Last year, the California budget was passed with record-level funding for urban forestry and urban greening for non-profits and local agencies, with substantial increases for CalFire (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) . Urban forestry is also included in the 2022 Federal infrastructure acts for several agencies and programs: urban forestry, environmental justice, health, education, and transportation.

• Fact Sheet on the “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), What’s included for Trees?”
• California Climate Investment funds were appropriated for many agencies, see list
• CalFire will administer large grants for urban forestry, see guidelines . Grants in 2023 for urban forestry will be about ____ and Greening Schoolyard grants at about $100 million in 2023. [seeking online links to amounts]

Join us for an informal workshop, “Get Ready for Greening Grants!” on Friday, January 13, 2023, from 11:00 to 12:30, link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86041637475. 

• Objective: Identify opportunities to ask for and give assistance, for the application and administration of urban forestry grants in the San Diego region.
• Overview of Federal and state grants (more categories and guidelines to be announced)
• Elements of urban forestry projects (no one can get a grant and do a project alone!)
• Quick overview of grant guidelines (comments due January 13, items identified at this meeting will be sent to CalFire)
• Challenges (25% cost share, geographic eligibility, identification of places to grow trees, GHG calculations, survival=replace trees that don’t survive 3 years after grant ends, long-term tree maintenance)
• Panel offering advice on how to assemble a project team and submit applications (three invited but not confirmed)
• Questions and next steps

Check out our “grow trees together” page to learn more about what it takes to grow a canopy together (purpose, places, plan, purchase, plant and care for trees). Includes links to several reports about the successes and challenges of tree planting programs.