Deadline: 5-Mar-21
Delaware’s Urban and Community Forestry Program is once again offering competitive matching grants up to $5,000 for tree planting or tree management projects on public land.
The grants – open to municipalities, homeowner associations, and certified 501(c)(3) non-profits in the State of Delaware – require a 50-50 match in either cash (non-federal funds) or in-kind services, including volunteer or staff time, equipment rental, or supplies. Requests can range from $500 to a maximum of $5,000 in one of two project categories: tree planting or tree management (i.e., professional tree inventory, hazardous tree removal, or pruning).
Objectives
- Increase urban tree canopy in Delaware by promoting quality tree planting and management projects.
- To diversify, enhance, and promote the proper stewardship of Delaware’s urban forest resources.
- To encourage sustainable urban and community forestry programs throughout Delaware.
- Promote green infrastructure that will improve stormwater management.
- To improve air quality through urban forest management practices.
Types of Projects
Grant funds can help communities develop an effective urban and community forestry program through the following types of projects:
- Tree planting (urban forest buffers, street trees, and open space plantings);
- Tree management (pruning, hazardous tree removal, or professionally developed tree inventories).
Funding Information
- Grant requests must be a minimum of $500 not to exceed $5,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible projects must be performed on public lands within the community. Public lands are lands owned by state, county, or local governments along with lands classified as public open space within Homeowners Associations (HOA’s), Maintenance Corporations (MC’s), etc. Public lands include parks, green-ways, recreation areas, and public rights-of-way or easements. Please refer to community development plans to note if a tree-planting project falls within a right-of-way. If so, please contact the proper authority to receive approval before submitting this application. Failure to do so may result in the application not being ranked and disqualified.
- Applicants must have an Employer Identification Number (EIN) – no payment will be made to individuals.
- All applicants are required to set up a site visit with Urban and Community Forestry Program (U&CF) staff, council or partners before submitting the application. This allows the applicant to present their project to U&CF program staff and get answers to any questions the applicant may have about the application process.
- All applications must be submitted online.
- Applications for hazard tree removal must have tree(s) evaluated by a certified arborist and deemed hazardous to qualify for funds. Any tree removed must be replaced by the applicant at their own expense. The replaced tree must be shown prior to reimbursement of grant award.
- The urban and community forestry grant is a reimbursement grant. No funding will be provided ahead of the project completion and DFS will not pay contractors directly. No project can take place ahead of application approval.
Application Process
- This year’s application deadline is Friday, March 5, 2021, at 4:30 p.m.
- All applicants are REQUIRED to schedule an on-site visit by U&CF program staff, who can review their project and answer any questions.
- Site visits must be requested no later than February 19 and all visits completed by February 26.
- All applicants MUST use the ONLINE form to submit their forms and attach all of the necessary documentation (plan, bids, estimates, etc.). Applicants should be prepared to complete the form in one sitting: there is no way to ensure your information will be saved and returned later.
Core Requirements
- Grant requests from a minimum of $500 to a maximum of $5,000.
- Grants must be matched with cash (non-federal funds) or in-kind services such as volunteer hours.
- One project in one category: planting or management (professional inventory, pruning, or hazardous tree removal).
- The project must take place on public land or community open space.
- Applicants must have an Employer Identification Number (EIN) – no payment made to individuals.
- All applicants must schedule a site visit before submitting the project.
Applications will be judged on a competitive basis by a grant committee of the Delaware Community Forestry Council. Eligible projects must be performed on public lands within the community. Priority will be given to first-time applicants, Tree Friendly Communities, and applicants that have passed an Urban Tree Canopy Goal Resolution (only applies to Municipalities).
For more information, visit https://delawaretrees.com/programs-and-services/urban-grant-program/