The Connecticut Urban Forest Council, Inc. (CUFC) is a statewide 501(c)3 non-profit organization composed of representatives from Connecticut environmental organizations, state agencies, universities, research institutions, corporations, professional communities and citizen tree groups. Its purpose is to provide advice, assistance, education, information and support to urban and community forestry professionals, associated professionals, municipal, state and corporate leaders, and volunteers. Our small grants program in 2020 will help existing organizations and municipalities address issues related to urban forest health. We expect to award 4 grants of up to $2,000.
Priorities include (1) teaching about urban forestry and the tools used to manage urban trees and forests, and (2) increasing public awareness of opportunities to protect urban forestland and urban trees, emphasizing public benefits. Examples of grant subjects include tree planting, efforts to protect existing trees, development and distribution of plant stewardship material, implementation of an event that engages students with the outdoors, the investment in a door-to-door campaign to raise awareness and participation in storm recovery efforts or environmental restoration activities, or training of citizen stewards to monitor tree health in their neighborhoods or nearby parks, etc.
Grants to nonprofit organizations will be awarded to projects that directly benefit educational goals related to urban forests in Connecticut. Projects that serve neighborhoods or areas with low tree canopy coverage and limited resources, and/or that utilize partnerships to amplify the project’s impacts are strongly encouraged.