Healthy Urban Tree Canopy Grant Program 2025

The Healthy Urban Tree Canopy (HUTC) Program is a Cuyahoga County initiative launched in 2019 as part of the county’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan. This program was designed as a five-year, $5 million commitment to address the declining tree canopy in Cuyahoga County. The initiative represents a collaborative partnership between the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, the Cuyahoga County Department of Sustainability, and the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD). Since its inception, the HUTC Program has allocated more than $4.75 million in grant funds to municipalities, community development corporations, and other nonprofit organizations for the purposes of tree planning, planting, and maintenance. These efforts have led to the planting of over 11,000 new trees throughout the county. Beginning in 2025, the program will shift from its original reimbursable grant-based model to a contracted services model, streamlining operations and reducing administrative burdens for participants. Under the new format, Cuyahoga SWCD will manage funds and contracts on behalf of program participants. Applications for the PY 2025 HUTC Program were officially opened on April 25, 2025, with a total of $950,000 available to support projects. Applications are to be submitted through the Neighborly Portal from Monday, April 28, 2025, through Friday, June 6, 2025, by 4:00pm. A virtual Applicant Webinar was held on May 14, 2025, and additional application support was offered through virtual Open Office Hours on May 22, 2025. Funding awards are anticipated to be announced on July 11, 2025, and a mandatory workshop for awardees is scheduled for July 17, 2025. Eligible applicants include local political subdivisions such as municipalities, townships, school districts, library districts, park districts, as well as community development corporations and watershed groups. All projects must be completed within a six- to eighteen-month window following execution of project agreements. Notably, staff time is not an eligible expense, as the Cuyahoga SWCD will handle contracting directly with vendors for project implementation through a structured RFQ and RFP process. In addition to the HUTC grant opportunity, Cuyahoga SWCD has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for urban forestry and arboricultural services, seeking submissions from qualified firms and independent contractors to assist with HUTC and other urban forestry programs. The deadline to submit Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) has been extended to June 6, 2025, at 4:00pm. Submissions must be sent digitally to jbartley@cuyahogaswcd.org, and must clearly indicate contact details for the primary point of contact. Respondents may use the provided SOQ Worksheet or submit their own format. All questions related to the PY 2025 HUTC Program can be directed to Harper Smith at hsmith@cuyahogaswcd.org. Comprehensive program resources, including the Applicant Manual, webinar recordings, and Q&A documents, are accessible through the Cuyahoga SWCD website. The administrative office is located at 3311 Perkins Ave, Suite #100, Cleveland, OH 44114.

Attend the Applicant Webinar and Open Office Hours for assistance.