2024 Utility Sponsor

Edison Service Area Map

2024 Arbor Week Informational Webinar

PROGRAM DETAILS

• Grants will range from $3,000 – $5,000, estimating 8-10 grants awarded
• Project awards must be to organizations with projects within the service area of the sponsoring utility: Southern California Edison.  (See map) 
• Priority will be given to underserved or low-income communities, neighborhoods with fewer existing trees, as well as communities that have not had recent access to urban forestry funding.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

• Community-based organizations who do tree planting, tree care education, or are interested in adding this to their projects/programs.
• Must be a 501(c)(3) or have/find a fiscal sponsor and be in good standing with the California Attorney General Office’s Registry of Charitable Organizations.
• Events/projects must occur within the service area of the sponsoring utility: Southern California Edison. (See map) 
• Projects must be able to be completed by Friday, May 31, 2024.
• Project reports must be submitted by Friday, June 14, 2024.

ENCOURAGED ACTIVITIES

• Planting shade trees and caring for trees in underserved low-shade communities.
• Projects that are community-oriented with a big-picture vision addressing local issues or needs through tree planting (climate resilience, pollution mitigation, food insecurity, extreme heat/urban heat island effect, youth educational training, etc.)
• Tree planting/care events(s) and/or community greening celebration(s) that have an educational component, including sharing about the benefits of trees and tree care (especially ongoing watering in the tree establishment period – the first 3 years after planting).
• Projects that engage multiple local partners, including but not limited to civic organizations, local businesses, health organizations, nonprofits, city officials, schools, students, elected officials, and organizational volunteers.
• Tree planting/care event(s) during California Arbor Week (March 7 -14) or other established community celebrations or gatherings.
• Sharing California ReLeaf’s Arbor Week Youth Poster Contest with your community/local schools/youth encouraging participation.
• Tree care post planting – including ongoing maintenance and watering beyond the grant period to ensure tree survival.
• Inviting Edison International representatives and corporate volunteers to your tree planting/care event(s) to participate and be recognized and thanked publicly.
• Inviting local media and elected officials to your event to share broadly how your tree planting project/ event(s) benefits the local community (i.e. climate action, community resilience, cooling neighborhoods, air pollution mitigation, food access, public health, etc.)

INELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES:

• Tree giveaways as the main component of the project.
• Planting trees in temporary planter boxes/pots. (All trees must be planted in the ground to be an eligible project.)
• Tree Planting/Care/Educational Event(s) outside the Edison service area.

• Planting tree seedlings. Trees are expected to be 5-gallon or 15-gallon container-sized for all tree planting projects.

SPONSOR ENGAGEMENT AND RECOGNITION

You are required to engage and recognize Edison International as your grant sponsor, including:

• Posting their logo on your website and promotional materials as a sponsor for your Arbor Week Grant event.
• Inviting Edison representatives and corporate volunteers to attend, participate, and be recognized and thanked publicly as your grant sponsor during your event/project.
• Tagging and recognizing Edison as a sponsor for your Arbor Week project on social media.
• Offering Edison Representatives time to speak briefly at your celebration event.
• Thanking Edison International during your celebration event.

KEY DATES

• Grant Informational Webinar: Wednesday, November 15th, at 11 a.m. Watch the Webinar Recording.
• Grant Applications Due: December 8th, 12 p.m. 
• Estimated Grant Award Notifications: January 10, 2024
• A representative from California ReLeaf will contact applicants via email. The formal public announcement will be on our website and social media in January.
• Anticipated Mandatory Grant Orientation for Awardees Webinar: January 17, 2024
• Project Completion Deadline: May 31, 2024.
• Final Report Due: June 15, 2024. Read Final Report Questions

GRANT PAYMENT

• Awarded grantees will receive 50% of the grant award after completion of the grant agreement and orientation.
• The remaining 50% of the grant will be paid upon receipt and approval of your final report.

QUESTIONS? Contact Victoria Vasquez 916.497.0035; grantadmin[at]californiareleaf.org

2024 GRANT UTILITY SPONSOR

PG&E Service Area Map

Informational Webinar Recording

PROGRAM DETAILS:

• Grants will range from $3,000 – $5,000, estimating 8-10 grants awarded
• Project awards must be to organizations with projects within one of the five PG&E service regions. We look forward to granting projects in all five regions. (See map)
• Priority will be given to underserved or low-income communities, neighborhoods with fewer existing trees, as well as communities that have not had recent access to urban forestry funding.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS:

• Community-based organizations who do tree planting, tree care education, or are interested in adding this to their projects/programs.
• Must be a 501(c)(3) or have/find a fiscal sponsor and be in good standing with the California Attorney General Office’s Registry of Charitable Organizations
• Events must occur within one of the five service areas of the sponsoring utility: Pacific Gas & Electric. (See map) 
• Projects must be able to be completed by Friday, May 31, 2024.
• Project reports must be submitted by Friday, June 14, 2024.

