The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Urban Forest Certification Grant is designed to promote and support sustainable urban forest management in the United States. This program is a collaboration between SFI and the USDA Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program. It aims to enable organizations to benchmark and improve their urban or community forests using the SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard, a comprehensive framework focused on balancing environmental, social, and economic goals to ensure the long-term health and resilience of urban forests.
Grants are awarded to help municipalities, universities, non-profit organizations, and Indigenous communities or Tribes engage in a certification process to evaluate their forest practices. This includes self-assessment using SFI performance indicators, documenting sustainability efforts via an assessment survey, and undergoing a certification audit conducted by an accredited Certification Body. The grant may fund personnel, consultants, and certification audits. The grant also seeks to highlight areas of excellence and identify opportunities for improvement in urban forest management.
Successful applicants must submit a completed assessment document within 18 months, provide regular progress updates biannually (by June 30 and December 31), and participate in a final exit interview. The grant will support hiring a Certification Body, with the cost for the audit set at $50,000. Funding can be used for salaries, supplies, contractors, and indirect costs (capped at 10% unless negotiated). Applicants are required to submit a detailed budget justification outlining how funds support project goals.
Eligible applicants must be based in the U.S. and actively manage urban or community forests, particularly in areas with low canopy coverage. Priority is given to those working in small and medium-sized communities and organizations that demonstrate a strong commitment to urban forest management through existing programs, ordinances, advisory boards, or professional staff. Applicants must not have active exclusions in SAM.gov, and past recipients of USDA Inflation Reduction Act grants are deprioritized.
The application process remains open until funds are exhausted. Applicants must complete and submit their proposals via the SFI website. Review occurs within 45 days of submission, and notifications are sent by email. Funding is awarded on a rolling basis with no fixed deadline. However, the program is recurring, and organizations are encouraged to prepare for future cycles. Assistance is available through Michael Martini, SFI Director of Urban and Community Forestry in the U.S., who can be contacted by phone or email for further guidance.
Ensure detailed budget justification aligns with certification goals; document existing urban forest efforts; use SFI indicators thoroughly.
