2023 Inflation Reduction Act for Urban and Community Forestry | USDA FS 2023 UCF IRA 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS 2023 UCF IRA 01

The 2023 Inflation Reduction Act for Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) funding opportunity is a competitive, multi-year grant and cooperative agreement program administered by the USDA Forest Service (CFDA 10.727). Authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-169), Subtitle D, Section 23003(a), it supports urban and community forestry work under the Urban and Community Forestry Assistance program in Section 9(c) of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2105). In practical terms, the program is designed to fund tree planting and closely related urban forestry activities at meaningful scale, with a strong emphasis on projects that benefit underserved populations and places, especially communities with low tree canopy and documented environmental justice needs.

A central priority of the program is alignment with the Forest Service Justice40 commitments. UCF is a covered program under the agency's Justice40 Initiative (tied to Executive Order 13985), and proposals that can credibly demonstrate that at least 40 percent of the benefits of IRA investments will flow to disadvantaged communities receive priority consideration. The Forest Service points applicants to established community-based partnerships as a key way to deliver those benefits effectively, and applicants are expected to describe who they are working with, what those partners will do, and how results will be tracked in the specific locations identified as disadvantaged.

Awards are structured with a five-year period of performance. All work and all costs must be completed within five years of the award date, and the Forest Service states that agreements will not be extended beyond that five-year window. Even though the performance period is long, recipients are expected to begin implementation quickly and show measurable progress within the first 12 months, which means applicants should propose a realistic ramp-up plan (staffing, contracting, community engagement, planting seasons, maintenance schedules, and reporting) that demonstrates early momentum.

The opportunity is open to a broad range of applicants, including state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public housing authorities; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public and private institutions of higher education; and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status. The Forest Service anticipates a large number of awards (the posting references roughly 200 expected awards), and the listing includes an award ceiling up to $50,000,000, suggesting that both smaller community-scale proposals and much larger regional or statewide efforts may be competitive depending on the category and design.

Cost sharing is a major program feature. As a default rule, federal funds must be matched at least dollar-for-dollar with non-federal contributions, and that match can include cash match as well as allowable in-kind contributions (such as salaries and fringe for time spent on the project, indirect costs where applicable, donated materials or equipment, and volunteer labor). The match must come from non-federal sources, and cash match cannot be derived from another federal grant. The agency also notes it will monitor spending and match levels over the life of the award to ensure the match requirement is ultimately met by the end of the performance period, consistent with 2 CFR 200.306 and other applicable federal cost rules in 2 CFR 200.

At the same time, the program includes an important match waiver option. The Secretary may waive the non-federal cost-share requirement for projects that deliver 100 percent of the funding or program benefits to disadvantaged communities. Applicants requesting this waiver have to clearly define the scope of work in those communities and support the disadvantaged-community designation using recognized screening and mapping tools such as the White House Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST), EPA EJScreen, EPA EnviroAtlas, Opportunity Zones, or other government-sponsored vulnerability tools relevant to the proposed work. The application must also commit to tracking work at the geographic level used to designate those disadvantaged communities. If a primary applicant receives a match waiver and then passes funds through to sub-awardees doing the work in disadvantaged communities, the waiver must be passed through as well.

The Forest Service also explicitly encourages pass-through (sub-award) models to reduce administrative burdens on smaller, capacity-constrained groups and to move money more efficiently into the communities with the greatest need. Entities that apply as pass-through organizations are expected to demonstrate they can run a competitive subaward process, and at least 80 percent of the total funding awarded to a pass-through entity must be competitively sub-awarded to community-based organizations or other partners serving disadvantaged communities. Depending on the project structure and the level of Forest Service involvement, these awards may be issued as grants or as cooperative agreements, with cooperative agreements implying substantial federal involvement during implementation.

From an application and compliance standpoint, applicants must have an active SAM.gov registration and keep it active throughout the life of the award (a government-wide requirement referenced at 2 CFR 25.200). The application is submitted electronically through the Urban and Community Forestry Online Grant Portal, with the opportunity also searchable on Grants.gov under Opportunity Number USDA-FS-2023-UCF-IRA-01. The deadline stated in the notice is 11:59 pm Eastern Time on June 1, 2023 (with SAM.gov listing information also showing an original closing date of June 2, 2023), so applicants needed to follow the specific NOFO and portal instructions for the controlling due date and time. For Grants.gov technical issues, applicants are directed to Grants.gov support rather than Forest Service staff. The Forest Service provided application assistance webinars and hosts supporting resources at https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/urban-forests/ucf.

The application package is built around a short, tightly formatted project narrative plus separate budget materials. The project narrative is limited to seven pages, single-spaced, 12-point font or larger, one-inch margins, and numbered pages. Within those seven pages, applicants must include: a clear project title used consistently across all materials; applicant and primary contact information; a project summary of fewer than 100 words (covering scope, location, partners, and expected accomplishments); an explanation of how the project aligns with the opportunity goals and relevant priorities (including Justice40, State Forest Action Plans, and the Ten-Year Urban and Community Forestry Action Plan 2016-2026); a detailed implementation strategy with methods, timeline, milestones, and measurable outcomes plus evaluation plans; a capability and capacity section describing the qualifications and roles of key staff; a partner description covering who is involved and what they contribute; and a communications plan that includes on-site signage acknowledging the funding source and inclusion of funding information in press or promotional materials. If requesting a match waiver, the narrative must also include the disadvantaged-community evidence and the specific tools used to justify that designation, along with a commitment to track work at the appropriate geographic level.

Budget materials are submitted as separate attachments and do not count toward the seven-page narrative limit. Applicants must include a detailed budget narrative that explains and justifies each cost, shows how totals were calculated, ties costs directly to project activities, and identifies any items requiring prior approval under federal cost principles. The budget narrative must also show match commitments and clearly distinguish sources and types of match (cash and in-kind), with the key point that match must be committed at the time of application submission. A budget template is referenced in the NOFO and portal resources. Because costs must conform to federal requirements, projects must be designed with 2 CFR 200 in mind from the start, including allowability, allocability, documentation for in-kind contributions, procurement expectations where applicable, and readiness to meet reporting and performance tracking expectations.

For applicant questions, the Forest Service directs NOFO-specific clarification requests (dates, page numbers, discrepancies, and similar procedural questions) to SM.FS.UCFIRA@usda.gov, and it makes clear that it will not provide feedback on eligibility determinations for a specific applicant or on the merits of a particular proposal concept through that inbox. Finally, the notice indicates the Forest Service may increase funding available in the round at its discretion if other funds are available and statutory requirements are met, and it also notes that any remaining funds are expected to be made available in consecutive rounds through 2029, reflecting the longer IRA funding horizon for urban and community forestry work.

• The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service in the community development, disaster prevention and relief, environment, health, law, justice and legal services, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2023 Inflation Reduction Act for Urban and Community Forestry" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.727.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 12, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 02, 2023 Any remaining funds will be available for each consecutive round of funding until 2029..
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $50,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 200 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for USDA FS 2023 UCF IRA 01

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