ENCOURAGED ACTIVITIES:

• Plant trees and care for trees in underserved low-shade communities.
• Tree planting/care events(s) and/or community greening celebration(s) that have an educational component, including the benefits of trees and the importance of tree care (especially ongoing watering in the tree establishment period – the first 3 years after planting).
• Projects that engage multiple local partners, including but not limited to civic organizations, local businesses, health organizations, nonprofits, city officials, schools, students, elected officials, and organizational volunteers.
• Tree care post planting – including ongoing maintenance and watering beyond the grant period to ensure tree survival.
• Inviting PG&E representatives and corporate volunteers to your tree planting/care event(s) to participate and be recognized and thanked publicly. 
• Invite local media and elected officials to your event to share broadly how your tree planting project/ event(s) benefits the local community (i.e. climate action, community resilience, cooling neighborhoods, air pollution mitigation, food access, public health, etc.)

INELEGIBLE ACTIVITIES:

• Tree giveaways as the main component of the project.
• Planting tree seedlings. Trees are expected to be 5-gallon or 15-gallon container-sized for all tree planting projects.
• Planting trees in temporary planter boxes/pots. All trees must be planted in the ground to be an eligible project.
• Tree Planting/Care/Educational Event(s) outside the PG&E service area.

SPONSOR ENGAGEMENT & RECOGNITION:

Recognition and engagement of PG&E as the sponsor of your event(s)/project is required, including:

• • Engaging with PG&E, inviting them to your event(s) to be recognized.
  • Offering volunteer opportunities for PG&E personnel at your event(s).
  • Posting their logo on your website and or flyers as your grant sponsor.
  • Including their logo in your social media graphics, recognizing them as your sponsor.
  • Thanking them during your tree event(s).

KEY DATES:

• Grant Information Webinar: Wednesday, November 15th, 1 p.m. Watch the Recording
• Grant Applications Due: December 8th, 12 p.m. and must be submitted through our online application form.
• Estimated Grant Award Notifications: January 10, 2024
  • A representative from California ReLeaf will contact applicants via email. The formal public announcement will be on our website and social media in early January.
• Anticipated Grant Orientation for Awardees Webinar: January 17, 2024.
• Project Completion Deadline: May 31, 2024.
• Final Report Due: June 14, 2024. Read Final Report Questions

GRANT PAYMENT:

• Awarded grantees will receive 50% of the grant award after completion of the grant agreement and orientation.
• The remaining 50% of the grant funding will be paid upon receipt and approval of your final report.

QUESTIONS? Contact Victoria Vasquez 916.497.0035; grantadmin[at]californiareleaf.org

Learn Over Lunch with ReLeaf was hosted on October 11, 2023, over Zoom. California ReLeaf presented on Advocacy at the State and Local Levels with speaker, Victoria Vasquez, California ReLeaf’s Grants and Public Policy Manager.

About Learn Over Lunch

Learn Over Lunch is a California ReLeaf Network Member program designed to provide peer-to-peer learning opportunities among our 75+ urban forest nonprofits and community groups. Learn more about our 2023 Learn Over Lunch Series and register for upcoming programs.

About the Webinar

California ReLeaf hosted an Educational Webinar, Budgeting for Tree Care Success, on September 13, 2023. The webinar was designed to help organizations/grant writers learn how to budget for the success of their upcoming grant proposal or your new or existing tree-planting program. Learn best practices for creating a clearly defined budget based on site conditions, including planning for replacement needs and ongoing tree care and maintenance.

Download the Slide Deck

You can also view the recording on California ReLeaf’s YouTube Channel.

About the Speaker

Doug Wildman graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Landscape Architecture. Doug holds a Landscape Architecture license, an ISA Arborist Certification, and the Urban Forester Certification. He is also a Bay-Friendly Qualified Landscape Design Professional. Doug has served on the executive board of the California Urban Forest Council including as President. He Co-Chaired the combined ReLeaf/CaUFC annual conference and Co-Chaired the Urban Wood Utilization Conference. Doug served on the board of the Western Chapter International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and was board president in fiscal year 2021-2022. Doug worked for 20 years with a non-profit tree planting organization in San Francisco on programs to improve San Francisco’s urban forest and to help bond neighborhoods through community-based urban forestry. Currently, Doug works as a consulting arborist and landscape architect in the SF Bay Area. Doug utilizes his environmental & arboricultural background in his designs, which range from large-scale residential to commercial office parks and from community-based design to single-client collaboration. Doug can be contacted via email at Doug.a.Wildman[at]gmail.com.

ReLeaf Network Members,

Help us share your organization’s “tree-mendous” impact to the U.S. Forest Service and CAL FIRE. Please take our Network Impact Survey! The data collected is important to our federal and state Urban and Community Forestry partners and helps us better serve the Network.

The 2023 Network Impact Survey will ask you about last year’s planting season tree numbers and volunteer statistics (July 2022 – June 2023), which aligns with the state of California’s Fiscal Year 2023. We have also included optional questions about Network collaboration, resources,  benefits, programs, and accomplishments you would like us to share or highlight about your organization.

Numbers Your Organization Will Be Asked to Share in the Survey:

• Trees Planted
• Trees Cared For
• Volunteers
• Volunteer Hours (IMPORTANT information for the U.S. Forest Service)
• Other Metrics you Collect (i.e., funding sources, educational events, hours of job training, internships, concrete removed, etc.)

Please complete our 2023 Network Impact Survey by August 24th – it should take about 10 minutes to complete if you have all your numbers handy. Thank you in advance for your support!