Coordinating Funders of Urban and
Community Forestry to Increase
Access, Equity & Impact

October 9th — 10th, 2023 | Cleveland, OH

Overview

Hosted by Center for Regenerative Solutions, The Arbor Day Foundation, American Forests, and the City of Cleveland, the Urban Forestry Funder Forum will gather leaders in the broader fields of urban forestry and nature-based climate solutions—along with entities selected by USDA Forest Service to serve as national pass-through partners to re-grant $1 Billion of Inflation Reduction Act funds—for the purpose of establishing a collaborative process to maximize the impact of these investments and reduce barriers to access for community organizations and municipalities who are poised to put this historic investment in Urban & Community Forestry to work.

The Biden Administration has initiated an unprecedented commitment to equity-centered urban forestry. In order to allocate this historic $1 billion investment effectively, it is essential that there be a high degree of cooperation and integration across urban forestry's biggest champions and the various organizations that have been awarded resources by the USDA Forest Service for re-granting and technical assistance.

The 2023 Urban Forestry Funder Forum builds on the multi-organization/stakeholder collaboration that began in 2020, which advocated for the USDA Forest Service’s historic investment in urban and community forestry via the IRA—the Trees for Community Recovery initiative.

Background

To help foster a community-up approach to the rapid and equitable distribution of unprecedented resources into the sector, the UFF Forum will consider a range of potential topics intended to streamline processes and maximize opportunities, including:

  • 1.

    A shared portal for Urban and community Forestry regranting as a resource to municipalities, community organizations, state foresters, federal agencies and others.

  • 2.

    Aligned application processes to enable communities to pursue resources through multiple intermediaries, and incorporating feedback from communities about ways to enhance equity and accessibility.

  • 3.

    Clear and consistent reporting guidance that ensures impact of the funds are benefitting historically underserved and nature-deprived communities.

  • 4.

    Open communication between regranting organizations about duplicative and/or complementary needs to reduce redundancy and augment one another’s work.

  • 5.

    Leverage public sector funding with foundation, corporate, and other financing mechanisms to broaden the impact of federal investments.

We meet in Cleveland, known as ‘the forest city.’

Our gathering will take place from 8:00 am October 8th through 2:00 pm October 10th, 2023, at The Cleveland Foundation, through a generous donation of their new state-of-the-art headquarters.