Urban Forest Institute

Urban Forest Institute, a California-based non-profit organization, receives federal grants as a recipient from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service to plan, establish, manage, and protect trees and green spaces in disadvantaged communities. The organization operates exclusively as a grant recipient; it holds no federal contracts and has not served as a prime contractor on any federal contract vehicles.

Urban Forest Institute's federal footprint consists of three awards, all from the Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Region 5 (Pacific Southwest Region), with a combined obligation of $4.6 million. The vendor acts as a direct grant recipient for one award and as a sub-recipient on two awards under the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The primary award is a $3.773 million Project Grant under the Inflation Reduction Act Urban & Community Forestry Program (CFDA 10.727), issued February 20, 2024, funding a five-year initiative running through December 31, 2028, titled "Climate Adapted Trees for California's Disadvantaged Communities Closing the Loop from Seed to Sustainable Canopy." This work focuses on tree planting, ecosystem restoration, conservation planning, workforce development, and educational outreach to increase tree canopy cover in underserved California communities and advance environmental justice, with activities executed in partnership with local community-based organizations.

As a sub-recipient, Urban Forest Institute received awards from Cal Fire addressing statewide urban forestry tools for increasing canopy cover (March 5, 2026) and development of climate-adapted species data and web-based delivery systems for schoolyard greening in collaboration with Green Schoolyards America (July 26, 2023). Activity has remained modest and irregular — one award annually in 2023 and 2024, then a one-year gap before the March 2026 sub-award. The organization's federal work is narrowly concentrated on the Department of Agriculture Forest Service's urban and community forestry agenda in California, with no diversification across agencies, contract vehicles, or geographic scope beyond the Pacific Southwest region.