State: Maryland
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 09/15/2025
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The Community Forestry Catalyst Fund (CF2) is a partnership between the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the Maryland Forest Service. The CF2 program welcomes proposals that directly support tree planting projects or increase the capacity of organizations to scale up their tree planting and maintenance initiatives in overburdened, underserved communities across the state. The goal of the CF2 program is to reduce barriers to tree planting and provide local partners with flexible access to a source of funds that can be leveraged to secure additional resources without requiring matching funds.
Program Tracks
Applications will be considered under one of the following three funding tracks:
- Track A: Site Readiness
- Activities that prepare a site for future planting, like: Stump removal, hazardous tree removal, vegetation removal, concrete removal leading to replacement tree planting
- Track B: Tree Planting Implementation
- Projects that focus solely on tree planting, prioritizing underserved populations and areas experiencing low tree canopy and environmental justice issues.
- Pre-application technical assistance from MFS or an authorized representative from one of the 5 Million Trees partnership agencies is optional.
- Track C: Capacity Building
- Projects that enhance an organization’s internal capacity to implement forestry programming. Some examples are: Procurement of contractual support, development of a strategic plan, expansion or creation of new pilot programming.
Funding Information
- Track A: Site Readiness
- Minimum funding: $5,000
- Maximum funding: $50,000
- Project Durtion: 18 months
- Track B: Tree Planting Implementation
- Minimum: $5,000
- Maximum: $50,000
- Project Durtion: 18 months
- Track C: Capacity Building
- Minimum: $50,000
- Maximum: $250,000 per year
- Project Duration: 24 months
Eligible Project Locations
Eligible applicants may apply for funding for a project to be conducted on non-State or non-Federal lands such as land owned by:
- Local governments,
- Homeowner associations,
- Private entities (e.g. – individuals, nonprofit organizations, or religious institutions),
- For projects on private property, applications should include measures in place to maximize likelihood of establishment and long-term survival.
- Tribal entities (including Trust lands).
Eligibility Criteria
The Trust and funding partners welcome requests from the following tax-exempt organizations:
- Local government entity
- Federally Recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations as defined in 25 USC 5304 (l) and operating within the United States, or its territories
- Non-profit organizations
- Public and State-controlled institutions of higher education
- Community Based Organization, defined as a public organization that supports and/or represents a community and/or certain populations within a community through engagement, education, and other related services provided to individual community residents and community stakeholders
For more information, visit Chesapeake Bay Trust.
