Up to $7 million available for projects that enhance and leverage the benefits of healthy urban and community forests across Washington.
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources began accepting applications Monday for what is by far the largest amount of urban and community forestry grant funding ever offered by the agency.
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will distribute up to $7 million to successful applicants via the 2024 Community Forest Assistance Grant Program administered by the DNR Urban and Community Forestry Program (UCF). The dollar figure is not only 11 times more than the previous single-year record of $550,000 set in 2021, but also more than double the total amount awarded to nearly 220 recipients since DNR first began administering UCF grants in 2008.
This transformative opportunity is open to all Washington municipalities, counties, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, Tribes, educational institutions, and special taxing districts. Funding for the grant cycle comes from a $5 million award of Inflation Reduction Act money by the USDA Forest Service, and $2 million of state funding appropriated during the 2023 legislative session.
Applications will be accepted through Jan. 8, 2024, with awards ranging from $10,000 to $350,000 to be announced in the spring. Funds will go to support both single-year projects, as well as those that take multiple years to implement.
“Urban and community forestry has been a priority of mine since I first went to a Washington Community Forestry Council meeting in 2017," Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz said. “The impact this unprecedented amount of grant funding will have cannot be understated. Investments in urban forestry will help us protect our most vulnerable communities from extreme heat waves, lower the amount of pollutants in our air and water, and help us create green spaces in neighborhoods that lack places for children to play and for families to create lasting memories in."
Per the Evergreen Communities Act, at least 50 percent of the total funding awarded by DNR will be directed to projects that impact communities of high environmental health disparity. Matching funds are not required as part of applications and will not have any impact on whether an applicant receives funding.
Recent examples of successful projects include tree planting at a Tacoma Public Schools property and a youth-driven restoration project at Hilltop park in Burien. A list of 2023 grant recipients can be found here.
DNR published a new UCF prioritization mapping tool in conjunction with the grant launch that will help the agency and its partners better target investments around the state. Available for public use, the weighted index allows users to see how prospective project locations rank and what funding or matching requirements may be required.
“This is an unprecedented opportunity for communities across Washington to work with the Department of Natural Resources to enact a true paradigm shift in how we value urban trees," DNR Urban and Community Forestry Program Manager Ben Thompson said. “There has never been this level of interest or this many resources directed at urban forestry in the history of Washington state. I am excited to work with our longstanding partners and hopefully some new ones as we put these dollars to work."
Recipients of 2024 grant funding will also be enrolled in the Washington Tree Equity Collaborative. The first statewide tree equity partnership in the country brings community organizations and stakeholders together to build a rigorous and inclusive urban forestry network throughout Washington.
DNR and the nonprofit American Forests launched the Tree Equity Collaborative in April 2023 at an event where Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the city would be the first to sign the pledge required for membership in the collaborative. The Forest Service recently awarded Seattle a $12.9 million urban forestry grant.
American Forests and DNR are working to expand the nonprofit's Tree Equity Score tool to cover all of Washington. Nearly 15 percent of all census block groups in Washington score below 75 out of 100 on the American Forests Tree Equity Score map. The nonprofit estimates more than 1.35 million urban trees are needed to raise all block group scores to 75 or greater.
“Commissioner Franz and Washington DNR are leading the nation in creating a more inclusive and equitable Tree Equity movement, building on the momentum from historic urban and community forestry investments made by the Biden-Harris administration," said American Forests president and CEO Jad Daley. “American Forests is thrilled to partner with DNR through the Washington State Tree Equity Collaborative to help communities across the Evergreen State scale up tree canopy where it's needed most as indicated by our Tree Equity Score Tool, and to deliver the life-saving and job-creating benefits of trees equitably to every neighborhood."
Click here to register for an Oct. 19 webinar about the 2024 DNR Community Forestry Assistance Grant Program. To learn more about the DNR Urban and Community Forestry program, visit dnr.wa.gov/urbanforestry. For more information about the Washington Tree Equity Collaborative, visit washingtontrees.org
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MEDIA RESOURCES
Photos from Tacoma Public Schools tree planting event
Photos and video from Hilltop Park event
Photos from Tree Equity Collaborative launch event
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Will Rubin
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Cell: 360-764-0854
