Sustainable Forestry Initiative inviting Applications for Community Grants – U.S. & Canada
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Deadline: 5-Feb-21

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) is seeking applications for its Community Grants to support collaborative projects between local communities and the SFI network to increase understanding of the values and benefits provided by sustainably managed forests.

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Community grants are awarded for collaborative community-based projects, activities or events supporting SFI’s mission to advance sustainability through forest-focused collaborations, across the US and Canada.

All projects must be submitted by an SFI Implementation Committee (SIC) or non-profit organization. If the proposal is submitted by a non-profit organization, the project must include an SFI Implementation Committee or SFI Certified Organization as an active project partner.

Priority Areas

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Community grants are intended to directly support the SFI Network in helping SFI deliver on SFI’s strategic priorities, with particular focus in 2021 on projects that address one or more of the following priorities:

Grow demand for SFI certification and SFI certified forest products in existing and emerging markets, including the green building and mass timber markets.
Contribute to the practical knowledge about the roleof SFI certified forests in addressing climate change or to the piloting of requirements in the new Climate Smart Forestry Objective 9 in the draft SFI 2022 Standard.
Contribute to the development and dissemination of best management practices or pilot projects that advance sustainability on urban forests that will assist with the development of a bi-national and collaborative SFI Urban Forest Standard.
Provide training, guidance, resources and supports that promote greater understanding, recognition and respect for Indigenous Peoples’ rights and traditional knowledge on SFI certified lands, aligned with Indicator 8.1.1 in the draft SFI 2022 Standard.
Develop and pilot innovative models for collaboration across Canada that support successful certification to the SFI Small-Scale Forest Management Module for Indigenous Peoples, Families, and Communities.
Collaborate with the SFI and/or PLT network on a scalable approach for forest restoration on lands that have been degraded as a result of climate change, fire, insect, disease, and/or for afforestation projects and urban forest development as it relates to Canada’s 2 billion trees effort and the US 1t.org chapter.
Enhance the relevancy and accessibility of training, education, and green job opportunities within the forest and conservation sector, through partnerships with the SIC network or SFI Certified Organizations, for diverse and under-represented communities, including Indigenous, African American, Hispanic, francophone, new Canadians/immigrants, and females.
Funding Information

Community Grants are awarded in the range of $5,000 to $10,000 dollars per project.
Eligibility Criteria

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All proposals must meet the core requirements listed here. Projects which do not meet these core requirements will not be considered:

The Lead Organization in the Project must be an SFI Implementation Committee or a registered, tax-exempt (for example, a 501(c) (3) in the US or registered with the Charities Directorate of the Canada Revenue Agency in Canada), non-profit and/or charitable organization. Applicants must submit a tax identification number as proof of tax-exempt status within the Online Application Form. Colleges/universities and Indigenous groups are additionally eligible to submit applications as the lead organization.
Projects must include an SFI Implementation Committee or Certified Organization as a Project Partner, if an SFI Implementation Committee is not the lead organization. Letters of support from Certified Organizations or Implementation Committees should be included with the application.
Find SFI Implementation Committees and contacts;
Find SFI Certified Organizations with Forest Management Certification;
Find SFI Certified Organizations with Fiber Sourcing Certification;
Find SFI Certified Organizations with Chain of Custody Certification.
Proposed projects must address at least one of the priorities and will be asked to specify how the proposed project will lead to positive outcomes related to the priority.
Proposed projects should be collaborative in nature and involve at least one Project Partner, in addition to the Lead Organization. Additional non-profit conservation or community partners may strengthen the Proposal.
The applicant must agree to authorize SFI Inc. to publicize the Project and to use their name, images, logos and information about the Project in such publicity. The Lead Organization will provide electronic signature of the Communications Agreement within the Online Application Form.
The project proposal must contain a communications plan that clearly outlines opportunities for SFI to work with the Lead Organization on communicating key milestones and project results.
For more information, visit https://www.forests.org/sfi-community-grants-rfp-process/