Funding Trees as Part of Major Projects

Historically in the US, most urban revitalization projects depend on federal funds — with grants ranging from just a few million up to billions of dollars. Most experts, including from the UN Environment Program, suggest that tree equity become embedded in these projects. Few other opportunities exist to scale urban forestry initiatives beyond a single plot to whole neighborhoods.

Trigger Point	Baseline Assessment	Design and Infrastructure
Planned new development or major redevelopment Greenfield, brownfield, new construction, renovation	Identify natural features, consider opportunities for green site designs	Favor mixed use/transit oriented development, require consideration of shade in building design, assure adequate open space adjacent to rights-of-way, preserve green and blue corridors
City planning, development or revision of climate action plan, transit plan, neighborhood development plan	Assure all city planning process consider green factors and heat impacts, align city departments in a manner that supports coordinated plans and practices, catalog plantable space	Incorporate shade and heat impacts into urban form, identify districts with significant vulnerability to heat
Major city infrastructure initiatives, planning, site design, access, utility placement, building form	Determine whether site selection (or retention) criteria adequately reflect importance of green factors, consider how planners address green factors in site design and construction	Establish requirements for green corridors on city-owned sites, favor building form and design that supports heat mitigation strategies
New or updated codes, policies, code revisions, zoning requirements, subdivision standards, stormwater, resilience, utility improvements	Analyze all plans and planning processes to assess to what extent and how heat impacts are considered, review and improve stakeholder engagement in policy development	Adapt existing or adopt new codes and policies to maximize use of nature-based solutions to climate impacts, incorporate language that supports development of cool corridors
Land sales and acquisitions	Map both public and private natural lands, forest patches, existing pedestrian corridors, trails and parks	Favor acquisitions and management options that protect green and blue spaces

Sometimes funding of this magnitude is accessible directly from the agencies themselves. But more frequently, cities apply to a regional or state entity which itself is eligible to secure grants from a relevant federal agency. For example, to gain access to major federal Department of Transportation grants, cities must apply to their Municipal Planning Organization. Other agencies — and there are many which support tree equity and urban greening — operate differently.

Some of the key federal funders are listed below:

USDA Forest Service (USFS)

Urban and Community Forestry Program is program is dedicated to growing and maintaining urban trees, forests, and green spaces. It provides grants and technical assistance to states and partner organizations.