Urban and Community Forestry - Inflation Reduction Act Grant

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, through the Florida Forest Service, is administering the Urban and Community Forestry - Inflation Reduction Act Grant with federal financial assistance from the USDA Forest Service under Funding Opportunity Number 23-DG-11083112-500 and CFDA Number 10.727. The program is intended to provide financial assistance for urban and community forestry activities in Florida, particularly projects that generate and maintain healthy urban forests in disadvantaged communities. The broader objectives are to improve urban forest management, retain and expand community tree canopy, and increase the environmental, social, public health, public safety, and economic benefits associated with properly managed community forests. The program provides two funding categories: Tree Planting and Urban Forest Maintenance. Tree Planting projects are intended for communities lacking tree canopy and may include urban food forest creation and workforce development. Applicants are expected to demonstrate need using a local urban tree canopy assessment, Florida's statewide urban tree canopy assessment, or a similar tool and must include a significant community engagement component. Urban Forest Maintenance projects may support activities such as pruning hazardous branches, removing hazardous trees, adding lightning protection, conducting structural pruning, improving soils, urban wood utilization, and workforce development when the work reduces tree risk or preserves and extends community tree canopy. Eligible work may generally occur on county- or municipally owned lands, parks, natural areas, and highway or street rights-of-way that are not maintained by the federal government. Funding requests must be between $2,500 and $50,000 per applicant, and FDACS anticipates approximately $1,795,000 in total program funding and 35 awards. The stated period of performance is 12 months. There is no required match or cost sharing, although applicants are encouraged to supplement grant funds voluntarily. Any matching funds included in an application may be considered during evaluation and, if proposed, become part of required project completion. Administrative costs may not exceed 20 percent of total project costs. Travel and per diem expenses are identified as ineligible. For Tree Planting projects, no more than 30 percent of grant funds may be used for eligible site improvements, up to 10 percent of the award may support irrigation or supplemental watering during the 60-day grow-in period, and individual trees or palms may not exceed $600 each before delivery and installation. Grant funds are provided on a reimbursement basis, and costs incurred before a fully executed subrecipient agreement and written authorization from FDACS are not eligible for reimbursement. Eligible applicants are nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, local governments, state governments, and Native American tribal governments, and the scope of work must be performed within Florida. The RFA defines local government to include county governments, municipalities, school board districts, and independent special districts. Corporate applicants must provide proof of corporate status, and nonprofit applicants must provide documentation verifying nonprofit status in accordance with Chapter 617, Florida Statutes. Applicants must also have an active Unique Entity ID in SAM.gov by the submission deadline, provide documented proof of that active registration with its expiration date visible, and maintain an active UEI for the duration of an award. Additional project-specific requirements apply, including maps, site information, photographs, planting or maintenance plans, applicable Florida Department of Transportation approvals, and other documentation described in the RFA. Applications could be submitted as a complete hard-copy packet or as a complete PDF through the designated FDACS grant opportunity page. Electronic applications were required to be in PDF format, and applicants were advised to include a budget plan separating grant and match costs and not to wait until the final submission time. The required application package includes the Coversheet/Application for Federal Financial Assistance Subaward, Key Contact Information, Project Narrative, Scope of Work, Budget Plan Narrative, Budget Plan, Key Person/Staff information, Performance Site/Locations information, evidence of an active SAM.gov Unique Entity ID, Assurances Subrecipient Award, Certification Regarding Lobbying, Certification Regarding Debarments Suspension Ineligibility, and the Certification Statement. FDACS forms must be used, substitute forms will not be reviewed, and incomplete applications or applications missing required forms and signatures may be rejected as non-responsive. Questions were required to be submitted to Grants@FDACS.gov. Complete applications are evaluated by the Urban Community Forestry Subcommittee, with a maximum score of 100 points and a minimum score of 60 points required to be considered eligible for funding. The scoring criteria are Demonstrated Ability, 20 points; Demonstrated Need, 20 points; Technical Strength, 20 points; Cost Effectiveness, 20 points; Community Engagement, 10 points; and Completeness of Proposal, 10 points. Tree Planting applicants can strengthen their proposals through significant community engagement and partner engagement, while all applicants should clearly demonstrate community need, efficient use of grant funds, technical quality, and completeness. The application period was advertised from September 15, 2025 through November 17, 2025, with questions accepted through November 3, 2025, and applications due at 2:00 PM EST on November 17, 2025. The source lists an evaluation period of November 17, 2025 through January 19, 2025, an internally inconsistent date range as printed. It separately states that evaluation and selection are expected to take no more than 75 days after the deadline and that award announcements are expected within 90 days after the submission deadline. The listed Subrecipient Agreement end date is April 30, 2026. The RFA does not state that this opportunity recurs annually or on another regular schedule.

Demonstrate project need using relevant tree-canopy information; show clear capacity to perform the work; provide technically strong project details; explain exactly how funds will be spent and maximize results per grant dollar; build community engagement into multiple points of the project; document significant partner engagement where possible; comply with category-specific cost limits and technical standards; submit every required form attachment and signature because incomplete applications may be rejected.