Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS UCF 01 2026
The 2026 National Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant Program is a competitive grant opportunity from the USDA Forest Service designed to help communities tackle real-world economic, health, and environmental challenges through stronger urban and community forestry practices. For this cycle, the program is centered on community tree resource utilization, meaning it prioritizes projects that find productive, higher-value uses for wood that would otherwise be discarded. The wood in question typically comes from routine pruning and removals, storm debris, and tree losses tied to pests or disease outbreaks. Instead of sending this material to landfills or paying for costly disposal, the program encourages communities to convert it into useful products such as lumber, slabs, furniture, flooring, biochar, and other marketable or community-benefiting materials. The overall idea is to reduce waste, lower disposal costs, support local businesses, and improve resilience when communities are hit by storms or other disturbance events.
The Forest Service is looking for proposals that are practical, creative, and replicable, with an emphasis on approaches that other communities can reasonably adopt. Strong applications are expected to show how the proposed work fits into, or directly supports, existing community forestry plans rather than operating as a stand-alone effort. Competitive projects should also demonstrate that the work will be carried out using industry-recognized safety practices and professional tree-care standards, which is especially important when activities involve chainsaw work, milling, processing, transportation, or product manufacturing. Beyond producing wood products, the program wants applicants to clearly spell out the benefits they expect to deliver, whether those benefits are economic (new revenue streams or reduced costs), environmental (diverting material from disposal and promoting more sustainable material use), workforce-related (training pathways and jobs), or a mix of all three.
Another major priority is partnership and capacity-building. Applicants are encouraged to describe who they will work with and why those partners matter, such as professional associations, industry organizations, nonprofits, educational institutions, workforce programs, or local businesses that can help with processing, manufacturing, marketing, or training. Proposals should identify the types of products that are anticipated and explain how the project will create credible opportunities for job creation, training, or certification. In practice, this can include efforts like setting up or expanding local milling capacity, building systems for sorting and grading urban wood, establishing supply chain relationships, developing pilot manufacturing runs, or creating training programs that help residents earn recognized credentials connected to arboriculture, wood processing, or related fields.
Eligibility is broad and geared toward communities and their partners. 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, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, public housing authorities or Indian housing authorities, and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions within that nonprofit category). The opportunity is categorized as discretionary and will be awarded as a grant under CFDA 10.675. Projects must comply with the legal authorities in Section 9 of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act (16 U.S.C. 2105), which governs Urban and Community Forestry Assistance.
From a funding standpoint, the program lists an award ceiling of up to $750,000 per award and anticipates making about 5 awards. The opportunity number is USDA FS UCF 01 2026, and the application deadline shown is October 12, 2026. In short, this funding is aimed at helping communities turn urban tree waste into local value, while building safer, more professional, and more resilient systems for managing and utilizing community wood resources.Apply for USDA FS UCF 01 2026
- The Forest Service in the community development, disaster prevention and relief, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2026 National Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant Program" 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 2026-08-12.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-10-12. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $750,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 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.
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FAQs: 2026 National Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant Program
What is the 2026 National Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant Program?
It is a competitive grant opportunity from the USDA Forest Service that supports communities in addressing real-world economic, health, and environmental challenges by strengthening urban and community forestry practices.
What is the main focus for the 2026 cycle?
This cycle is centered on community tree resource utilization. The program prioritizes projects that find productive, higher-value uses for wood that would otherwise be discarded.
What types of wood material does the program target?
The targeted wood typically comes from routine pruning and removals, storm debris, and tree losses tied to pests or disease outbreaks.
What kinds of outcomes or products does the program encourage?
The program encourages communities to convert urban wood into useful and marketable products or community-benefiting materials such as lumber, slabs, furniture, flooring, biochar, and similar outputs.
What problem is this grant trying to solve?
The program aims to reduce waste and reliance on landfilling, lower costly disposal needs, support local businesses, and improve resilience when communities are hit by storms or other disturbance events.
What qualities does the Forest Service look for in proposals?
Proposals are expected to be practical, creative, and replicable, with approaches that other communities can reasonably adopt.
Does the project need to connect to an existing community forestry plan?
Yes. Strong applications are expected to show how the proposed work fits into, or directly supports, existing community forestry plans rather than operating as a stand-alone effort.
Are safety practices and professional standards important in this program?
Yes. Competitive projects should demonstrate that work will be carried out using industry-recognized safety practices and professional tree-care standards, especially when activities involve chainsaw work, milling, processing, transportation, or product manufacturing.
What kinds of benefits should applicants describe in the application?
Applicants are expected to clearly spell out anticipated benefits, which may include economic benefits (such as new revenue streams or reduced costs), environmental benefits (such as diverting material from disposal and promoting sustainable material use), workforce benefits (such as training pathways and jobs), or a mix of these.
How important are partnerships in this grant program?
Partnership and capacity-building are major priorities. Applicants are encouraged to describe who they will work with and why those partners matter.
What types of partners are encouraged for this opportunity?
Examples of encouraged partners include professional associations, industry organizations, nonprofits, educational institutions, workforce programs, and local businesses that can assist with processing, manufacturing, marketing, or training.
What should proposals say about workforce development?
Proposals should identify anticipated products and explain how the project will create credible opportunities for job creation, training, or certification, including recognized credentials connected to arboriculture, wood processing, or related fields.
What are some example activities that may fit this program?
Examples described for this program include setting up or expanding local milling capacity, building systems for sorting and grading urban wood, establishing supply chain relationships, developing pilot manufacturing runs, and creating training programs that help residents earn recognized credentials.
Who is eligible to apply?
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, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, public housing authorities or Indian housing authorities, and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions within that nonprofit category).
Are nonprofit organizations eligible?
Yes. Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status are eligible, excluding higher education institutions within that nonprofit category.
Are tribal governments eligible?
Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments are listed as eligible applicants.
Are public housing authorities eligible?
Yes. Public housing authorities or Indian housing authorities are listed as eligible applicants.
What type of funding opportunity is this?
The opportunity is categorized as discretionary and will be awarded as a grant.
What is the CFDA number for this grant?
The program is listed under CFDA 10.675.
What legal authority governs this program?
Projects must comply with the legal authorities in Section 9 of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act (16 U.S.C. 2105), which governs Urban and Community Forestry Assistance.
How much funding is available per award?
The program lists an award ceiling of up to $750,000 per award.
How many awards does the program expect to make?
The program anticipates making about 5 awards.
What is the opportunity number?
The opportunity number is USDA FS UCF 01 2026.
What is the application deadline?
The application deadline shown is October 12, 2026.
What is the overall goal of this funding?
The overall goal is to help communities turn urban tree waste into local value while building safer, more professional, and more resilient systems for managing and utilizing community wood resources.
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