ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. -- American Forests, a national conservation organization, announced they are distributing over $25 million in grants to 36 communities across the U.S. for equitable urban and community forestry projects via its Tree Equity Catalyst Fund.

The 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.

Officials say the grants will help bring the benefits of trees and urban greening to communities across the country, especially those that have been historically disadvantaged.

“This first round of Catalyst Fund grants comes just after another summer of record temperatures felt across the country,” said Jad Daley, President and Chief Executive Officer at American Forests. “Extreme heat is killing more people in the U.S. than any other type of severe weather and Tree Equity presents a practical solution to address it. We are excited to work alongside these community leaders to provide much needed cooling relief and climate justice to some of our most vulnerable populations through critical tree infrastructure.”

Officials say this community funding is a key part of American Forests’ goal to help at least 100 cities make progress on Tree Equity by 2030 through best-in-class tools, resources and equitable grantmaking to local leaders on the frontlines of building Tree Equity in their communities.

The 33 municipalities and three community-based organizations in the first round are located across the Midwest and Northeast.

Each recipient will receive grants ranging from $100,000 to $2 million to support initiatives including equitable tree planning and planting, nursery development, community engagement, workforce development and more.

Amongst the list of recipients are Elkhart and Goshen.

Goshen will receive $1 million, and officials say there will be a collaboration with The Crossing School of Business and Entrepreneurship, Mennonite Men and Buschelcraft Farm, and the City of Goshen will launch a county-wide arboricultural training program aimed at youth to build a pipeline of the next generation of urban foresters.

Officials say the initiative is critical in achieving the city’s goal of increasing tree canopy from 20 percent to 45 percent by 2045. 

The next round of funding will launch in early fall and will focus on faith-based and frontline environmental justice organizations across the country.

Officials say the additional $12 million investment aims to support communities at the forefront of climate justice efforts.

You can find the full list of recipients online.