Urban & Community Forestry Natural Disaster and Recovery Supplement

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, through the Florida Forest Service, is administering the Urban & Community Forestry Natural Disaster and Recovery Supplement with federal support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. The program responds to extensive urban and community forest damage caused by Hurricanes Idalia, Helene, and Milton since August 2023. Storm surge, flooding, and extreme winds caused substantial tree canopy loss and structural damage across peninsular Florida. The program is intended not only to replace lost canopy but also to strengthen urban forest resilience so communities are better prepared for future tropical cyclones and other natural disasters. Approximately $1,500,000 is available, with 20 awards anticipated. Individual grant requests must be at least $5,000 and may not exceed $75,000. Eligible projects include planting storm-resistant tree species, conducting preventative and structural pruning of public trees, developing public tree inventories or urban tree canopy assessments, and creating urban forest management plans. Tree planting projects must use eligible high or medium-high wind-resistant species and comply with detailed planting, species diversity, size, maintenance, grow-in, and reporting requirements. Tree maintenance projects must increase storm resiliency or reduce public risk and generally must involve public trees or limited pruning of private trees where branches create hazards over public areas. There is no required cost share or matching contribution. Applicants may voluntarily propose matching costs to increase project impact, but any match included in an approved proposal becomes part of required project completion. Administrative costs may not exceed 20 percent of total project costs. Grant funds cannot be used for travel and per diem, invasive species removal, work already included in an applicant's existing budget, or expenses incurred before execution of the subrecipient agreement and written authorization from FDACS. Invasive species removal may be used as voluntary match. Tree planting projects have additional limits, including a maximum allowable cost of $600 per individual tree or palm, no more than 10 percent of the grant award for eligible irrigation or supplemental watering costs, and a maximum of $15 per tree for planting materials during the required 60-day grow-in period. Eligible applicants are nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, local governments, and American tribal governments located in the 56 specified peninsular Florida counties identified in the notice. Local government is defined to include county governments, municipalities, school board districts, and independent special districts. The scope of work must be performed within Florida. Only one application is permitted per project, although an applicant seeking funding for multiple projects may submit a separate complete application for each. Applicants must submit a leadership resolution or letter approving the proposal and authorizing execution of grant documents. Nonprofit applicants must document official nonprofit status under Florida law, and all applicants must have an active Unique Entity ID in SAM.gov by the submission deadline and maintain it throughout the award. Applications had to be submitted electronically as a complete PDF packet by 2:00 PM ET on March 10, 2026, through the Community Forestry Disaster Recovery submission location identified by FDACS. Required components include the Application for Federal Financial Assistance Subaward coversheet, Key Contact Information, Project Narrative, Scope of Work, Budget Plan Narrative, Budget Plan, Key Person/Staff information, Performance Site/Locations, proof of an active SAM.gov Unique Entity ID, required assurances and certifications, and all additional materials required for the selected project type. Applications missing required forms, signatures, pages, or attachments are considered non-responsive. The notice also advises applicants to provide a budget that clearly separates grant funds and matching funds and not to wait until the final deadline to upload the application. Questions were accepted by email at Grants@FDACS.gov through March 2, 2026. Applications are scored on Demonstrated Ability, Demonstrated Need, Technical Strength, and Cost Effectiveness at up to 20 points each, plus Community Engagement and Completeness of Proposal at up to 10 points each. A minimum average score of 60 is required to qualify for funding, and awards are made according to total scores, subject to available federal funding. Significant community engagement is particularly emphasized, and tree planting applicants may receive additional consideration for strong partner engagement. Evaluations were scheduled from March 10 through June 10, 2026, with an anticipated award notice date of June 10, 2026. The stated period of performance is September 1, 2026 through November 30, 2027. Successful applicants have 30 days after receipt to execute the FDACS Subrecipient Agreement. The notice does not indicate that this disaster recovery funding opportunity is recurring.

Address all scored criteria directly; demonstrate significant community engagement throughout the project; show partner engagement where applicable; clearly demonstrate community need and value; maximize results through efficient use of grant dollars; provide a detailed budget separating grant and match funds; include every required form, signature, attachment, map, photograph, plan, and approval applicable to the project type; maintain an active UEI; do not wait until the deadline to upload the complete PDF.