Applications due October 23, 2024.

Recognizing that local community groups are key to contributing their expertise and serving as effective local and regional agents for change, River Network is excited to serve as a national pass-through partner of the Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. We aim to provide funding and technical assistance for disadvantaged communities to plan and carry out forestry projects that build both their capacity and climate resilience. Rooting Resilience is unique among other national pass-through programs, as we lean into our specialty: supporting small, local water, justice, and river organizations. The program will offer smaller scale funding, right-sizing our offerings to match what these grassroots groups need; and prioritizing first-time federal funding applicants. This model, paired with our extensive technical assistance offerings to ensure applicants are set up for success with their applications, mean fewer barriers to access to this historic federal funding.

While many know River Network as a leader in the water sector, forestry work is an important new program offering, and is directly tied to our 35+ year history of water work. We know that two-thirds of US drinking water comes from rivers and streams; we know that trees provide important water filtration services both up and downstream. We know that impacts from flooding and extreme heat have disproportionate effects; we know that trees slow the flow of rainwater and mitigate heat in cities and communities. Supporting groups on forestry projects is an interconnected and exciting way to work towards results in all our focus areas: healthy rivers, clean drinking water, and climate-resilient communities.

Funding for the Rooting Resilience program is provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program. In alignment with Justice40, 100% of the Rooting Resilience program grants will benefit federally designated disadvantaged communities, and no matching funds are required. Grants will range from $75,000 to $200,000 over a 1-3 year period, depending upon the project activities.

We are seeking applications from Tribes & Tribal organizations or community-based non-profits to support forestry projects that will build more equitable, thriving, and climate-resilient communities with and by the people who are most impacted.

Many disadvantaged communities have faced systemic and structural discriminatory policies that have impacted their tree canopy cover and access to nearby green spaces. The Justice40 Initiative and focus on increasing equitable access to nature will support more communities experiencing the benefits of trees which include improvements to local water quality, building climate resilience, and even community health and well-being.

For more about Justice40 and working with disadvantaged communities, we invite you to watch the video below, recorded at River Rally 2024.

River Network is excited about the potential of this funding to strengthen organizations and leaders to improve and protect their waterways and create climate-resilient communities through forestry work.

Applicant and Grantee Support

The Rooting Resilience Program will provide funding and technical assistance to community-based projects that build resilience and enhance communities’ abilities to plan and carry out forestry projects in the following ways:

• Acknowledge and attempt to address the typical barriers to accessing federal funding through the design of our application process and providing robust technical assistance to minimize the burden of applying for and managing a grant. To learn more about the assistance our staff is offering to applicants visit the RFA pages (Tribal RFA, Community-Based Organization RFA).
• Allow applicants to apply for funding for a variety of project types to meet community-identified urban and community forestry needs including planning and implementation, education and outreach, and workforce development projects.
• Post-award, provide virtual opportunities for peer support from your fellow grantees to engage in capacity building, networking, and technical assistance to ensure the successful completion and sustainability of your work. Recognizing the resources needed to participate in such offerings we’re encouraging applicants to include the necessary staff time to join these convenings in their grant request, which we anticipate will be 1–3-hour events up to four times per year beginning in January 2025.
• Support from River Network and our program partners during your award period to address any project challenges and ensure compliance and project success.
• Opportunities to showcase project progress and results via River Network and Forest Service publications and conferences or other events.

Selection Criteria

• The project includes work proposed by and with support from Tribal or disadvantaged community members who understand, based on lived experience, what approaches will work best for their area.
• The degree to which a project directly represents a federally designated disadvantaged community or proposes to directly benefit one through collaboration as well as the proposed benefit to a community’s trees.
• A demonstration that the project team has the necessary experience and/or skills to achieve project outcomes. This includes having established community relationships, Traditional Indigenous Knowledge, or other relevant skills, not just professional experience.
• Whether the proposed work will set the stage for future community-led forestry work by building organizational or community capacity, including the structure needed to access and comply with federal funding.

Application & Review Process

• Applications are due no later than October 23, 2024, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. To facilitate accessibility, we’re accepting both fully written applications through our online grant portal as well as video submissions or phone calls to address the application narrative.
• Final decisions will be made by mid-November with the swift execution of award agreements by the end of 2024 and projects beginning in January 2025. Given the program’s funding levels, we anticipate awarding between twenty and forty grants across both the Tribal entity and community-based non-profit opportunities.

Program Team

The Rooting Resilience program is led by River Network and our outreach and engagement partners at Anthropocene Alliance and Native Americans in Philanthropy. Collectively, the team has robust networks in underserved populations including Spanish-speaking, Tribal, and other disadvantaged communities that are on the frontlines of climate change impacts and typically have low tree canopy cover. With proven track records for awarding pass-through funding as well as providing technical assistance for grant development and management, we stand ready to support organizations who are new to federal funding and may need additional help applying for or managing a Rooting Resilience grant.

Together, we look forward to ensuring this pass-through Forest Service funding reaches its intended audience of Tribes and community-based organizations for its intended purpose of increasing equitable access to trees and nature and improving community resilience. Rooted in community, River Network hopes these investments and set the stage for future resilience work and the building of capacity for disadvantaged communities to access future funding opportunities.

Contact Information

For questions related to this grant opportunity, please contact rootingresilience@rivernetwork.org.

Funding for the Rooting Resilience program is provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program. USDA and River Network are equal opportunity providers and employers.