INTRODUCTION
Unprecedented funding for Urban and Community Forestry is making an impact on our community canopy throughout the United States. With the US Forest Service committed to funding $1.5 billion dollars in tree projects, communities are poised to plant and care for more trees than ever before. However, there continues to be a lack of continuing funding for arboriculture education at all levels. As canopy increases, trees will need care. To meet that need, education about trees at all levels needs to increase. With this in mind and over a century of institutional knowledge, The Davey Tree Expert Company began the process of endowing a fund to address this funding gap for years to come. Launched in 2024, The Davey Tree Expert Company Community Arboriculture Education Grant Program (The Davey Fund) is a permanently restricted endowment fund of Tree Research and Education Endowment (TREE) Fund created to support community-based arboricultural education in the United States.
The Davey Tree Expert Company Community Arboriculture Education Grant Program funds support for education/training in tree care and/or urban forestry topics. Examples of potential projects include the following:
- A community tree organization hosts a series of workshops facilitated by an ISA Certified Arborist that is open to tree care professionals and the public and includes topics such as basic pruning, care, and pest/disease control.
- A community college urban forestry program hosts a tree care job fair featuring demonstrations/workshops by a Certified Arborist that double as training opportunities for urban forestry students and current arborists.
This is not a scholarship for individuals, nor is it intended to provide support for tree planting initiatives, but rather designed to support a nonprofit educational program.
The Davey Tree Expert Company Community Arboriculture Education Grant may not be used to fund to following types of research:
- Grants to individuals;
- Projects that are primarily municipal tree surveys or assessments;
- Tree planting programs
Projects are expected to be completed within one year. Two $5,000 grants will be awarded annually. No project may receive more than one award from this program within a two-year period. Grants will not be made to endowment or annual operating campaigns.
APPLICATION PROCESS
TREE Fund will accept applications only between January 15 and March 15, 2025.
To apply, go to TREE Fund’s online portal here. You will be asked to create, or login to, the online application portal.
Successful grant applications must:
- Relate to arboriculture, urban forestry, or related disciplines.
- Include a hands-on, interactive, or experiential component.
- Benefit more than just a single organization.
- Include a sound evaluation component to demonstrate program outcomes and impact.
The grant application process is open to educational or community-based nonprofit organizations that can demonstrate tax-exempt status, are not engaged in partisan political or religious activity, and whose mission is consistent with TREE Fund’s charitable purpose, including but not limited to, community-based tree organizations, arboretums, and public gardens. Existing arboriculture and tree care education/training workshops, conferences, or other programs are not eligible for this grant program. Individuals may only apply for grants if they have such an organization as a fiscal agent, confirmed in writing on agency letterhead.
Upon completion of this application form, you will receive confirmation your application was received. Decisions will take 8-10 weeks after the due date, at which you will hear from TREE Fund.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
Staff will screen all applications for applicant eligibility, word counts, alignment with TREE Fund and Davey Tree Expert Company Community Arboriculture Education Grant missions, and compliance with minimum requirements, then forward compliant applications to TREE Fund’s Education Committee. Members of this committee will score your proposal as follows:
- Qualifications of the team: 13 points
- Potential impact of the project: 25 points
- Approach: 35 points
- Dissemination, Sustainability and Replication Plan: 12 points
- Feasibility: 15 points
- Total Maximum Possible Score: 100 points.
TREE Fund does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, marital status or domestic partner status, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by Federal, state or local laws. Current employees or trustees of TREE Fund and The Davey Tree Expert Company as well as any member of the family of any such employee or trustee are ineligible to receive grants from TREE Fund.
AWARD PROCESS AND FUNDS DISTRIBUTION
Recommendations on grant awards will be presented by the Education Committee to the TREE Fund Board of Trustees for approval in May 2025, and grant recipient(s) will be notified in writing within four weeks of Trustee approval. A Grant Agreement form that includes a report and payment schedule will be provided with award notification. It must be completed within two weeks of notification, and returned to TREE Fund with all required supporting documentation.
Applicants are most strongly encouraged to review the sample Grant Agreement form (which can be viewed here) with their employers’ financial or grant management offices prior to submitting an application, to ensure that the Agreement forms can be signed expeditiously upon receipt. Potential difficulties with Agreement terms that are identified during the application process may be considered and negotiated more favorably than those presented after the grant award process.
IMPORTANT LINKS
Link to TREE Fund Application Site – https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=treefund
Link to The Davey Tree Expert Company Community Arboriculture Education Grant – https://www.grantinterface.com/sl/InXJRE
Link to The Davey Tree Expert Company website – https://www.davey.com/about/community-engagement/