Community Challenge Grants 2024

The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM), in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service State and Private Forestry, offers the Community Challenge Grant program. This program is designed to promote and enhance the quality of Arizona’s urban and community forests. It aligns with DFFM's mission to foster stewardship of urban natural resources by encouraging projects that focus on tree planting, tree care, protection and enhancement of urban and community forest ecosystems, and public education on tree issues. The program emphasizes citizen involvement in creating and supporting long-term, sustainable urban and community forestry programs at the local level. The target beneficiaries of this grant program include units of local government (counties, municipalities, cities, towns, and townships), Tribal governments, non-profit organizations with 501(c)3 status, and public educational institutions. The impact goals are centered on improving the long-term health and care of urban forests, initiating new urban forestry projects in Arizona communities, and building urban forest resiliency against climate change impacts. The program seeks to ensure that urban forestry projects are funded, leading to more robust and healthier urban environments across the state. The grant program prioritizes projects across seven categories: Information and Education, Planning, Community and Natural Resources Management, Maintenance, Demonstration Projects, Climate Change Resiliency, and Assessment. Specific focuses include Arbor Day programs, urban forestry workshops, developing master plans and ordinances, tree inventories, hazard tree management, and implementing climate adaptation strategies. The overarching grant theme is "Trees as Strategies for Climate Adaptation and Mitigation," highlighting the program's strategic priority in addressing environmental challenges through urban forestry. Expected outcomes include improved tree growth and maintenance, better understanding of tree physiology and morphology, enhanced species adaptations in Arizona, and a clearer explanation of the role of urban trees in human health, energy conservation, and mitigating the urban heat island effect. Measurable results will stem from projects such as the development of urban forestry reference libraries, arborist training classes, tree and canopy inventories, and the implementation of risk management programs. The theory of change suggests that by providing seed funding and encouraging citizen involvement, the program will foster sustainable urban forestry practices that lead to healthier communities and more resilient urban ecosystems in Arizona. The program's estimated total funding is $230,000, with individual grants ranging from $15,000 to $60,000, and projects are expected to run from Quarter 1, 2025, to the end of Quarter 1, 2026.