N.C. Forest Service - Urban and Community Forestry Financial Assistance Program

Program News: N.C. Forest Service 2025 U&CF Financial Assistance Request for Applications will open July 1, 2025.

The final impacts of the Federal reorganization on our financial assistance grants are still unknown. As a result, our RFA offering will be limited to the U&CF Foundations RFA only.

The primary objective of the North Carolina Urban and Community Forestry (U&CF) Program is to assist municipalities with reaching a level of sustainable U&CF management that matches their goals and capacity. In addition, through this process and the completion of urban and community forestry practices and activities, we will enhance the quality of living in our communities. We define urban and community forestry as follows:

  • Urban forestry is defined as the management of the planting, maintenance and protection of tree populations in urban settings to enhance the economic and ecosystem services trees provide to the community.
  • Community forestry is a branch of forestry that engages the community in the completion of urban forestry practices in support of local government, serves broader community needs and works for positive change.

When municipalities and partners, including community organizations and other stakeholders, accomplish urban and community forestry practices and activities in an ordered manner, they enhance the level of management in the community, leading to long term program success. 

We use the accomplishment of six specific standards to measure and classify the development status of a community’s U&CF program into one of four management classifications (See the NCFS U&CF Management Classifications chart below). This helps a community measure its progress, celebrate accomplishments, and allows us to best serve each community’s individual needs.

Municipal Management Classifications

The accomplishment of an individual urban and community forestry practice or activity may not directly contribute to elevating a municipality’s management classification, however that does not diminish the value of its completion in furthering urban and community forestry goals and objectives.

The Urban and Community Forestry Project Financial Assistance Program is designed to help communities climb this sustainable management hierarchy and enhance the quality of living in the community. The program accomplishes this by providing financial assistance and expertise in the development and completion of U&CF projects comprised of urban and community forestry practices and activities. A Request for Applications (RFA) process is offered several times a year to help you plan and apply for these assistance opportunities.

Tab/Accordion Items

The following is the list of eligible practice and activities categories. All projects must occur within the jurisdictional boundaries of a North Carolina municipality or tribal lands. Each request for application (RFA) offering will detail which practices and activities are eligible for financial assistance.

  • Education and training -- Development and delivery of educational and training products, events and programs.
  • Inventories and assessments -- Resource inventories, assessments, program reviews and surveys.
  • Outreach -- Development and delivery of outreach products and events to inform and engage the community in urban and community forestry.
  • Ordinances -- Development of local ordinances defining local government’s role in managing the urban forest.
  • Plans -- Development of urban and community forestry plans.
  • Staffing and consulting services -- Hire local U&CF staff or consultant to manage the urban forestry or community forestry program.
  • Tree maintenance -- Development and completion of a tree maintenance project.
  • Tree planting -- Development and completion of a tree planting project. Small-scale projects occur on a small, single site with generally less than 10 trees. Large-scale projects occur on a large or multiple sites planting large number of trees.

The full list of practices and activities within these categories can be found in the FAP Eligible Practices and Activities Fact Sheet on the U&CF Resources & Specifications webpage under the Financial Assistance section.

Ineligible Objectives, Practices and Activities
  • Research projects.
  • Construction activities, materials and supplies.
  • Equipment with a cost of $5,000 or more.
  • Planting project predominantly comprised of shrubs and vegetation other than trees.
  • Time and expenses developing an application project and completing the application.
  • Practices and activities completed before or after the grant contract timeline.
  • Project expenses funded by another federal grant funding program.

Awardees will enter a project completion agreement/contract with the N.C. Forest Service or partner to complete the work for an agreed duration and will be reimbursed for approved expenses. There are three financial assistance structures: cost share, match share and no cost share.

Cost Share
  • The awardee pays a service provider to complete the services.
  • The awardee will be reimbursed the percentage cost share, for example 50%, offered by the specific RFA.
  • Only purchased goods and services related to completion are eligible for reimbursement.
  • An awardee’s contribution may not come from another federal grant funding program.

Match Share

  • Only Tribal governments and governing agencies located within a N.C. Department of Commerce Tier 1 Distressed County are eligible.
  • A match share structure allows for in-kind contributions instead of monetary contributions for managing and completing the project.
  • Examples of direct in-kind contributions include dollar value of employee time and volunteer time working on the project, and donated goods or services.

