CFAs: Tree and Soil Research Fund Grant Program

Deadline Date: September 15, 2024

 Donor Name: TREE Fund

 Grant Size: $1000 to $10,000

The TREE Fund Board of Trustees is launching the new Tree and Soil Research Grant, made possible by a permanently restricted endowment fund supporting areas of research of interest to the landscape architecture community with special focus in the area of trees and the soils that support them.

Research Priorities

• Supported research will include the following:
  • the design and specification of trees and soils in urban landscapes;
  • propagation and nursery practices that impact the establishment and long term growth of trees;
  • improving species diversity;
  • tree root and canopy structure improvement;
  • soil and drainage design and modification;
  • tree planting practices; tree planting space design;
  • tree establishment and maintenance practices; and
  • planting soil management and maintenance.

Funding Information 

• Projects are expected to be completed within one to three years, with a maximum award value of $10,000. No project may receive more than one award from this program. This grant will be offered every other year beginning in 2021.

Criteria for Selection

• Staff will screen all applications for applicant eligibility, adherence to submission directions (including word counts), alignment with the TREE Fund mission, and compliance with minimum requirements.  Proposals meeting these criteria are then forwarded to the TREE Fund’s Research and Education Committee for a more thorough and competitive evaluation. Prospective applicants can be sure that reviewers will place highest emphasis on:
  • Prior record of accomplishment by the investigative team.  (Scientists early in their research careers may wish to include others with more research experience as active co-investigators or advisors)
  • Potential contribution of the project to the arboricultural industry.
  • Approach, including statement of hypotheses and experimental design
  • Dissemination plan to the scientific community and to tree care professionals
• TREE Fund does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, disability or national or ethnic origin. Current trustees of TREE Fund or any member of the family of any such trustee are ineligible to receive grants from TREE Fund.

Ineligibility Criteria 

• TREE Fund welcomes research proposals and applications from a wide range of academic and technical disciplines, of both a qualitative and a quantitative nature. TREE Fund does not fund the following types of projects, and will not accept applications for such work:
  • Grants to individuals;
  • Projects that are primarily municipal tree surveys or assessments;
  • Tree planting programs;
  • Studies focused on traditional forestry and timber production, agroforestry, and ecology and conservation of forested and other natural areas,
  • Product testing primarily for the benefit of the company that manufactures the product.

For more information, visit TREE Fund.