AUGUSTA, Maine — Project Canopy Assistance Grants are available to state, county and municipal governments, educational institutions and non-profit organizations for developing and implementing community forestry projects and programs.
Project Canopy, an entity of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Maine Forest Service, anticipates that $100,000 will be available to support community forestry projects.
In the planning and education realm, a $10,000 maximul award is offered. Projects support sustainable community forestry management, and efforts to increase awareness of the benefits of trees and forests.
In planting and maintenance, the maximum award is $8,000. Projects increase the health and livability of communities through sound tree planting and maintenance.
To be eligible to apply for 2020 Project Canopy Assistance grants, all applicants must attend a grant workshop prior to submitting an application (excluding previous workshop attendees). The workshop is web-based and is scheduled at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 12. Topics will include grant writing, project development, sustainable community forestry management and grant administration.
Grant applications will be due to the Maine forest Service at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 6, 2020. All grants require a 50 percent match from the grant recipient in cash or in-kind services.
Project Canopy is funded by the USDA Forest Service Community Forestry Assistance Program. The USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program was authorized by the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (PL95-313) and revised by the 1990 Farm Bill (PL101-624) to promote natural resource management in populated areas and improve quality of life.
For complete grant application and workshop information, please visit the Project Canopy website at http://www.projectcanopy.me/grants. You can also learn more about the Project Canopy assistance program by contacting Jan Ames Santerre by phone at 207-287-4987 or by email at jan.santerre@maine.gov.
