Georgia Making the Shade Program Grant

The Georgia Making the Shade Program Grant aims to enhance elementary school campuses by funding the planting of trees in playground areas. With grants up to $10,000, eligible applicants include schools, PTAs, and community groups. The program promotes healthier environments by reducing UV exposure, improving air quality, and creating shaded spaces for children. It encourages community involvement through local partnerships and aims to foster educational activities around tree planting and maintenance.

The Making the Shade program provides grant funding to create healthier, shaded playground areas on elementary school campuses. This funding (up to $10,000) is available to elementary schools, PTAs, neighborhood associations, and community groups. In addition, GFC’s Community Foresters help with species selection, location, planting, and maintenance education.
Many elementary schools do not have enough trees on the school’s campus, especially in the playground area. Strategically planted trees provide many benefits.
Trees keep children healthy by:
reducing surface temperatures on playground equipmentreducing UV radiation which can cause skin cancerreducing ground level ozone through coolingdecreasing temperaturesimproving air quality, thereby lessening the risk for children with asthma
Tree benefits in school settings:
Shade from trees encourages activities in green recess settings, reducing AD/HD and improving test scores.Children gather in the shade of trees and seek them out for respite from overactive minds’Trees improve campus aesthetics.Trees provide shady gathering areas for teachers, administrators, and students.Trees conserve energy by shading air conditioning equipment, windows, and buildings.
Students and parents can serve as the primary planters. This allows them to take ownership and responsibility for watering and mulching. Pre-planned classroom activities can also be coordinated around events such as Arbor Day.
Available Funds
Making the Shade Grant Program funds are provided through the Urban and Community Forestry grant program. The maximum amount of the award is $5,000. Funding is for projects or activities not otherwise currently funded and cannot be used to substitute for existing funds. Funding is unavailable for entertainment, food and beverages, computers, or equipment purchases. The Georgia Forestry Commission reserves the right to reject all proposals or to approve partial funding for all proposals.

Eligibility

Educational institutions, parent-teacher organizations, community tree volunteer groups and neighborhood associations are eligible for funding. A working relationship with a local GFC Forester must be established prior to application and be maintained during all project phases. Partnerships with school officials, the parent-teacher organization, local tree board/ nonprofit, a volunteer landscape architect, a local nursery and/or a corporate sponsor are strongly encouraged.Eligible Projects must meet program objectives. The Making the Shade program is intended to support new initiatives, programs, projects or activities not currently being funded through other sources. Making the Shade is not intended for the purpose of beautification tree plantings.Applicants must, at the time of grant award, be able to demonstrate that it can contribute the required cash and/or in-kind match.Making the Shade Grant Program, funds must be matched equally (dollar for dollar) with non-federal funds. These non-federal funds cannot be used as a match for any other Federal cost-share project. The match may include in-kind contributions, volunteer assistance, and private and public (non-Federal) monetary contributions. All matching funds must be specifically related to the proposed project.

Ineligibility

Funding is not available for entertainment, food and beverages, computers, or purchase of equipment. Ineligible projects include, but are not limited to; trail design and maintenance, property acquisition and related costs, beautification projects, tree removal and maintenance.