Congratulations! You have been awarded Funds for Program Year 2021 Healthy Urban Tree Canopy Grant Program. So, what is next?

The Healthy Program Urban Tree Canopy Grant Program provides funding to expand and maintain Cuyahoga County’s tree canopy. The impacts of the Cuyahoga County Healthy Tree Canopy Grant Program may take several years beyond the planting period to register as tree canopy. Grant recipients agree to plan, plant, and maintain trees so that they can be enjoyed and cherished for generations to come. See below for the next steps in implementing your grant.

Awards Workshop

An online awards workshop was held on April 12, 2021.

The presentation is also available as a PDF.

Project Agreements

Updated 5/25/2021

All applicants were notified, via email, of their award on April 7, 2021. In order to proceed with your grant you will need a copy of the executed Project Agreement. Download the project agreement, sign and date Page 8. The Effective Date on Page 1 should be left blank; it will be filled in when contract is countersigned. Email the signed document, a detailed workplan, the approved budget, Appendix A of the application in Excel Format, a current W-9, and any planting plan or specifications associated with the project as attachments to Alison Ball at aball@cuyahogacounty.us; and carbon copy email to Susan Infeld at sinfeld@cuyahogacounty.us.

DEADLINE – Project Agreements and all required attachments must be submitted by Monday, June 7 or the grant award will be forfeited.

Reimbursements

Timely reimbursement of committed grant funds is important to the Planning Commission. Project Award payments will be made on a reimbursement basis and paid on a quarterly basis. Applicants will provide The PY 2021 Cuyahoga County Healthy Urban Tree Canopy Grant Reimbursement Form, and a Quarterly Progress Report, based on the workplan for reimbursement. Failure to pay creditors for activities and equipment specified in the Project Description and Budget or failure to disburse funds for their authorized use constitutes a violation of the Project Agreement terms.

  • Send all reimbursement requests and quarterly reports via email to Alison Ball; and carbon copy email to Susan Infeld. Identify Project ID # specific to your grant and reimbursement in the subject line. Example: DBW-21-01 Quarterly Reimbursement
  • See Quarterly Reimbursement Schedule

A few items to keep in mind that will allow us to expedite your reimbursement requests:

  • The Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District continuously monitors all stages of the project development for any planning and all planting activities. You are required to notify the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District no less than 72 hours in advance of scheduled tree planting activities. Contact Jared Bartley at Jbartley@cuyahogaswcd.org, and copy Jan Rybka at Jrybka@cuyahogaswcd.org, regarding your project activities and to schedule site visits.
  • Grantees will not receive reimbursement if the trees are not planted/mulched in accordance with specifications approved by the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District. Include an email from the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District signifying their site visit was completed and their approval of the grant activities.
  • Costs not expressly included in the approved application will not be reimbursed.
  • Grant administration costs such as application preparation, preparing for reimbursement requests, travel-related expenses, or project reporting requirements are not considered eligible local matches. Do not include these items with the reimbursement request.
  • A detailed breakdown of the match should be included in the reimbursement form and must be verified with a dated signature. This documentation must be included with the reimbursement request in order to be honored as the match.

Please see the following links for detailed instructions and the reimbursement forms:

Cost Underruns and Scope Change

Requests for changing a project’s scope, or to use remaining funds for tree planting, will be considered by the Cuyahoga County Healthy Urban Tree Canopy Evaluation Team, when no additional funds are requested and the work to be done is directly associated with the approved project. Requests for changing a project schedule will also be considered by the Cuyahoga County Healthy Urban Tree Canopy Evaluation Team. In order to request a scope change please submit the following Scope Change Form:

Cost Overruns

  • All cost overruns associated with a project, whether for work covered by the application or otherwise, are the sole responsibility of the project Applicant.

Project Close Out

  •  The Grantee must submit the Final Close out Form along with their final request for reimbursement within 90 days after the project close date.
  • Grantee must include the Following Attachments:
    • Final Quarterly Report and Reimbursement Forms
    • Summary report that includes a narrative that describes the project highlights.
    • Plan of post grant activities to ensure the health of newly planted trees.

Reimbursement and Reporting Schedule

DATE ACTIVITY
Monday, April 12, 2021, 10:30 a.m. – Noon Applicant Awards Webinar
June 7, 2021 Project Agreements Due
June 30, 2021 Quarterly Reports Due
September 30, 2021 Quarterly Reports Due
December 31, 2021 Quarterly Reports Due
March 31, 2022 Quarterly Reports Due
June 30, 2022 Quarterly Reports Due
September 30, 2022 Quarterly Reports Due
December 31, 2022 Program Year Concludes