California ReLeaf

Program Grant ManagementIn fiscal year 2023, Edison International continued their generous support of our California Arbor Week Program. Their sponsorship supported ten pass-through community grants totaling $50,000 to honor, celebrate, and plant trees from Goleta to Victorville to Cathedral City to Long Beach with other grantees in San Bernardino, Monrovia, Riverside, and LA. The program aligns with Edisons goal to reduce the impacts of climate change and extreme heat by supporting new community groups to plant trees for shade and cooler neighborhoods.Pacific Gas & Electric continued their support of the Growing Greener Communities program which focused on reducing extreme heat in underserved communities within PG&Es seven regions. In FY2023, ReLeaf managed 8 Growing Green Communities grants totaling $40,000, which served communities from Oakland to Sacramento and Stockton to San Jose.Also in fiscal year 2023, California ReLeaf managed three pass-through grants funded through the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, one of which successfully closed in early 2023. Two were via the California Climate Investment Program (CCIP) intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and one was through the Prop 68 Program focused on planting trees to offset the impacts of climate change, such as flooding, wildfires, and extreme heat.In FY2023, California ReLeaf continued an Urban Forest Leadership Training Program with CAL FIRE grant funding. Work also continued on the economic analysis research project Impact of Urban & Community Forestry on Californias Economy, which will update earlier urban forest economic impact research in the state from ten years earlier.Urban Forest California Climate Investment GrantsStarted in 2015, the California Climate Investment Program grants (CCIP) from CAL FIRE have had a strong emphasis on planting in Low Income and Disadvantaged Communities as identified by the California Environmental Protection Agency.All of California ReLeafs CCIP grants provided funding to smaller nonprofits and community groups and encouraged new organizations to make tangible improvements to their neighborhoods with trees and building stronger, more cohesive communities. As noted below, two of the grant programs were completed in Fiscal Year 2023.Organizations who have been awarded two CCIP grants over the last five years are indicated by asterisks in the lists below. Note: any nonprofit or community group can apply for California ReLeaf grants. The organization does not have to be a member of the ReLeaf Network. List of California Climate Investment Program Grant Programs & Grantees:2019 Social Equity Grant: Urban Forest Management Program Completed March 20231. Amigos de los Rios*2. CityTrees*3. Clean & Green Pomona*4. Climate Action Now!*5. Common Vision*6. ECO-SLO7. Friends of Santa Ana Zoo8. Green Technical Education & Employment9. Madera Coalition10. North East Trees*11. Our City Forest12. Parent Pioneers13. People and Trees*14. ReLeaf Petaluma*15. San Joaquin Parkway and Conservation Trust16. Sustainable Claremont*17. TreePeople*18. Urban Corps of San Diego19. Watsonville Wetlands Watch*2020 Relief Through ReLeaf Grant Program (Funded by California Proposition 68 and the USDA Forest Service) Completed March 20231. Butte Environmental Council*2. Center for Regenerative Agriculture3. Center for Social & Environmental Stewardship (AKA Circuit Riders)4. North Coast Opportunities5. Oroville Botanical Garden6. Paradise Recreation & Parks District7. Redding Parks and Trails Foundation8. The Climate Center9. Tree Fresno10. Watsonville Wetlands Watch*2021 Social Equity Grant: Treecovery Grant Program1. Amigos de los Rios*2. Butte Environmental Council*3. Calipatria Chamber of Commerce4. CityTrees*5. Clean & Green Pomona*6. Climate Action Now!* 7. Common Vision*8. Growing Healthy Kids9. Los Amigos de Guadalupe10. Lumbercycle11. North East Trees*12. ReLeaf Petaluma*13. San Bernardino Fatherhood14. Southeast Fresno Community Economic Development Association (SEFCEDA)15. Sustainable Claremont*16. TreePeople*17. Woodland Tree Foundation*Grantees who have been awarded more than one CCIP grants over the last five years.2023 Arbor Week GrantsThe California Arbor Week 2023 Grants were focused in Southern California with funding for 10 grants from Edison International. Fewer but larger grants were awarded to nonprofits this year to recognize the importance of tree planting as well as tree care after planting. ReLeaf awarded $50,000 in pass-through grants to 10 community-based organizations for projects to celebrate California Arbor Week 2023 with tree plantings, tree education and care across the state. The grant awards were $5,000 to each community organization.2023 California Arbor Week Grantees:1. Community Composting for Green Spaces / Pomona2. Food Exploration and Discovery / Monrovia3. Highlanders Boxing Club / Highland4. Puente Latino Association / Long Beach5. S.C.R.A.P. Gallery / Cathedral City6. Second Chances A Place of Hope / San Bernardino7. SistersWe / San Bernardino8. Stanbridge University / Irvine9. Tule River Parkway Association / Porterville10. Your Children's Trees / Goleta2023 Growing Green Communities Grantees:1. McKinley Elementary PTA / Petaluma2. Del Paso Heights Growers Alliance / Sacramento3. Common Vision / Oakland4. Pardee Home Museum / Oakland5. Urban Montessori / Oakland6. Our City Forest / San Jose7. Little Manila Rising / Stockton8. Tracy Tree Foundation / Tracy

