The Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (USFS) announces the Trees Across Georgia (TAG) Urban and Community Forestry (U&CF) Grant Program. The program is designed to encourage projects that plant trees and increase the benefits of tree canopy, create and support long-term and sustained urban and community forestry programs, and promote the care of trees in communities throughout Georgia with emphasis on disadvantaged communities.
The USDA Forest Service, authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Community Forestry Assistance Act of the 1990 Farm Bill, has allocated funding to the Georgia Forestry Commission for statewide distribution.
The grant application period will open June 1st, 2024. The Trees Across Georgia Kick-Off Webinar was held June 6th, 2024 via Microsoft Teams. You can watch the webinar recording here.
There are two sources of funding for this grant opportunity. One source is Georgia’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding. These IRA funds MUST be used in DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES identified by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST). CEJST is a geospatial mapping tool to identify census tracts that are overburdened by climate change, pollution or other environmental or socioeconomic factors. These communities identified through CEJST are considered disadvantaged because they are overburdened and underserved.
The other source of funding is through non-IRA Community Forestry Assistance funds. These projects do not have to have an exclusive focus on disadvantaged communities but the potential amount that can be awarded is substantially less and requires a match.
Projects or programs of work completed 80%-100% in disadvantaged communities identified by CEJST may qualify for IRA funding. IRA qualified projects will be eligible for funding up to $150,000 per year for up to three years based on need and completed milestones. In addition, IRA qualified projects will not be required to provide a match.
Projects which do not focus 80%-100% on disadvantaged communities do not qualify for IRA funding. Non-IRA projects may be selected to receive up to $50,000 in non-IRA Community Forestry Assistance funds which require a dollar for dollar match. These projects must be completed within a one-year timeframe.
Eligible project categories:
- Urban Forestry Program Support – Projects that encourage improved management of community forestry resources such as staffing, workforce development, technical assistance, ordinance development, storm readiness planning, invasive species removal, etc.
- Tree planting – Tree planting projects which address tree equity, mitigate the effects of extreme heat and climate change, replace storm damaged canopy, create greenspaces, reduce stormwater runoff and/or increase the environmental and social benefits of trees.
- Tree Advocacy Group Development and Support – Projects that organize or train tree boards and projects that develop or enhance a non-profit 501(c)3 group’s ability to support tree care, tree planting, or tree education efforts
- 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.
Read the full grant guidelines
Review slides from our application webinar
Watch the recording of our application webinar
Apply here!
Check out the grant recipient list
Helpful Resources
| Title | Description | Document Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1. GA Tree Owners Manual | From Planting to Maintenance | |
| 3. Community Tree Planting and Establishment Guidelines | This Document is intended to aid homeowners and local government staff in planting and directing the establishment and maintenance of community trees. | |
| Campus Liability Endorsement Form | Liability Waiver | |
| Financial Detail Form | Budget worksheet to be used with all TAG grant applications. | Excel |
| Food Forest Species List | Species list for U&CF funded grant projects involving food forest. Contains species for North Georgia and South Georgia | |
| GFC UC&F Species Selection List | Recommended Tree Species Selections for Urban and Community Forest Sustainability | |
| Grant Expenditures Form | Budget worksheet to be used with all TAG grant applications. | Excel |
| Match Expenditures Form | Budget worksheet to be used with Non-IRA TAG grant applications. | Excel |
| Soil Reconditioning Specs | Specifications for soil reconditioning after removing impervious surfaces, based on research conducted by Virginia Tech. | |
| TAG Employee Time and Effort Form | Federal Compliance Employee Time and Effort Worksheet | Excel |
| TAG Grant Recipients List | List of recipients of TAG grant. | |
| TAG Recipient Reimbursement Reporting Guide | A guide for reimbursement reporting for TAG recipients. | |
| TAG Reimbursement Request Instructions | Instructional video on reimbursement requests | External Website, Video |
| Tree Ordinance Development Guidebook | This guide provides information ranging from how to form a working group to developing a draft tree ordinance. |