Bob Skiera Memorial Fund Building Bridges Initiative Grant Program

Bob Skiera Memorial Fund Building Bridges Initiative Grant Program

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Tree Fund
Amount: US $10,000 - US $30,000
Last Updated: November 18, 2024

Summary

The Bob Skiera Memorial Fund Building Bridges Initiative Grant Program supports urban forestry research and collaboration. With a maximum award of $30,000, it aims to enhance communication between arborists, urban foresters, and various professionals. The program welcomes proposals that explore the benefits of urban forests, policy implementation, and ecosystem services. This initiative honors Bob Skiera's legacy, fostering trust and cooperation within the urban planning community for sustainable urban forestry practices.

Overview

Bob Skiera was an urban forestry pioneer, known for his ability to communicate the needs and benefits of the urban forest and helped build bridges of trust and cooperation between urban foresters and other urban planning and management professionals. He was a past President of both the International Society of Arboriculture and the Wisconsin Arborist Association, served memorably as a Milwaukee City Forester and is a member of the Wisconsin Forestry Hall of Fame. Established jointly by TREE Fund, the Skiera Family, Wisconsin Arborist Association and the International Society of Arboriculture, The Bob Skiera Memorial Fund now provides financial support for the “Building Bridges Initiative”. The Initiative is intended to help arborists and urban foresters communicate the value of trees and urban forests through engagement via collaborative research and other projects with public works officials, risk assessment professionals, civil engineers, wildlife researchers, soil scientists and others. The maximum award value of grants under the Building Bridges Initiative is $30,000, with $25,000 provided annually by the Bob Skiera Memorial Fund and $5,000 provided annually by the John White Memorial Fund. Note: The 2022 Building Bridges Initiative Grant(s) will be focused on research to facilitate or engage interactions between urban forest managers, arborists, and other professionals committed to maximizing value/use of the urban forest resource. Suggested areas of investigation (this list is not all-inclusive) might include: Quantitative and/or qualitative analysis of urban forest benefits to humans and communities;Policy formation and program implementation;“Nature Based Solutions”;Ecosystem services; Etc.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website.

Ineligibility

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 of individual tree species for the primary purpose of agricultural or timber/forest planting yield; Commercial tree- or soil-related product testing primarily for the benefit of the company that manufactures the product.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.