Title
Apply for U.S. Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Grant Opportunity for Federal Fiscal Year 2022-23 - Inflation Reduction Act Funding (Ordinance S-50231)
Description
Request to retroactively authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to apply for, accept and enter into an agreement for disbursement of Federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service (USDA/USFS) through the Federal Fiscal Year 2022-23 Urban and Community Forestry Program grant opportunity. Further request to authorize the City Treasurer to accept, and the City Controller to disburse, all funds related to this item. Funding is available through the Inflation Reduction Act. The total grant funds received will not exceed $10 million, and the City would not be required to provide a local match.
Report
Summary
The City of Phoenix Office of Heat Response and Mitigation is leading the efforts of the hottest large city in the United States to fight the growing hazard of urban heat. A central component of those efforts is increasing the City's urban tree canopy to meet goals articulated in the Tree and Shade Master Plan, Climate Action Plan and General Plan. The City has also pledged to achieve Tree Equity, recognizing that all neighborhoods deserve access to the benefits of urban trees.
The Urban and Community Forestry grant is a new funding program under the Inflation Reduction Act and the grant submittal deadline was June 4, 2023.
The Urban and Community Forestry grant is a covered program under the federal government's Justice40 Initiative established through Executive Order 13985. The Urban and Community Forestry grant aims to advance the mission of Justice40 and prioritizes investments to organizations supporting disadvantaged communities with low tree canopy cover.
The Office of Heat Response and Mitigation submitted an application that included requests for funding to accelerate tree planting initiatives in underserved communities and for funding to develop new training programs for community members seeking to build skills in urban forestry. The narrow time window in which the funding opportunity was open impacted staff's ability to request authorization ahead of the grant submittal deadline and the funding request will be withdrawn if not approved by City Council.
On Sept. 14, 2023, USDA/USFS announced that the City of Phoenix will be awarded $10 million. The award is the largest in the State of Arizona and one of the largest awards to any municipality in the United States.
Financial Impact
The estimated total cost for the project is approximately $10 million. The maximum Federal participation rate is 100 percent, with a minimum local match of zero percent of the total eligible project cost. If accepted, the Federal match would not exceed $10 million and the City’s costs would be approximately $0 for the local match.
There is no anticipated impact to the General Fund. Grant funding received is available through the Inflation Reduction Act from USDA/USFS through the Federal Fiscal Year 2022-23 Urban and Community Forestry grant opportunity.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Managers Gina Montes and Mario Paniagua, and the Office of Heat Response and Mitigation.