Education and OutreachThis program strengthens grassroots efforts by engaging the general public, community leaders, interested organizations, and urban and community forestry professionals. California ReLeafs programs are designed to educate Californians about the value and benefits of trees as well as sound tree care practices.FY2023 Education & Outreach Accomplishments:Urban Forest Leadership Training Launched in early 2022 with a CAL FIRE grant and USDA Forest Service support, the Urban Forest Leadership program met monthly via Zoom to develop talent, collegial support, and professional capacity in the next generation of urban forest leaders. Katie McCleary of Paper Wings Creative Consulting a nonprofit leadership expert and author of Bridge the Gap, a book about collaborative and effective communications facilitated the class sessions based on a custom agenda developed by Katie and California ReLeaf. Started in early 2022, the training program culminated with an Urban Forest Leadership Capstone Meeting in May 2023, just before the ReLeaf Network Retreat. This timing was designed so that the next generation of UF Leaders could attend the Network Retreat and connect more deeply with the wider ReLeaf Network of urban forest nonprofits. For more info, please visit: https://californiareleaf.org/resources/uf-leadership-program/Urban and Community Forest Economic Impact Study Begun in late 2021, California ReLeaf is overseeing the third UF Economic Impact study with funding from CAL FIRE, to show the fiscal effects of local urban forestry-related jobs on Californias economy. The research team includes California Polytechnic State University, North Carolina State University, and Virginia Tech. For more info, please visit: https://californiareleaf.org/about-releaf/research-project/California ReLeaf does the majority of its outreach communications via online platforms: email lists, social media, webinars, and the website.E-Communications Circulation: 1,400+ Recipients. Regular Email notifications were sent covering a variety of topics such as: Urban Forest Grant Opportunities, Arbor Week Art Contests, California Arbor Week Grants, webinars on drought and trees, urban forest tree canopy tools, tree care jobs, Learn Over Lunch Zoom events.Website Educational resources are shared via the ReLeaf website. The website has improved accessibility for all audiences with the earlier adoption of the AccessiBe service which uses AI (Artificial Intelligence) to improve website accessibility with respect to languages and ADA compliance. More recently in July 2023 a more sophisticated multi-language online translation widget called G-Translate was added to the website. This feature now provides ReLeaf website information in 100+ languages.Social Media Circulation: 5,700+. ReLeaf is very active in using multiple social media platforms to share urban forest issues of interest to community groups, government employees, and green industry professionals. Social media has been very effective in helping ReLeaf reach new community audiences.Webinars To access the ever-expanding library on YouTube of on-demand education and info on grants, tree care, trees and drought, and more please visit : http://californiareleaf.org/resources/webinars/ California Arbor Week In March 2023 California ReLeaf worked with the US Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to organize the first in-person Arbor Week Press Conference since March 2020, due to the pandemic. Held in Oakland, speakers include representatives from the local nonprofit Common Vision, the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, the City of Oakland, CAL FIRE, the USDA Forest Service, Southern California Edison, Blue Shield, Hyphae Design laboratory California ReLeaf, Arbor Week Grantees Southern California Edison, California ReLeaf. The winning California Arbor Week Art Contest posters were unveiled and a celebratory tree planting was led by Common Vision. Please visit the website to see updates on Arbor Week activities: https://californiareleaf.org/category/arbor-week/