National Urban and Community Forestry Action Plan 2027-2037 RFP | USDA FS UCF 02 2024

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS UCF 02 2024

The National Urban and Community Forestry Action Plan 2027-2037 RFP is a U.S. Forest Service discretionary funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number: USDA FS UCF 02 2024; CFDA 10.675) intended to fund one cooperative agreement to support the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC) in producing the next congressionally mandated ten-year National Urban and Community Forestry Action Plan. Congress created NUCFAC to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on issues affecting the nation`s urban and community forests and related natural resources, and the Council is legally required (16 U.S.C. 2105(g)(1)(A), as amended) to develop a new action plan every ten years and report annual accomplishments under that plan. The current plan (2016-2026) expires at the end of 2026, and the Forest Service is seeking a qualified organization or entity to coordinate the collaborative process needed to deliver the updated plan for 2027-2037.

Applications must be submitted through the dedicated application portal, which opens August 1, 2024, at https://nucfac-ten-year-action-plan-grant.urbanandcommunityforests.org. Proposals are due September 13, 2024. The project must be completed by January 30, 2026, which is the deadline tied to the Council`s statutory obligation to have an updated action plan in place. The funding level depends on availability of funds and may change, but the award is capped at 300,000. Selection is merit-based, and the opportunity anticipates a single award (Expected Awards: 1). The full RFP is posted at https://nucfac.org/forms/Final2020NUCFAC20RFP20617202420ADA20V05.pdf.

At its core, the funded work is not a tree-planting or direct service implementation grant. Instead, it is a planning, assessment, and national coordination effort: the awardee will coordinate, facilitate, and manage a comprehensive, collaborative process to develop the next National Urban and Community Forestry Ten-Year Action Plan (2027-2037), including publishing and rollout support. That means organizing and integrating input from NUCFAC and the Forest Service throughout the process, synthesizing evidence and stakeholder perspectives, drafting the plan and related materials, and iterating based on Council comments and recommendations until the final product is ready for release.

The RFP lays out several required content areas the proposal should be prepared to deliver through the project scope. First, the awardee must work closely with NUCFAC and Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry staff for ongoing input and guidance, which implies structured check-ins, draft reviews, and a clear process for incorporating feedback. Second, the awardee must assess the current 2016-2026 Action Plan by documenting accomplishments, identifying gaps, and recommending which items should carry forward into the 2027-2037 plan. Third, the work must include a national summary of the status of urban forest resources in the United States, explicitly covering both the biophysical condition of urban natural resources and the human dimension of urban forestry, such as community needs, stewardship capacity, workforce considerations, and equity-related factors affecting access to trees and benefits.

The RFP also requires a broad review of urban and community forestry programs and activities nationwide, including education and technical assistance. This review is expected to span the Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies, state forestry organizations, private industry, nonprofit organizations, community and civic groups, and Indian Nation and Indigenous communities, as well as other interested stakeholders. In addition, the awardee must facilitate and integrate public engagement recommendations aimed at improving the status of the nation`s urban and community forest resources, including potential modifications needed in existing programs and policies across relevant federal agencies. Practically, this points to a process that gathers stakeholder input in a structured way and turns it into actionable recommendations that can inform national priorities, program design, and interagency coordination.

A substantial component of the requested work is research-focused. The awardee must compile and review urban and community forestry research and related documents, including (a) a review of the past five years of research plus ongoing research on urban and community forests, arboricultural practices, urban forest management, work with disadvantaged communities, and the economic, social, and psychological benefits of trees and canopy in urban environments, with attention to work conducted by the Forest Service, other federal agencies, and associated land-grant colleges and universities. The plan must then include (b) recommendations for new and expanded research efforts aligned to the concerns and priorities identified in the Action Plan, and (c) a clear summary of research priorities along with an estimate of annual funding needed to implement that research agenda over the next ten years. Finally, the RFP calls for an estimate of the financial and technical resources required to implement the Action Plan and the broader Urban and Community Forestry Program over the succeeding ten fiscal years, which means the final plan is expected to be tied to realistic capacity and resource planning, not just aspirational goals.

Eligibility is broad and includes state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; and 501(c)(3) nonprofits (other than institutions of higher education). Because the work centers on national coordination, synthesis, facilitation, and publication, competitive applicants will typically be those that can demonstrate strong project management, stakeholder engagement and facilitation capability, subject-matter expertise in urban and community forestry, and proven experience producing high-visibility national or multi-stakeholder plans and reports on schedule.

In summary, this RFP funds the end-to-end development of the next NUCFAC National Urban and Community Forestry Action Plan for 2027-2037, requiring an organized national process that evaluates the prior plan, assesses current conditions and emerging issues, reviews programs and research across sectors and governments, incorporates public engagement, and produces implementable recommendations backed by estimated resource needs, all delivered by January 30, 2026.

• The Forest Service in the community development, environment, health, natural resources, other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Urban and Community Forestry Action Plan 2027-2037 RFP" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.675.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-07-19.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-09-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 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, Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for USDA FS UCF 02 2024

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