No Cost Share

  • Grant funds cover all costs to complete the project.
  • A respective request for applications will designate the organizations that are eligible.
Funding Programs

The N.C. Forest Service receives funding from various sources, and each has its own set of requirements, restrictions and activities that can be funded. N.C. Forest Service RFAs will detail all the information needed to apply for the funding program being offered. There are also urban and community forestry funding opportunities offered by other organizations. Visit our U&CF Funding Sources and Opportunities webpage for information about our funding programs and other opportunities.

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Design Your Project
  • Review the request for application.
  • To successfully complete a project, and to apply for assistance, you need a sound project plan. This requires you to complete a planning process. A planning process results in a project plan that includes the following five foundational project plan elements: project needs statement, project goal, project objectives, project work plan and project budget.
  • We will periodically offer informational and training events to help you with project planning and the financial assistance program. Project planning tools and required financial assistance program documents can be found on our U&CF Resources and Specifications webpage under the Financial Assistance section.
Request for Applications
  • Requests for applications (RFA) will be advertised and posted at the bottom of this page. Use these links to learn RFA specific information and to access the electronic application.
  • There will be regularly scheduled offerings Jan. 1 and July 1 each year, however there may be additional special offerings between these dates.
Requirements for All Applications and Projects
  • All applicants must have a federal Identification Number and a federal Unique Entity ID # obtained through the sam.gov (Get a Unique Entity ID Only) website portal.
  • Projects must take place within the boundaries of a municipality or tribal lands.
  • Completed urban forestry practices must utilize and adhere to the most current versions of the American National Standards Institute A300, Z60.1 Standards &International Society of Arboriculture Best Management Practices.
  • Project Team – A new or established project team comprised of industry professionals, community citizens, municipal government staff and stakeholder organizations must be engaged in the completion of the project.
    • Project contributors providing professional services to complete work must be adequately credentialed for tasks/role on the project.
    • Administration & Finance
      • Administrative and accounting professional must develop the project budget and maintain all reporting and request for reimbursement documentation.
    • Communications Products & Services
      • A communications professional must develop your outreach activities and publish your outreach and educational products.
    • Urban Forestry Services and Products
      • A urban forestry professional with the following qualifications must complete the work or supervise, review and sign off on the work.
      • A degree in urban forestry or a closely related field (e.g., forestry, arboriculture, horticulture);
      • International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist, American Society of Consulting Arborists Registered Arborist, Society of American Foresters Certified Forester, or equivalent State or professional credential; and/or,
      • Additional accepted credentials
        • International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Urban Forest Professional
        • Society of American Foresters Certified Urban and Community Forester Credential
  • Professional Services Quotes
    • A single quote from a qualified service provider (as noted above) for the professional services to be used to complete the project is required for an application. Proper state or local service procurement policies will need to be followed during the implementation of the project.
  • Final Report – A professionally published two-to-four-page infographic-style report summarizing and illustrating the project need, goal, objectives and accomplishments.
  • You must contact your N.C. Forest Service county ranger and inform him/her that you are submitting an application.

At the end of each application period, applications will be reviewed for completeness and requirements. Incomplete project plans or applications failing to meet all requirements will be disqualified. Within each respective Request for Application, acceptable applications will be scored and ranked based on the following general criteria:

  • Technical merit of the application and project.
  • Completion of the project achieves the municipality’s next standard of the NCFS U&CF Management Classification.
  • Project builds upon a previously accomplished U&CF project.
  • The applicant is a current Tree City USA, Tree Campus Higher Education or Tree Campus K-12.
  • Project start date – Practice or activity can begin soon after award.
  • Project serves a disadvantaged community.

Applications will be awarded by rank, highest to lowest, until funding is exhausted. Applications tied in points will be awarded based on equitable geographic distribution of project awards, the population number served or by lottery if necessary. Unused funds within an RFA may be made available to fund other applications.

Request for Applications

Urban and Community Forestry Foundations

NCFS U&CF Financial Assistance Program Request for Applications will open July 1, 2025.

Financial assistance to help eligible organizations complete urban forestry practices or community forestry activities that are consistent with the standards as defined by the NCFS Urban & Community Forestry Management Classifications hierarchy and the Climb to Sustainable Management fact sheet.

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This page was last modified on 05/11/2025