What is the Catalyst Fund?

The Tree Equity Catalyst Fund is part of American Forests’ larger Catalyst Initiative, which resources frontline, environmental justice, and under-served populations with both technical knowledge and funding to help them advocate for, plant and steward trees where they are needed most.  

The Catalyst Fund prioritizes reaching those organizations with the greatest opportunity for social impact, but face the highest barriers to participation. This includes  faith leaders, organizations and congregations, frontline organizations new to the work of urban forestry or with limited capacity, and cities and towns facing financial constraints that  have been not historically well represented in the field of urban forestry. We seek projects that center and serve frontline communities and will consider a range of approaches to advancing Tree Equity, rooted in community needs and vision.   

Funding for this project is provided by the Inflation Reduction Act (2 CFR 415.2) and the Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Urban and Community Forestry Program. The Forest Service and American Forests are equal opportunity providers. 

Planting Event in San Antonia, Texas in partnership with Garcia St Farms and Alamo Colleges. Sponsored by Microsoft. This is the first of a two-phase planting plan of fruit and shade trees set to replenish the trees lost during the severe winter storms of 2020. CREATOR Alamo Colleges Communications
Our Funding Opportunities
As of October 28, American Forests is reviewing applications to our second funding opportunity for faith-based and frontline environmental justice organizations advancing Tree Equity. American Forests will notify applicants of award status by the end of 2024.

Roosevelt Planting Event CREATOR Julia Gonzalez-Wolf
Our Grantees
Catalyst Fund has awarded over $25 million to 33 municipalities and 3 community-based organizations across the Midwest and Northeast to help establish and implement Tree Equity programs in their community.

Current Grantees

In our first round of funding, American Forests has awarded over $25 million in grants to 33 municipalities and 3 community-based organizations across the Midwest and Northeast to help establish and implement Tree Equity programs including equitable tree planning and planting, nursery development, community engagement, workforce development and more. This funding is a portion of $50 million received from the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). 

The cities and organizations awarded are:

  • City of Kewanee, IL 
  • City of Springfield, IL 
  • Village of Rantoul, IL 
  • City of Elkhart, IN 
  • City of Bloomington, IN 
  • City of Huntington, IN 
  • City of Goshen, IN 
  • City of Kalamazoo, MI 
  • City of Sterling Heights, MI 
  • City of Ann Arbor, MI 
  • City of Jackson, MI 
  • City of Pontiac, MI 
  • City of Richfield, MN 
  • City of Shoreview, MN 
  • Onondaga Earth Corps (located in City of Syracuse, NY) 
  • Village of Haverstraw, NY 
  • Village of Lancaster, NY 
  • Olmsted City (located in Utica, NY) 
  • City of Yonkers, NY 
  • Town of Smithtown, NY 
  • City of Albany, NY 
  • Village of Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 
  • City of Kingston, NY 
  • City of Long Beach, NY 
  • City of Glens Falls, NY 
  • City of Coshocton, OH 
  • City of Fostoria, OH 
  • City of Obetz, OH 
  • City of Port Clinton, OH 
  • City of Bowling Green, OH 
  • City of Xenia, OH 
  • City of Lancaster, PA 
  • Borough of Mechanicsburg, PA 
  • City of Allentown, PA 
  • City of Easton, PA 
  • Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, Inc (located in City of Johnstown, PA) 

*USDA and American Forests are equal opportunity providers and employers.*