About
TREE Fund (Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting scientific discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in the fields of arboriculture and urban forestry. Established in 2002, TREE Fund has awarded more than $5.4 million in funding to support scientific research on urban tree care issues, education programs related to trees, and scholarships for students aspiring to be tree care professionals. The organization supports urban and community forests, utility rights of way, and the skilled professionals who plan, plant, manage and maintain them.
Funding Opportunities
Asplundh – Hyland R. Johns Endowed Research Fund Grant Program
Established in 1995 to honor one of the leaders in the arboriculture industry and a founder of the ISA Research Trust, the Hyland R. Johns Grant Program funds longer term research and technology transfer projects that have the potential of benefiting the everyday work of arborists. Projects are expected to be completed within three to five years, with a maximum award value of $25,000. The program supports research in urban forest management, ecosystem services, tree health, and decay identification and assessment. Research priorities include inventory techniques, pruning and removal methods, tree health management, identification of insects and diseases, decay assessment, and ecosystem interactions. TREE Fund welcomes research proposals from a wide range of academic and technical disciplines. Over the next three years, Asplundh will donate more than $500,000 to fully endow the fund before the company's centennial in 2028. The program aims to support research that has practical applicability to arborists and the urban forestry community, with findings expected to be published in relevant professional journals and made widely available.
Safe Arborist Techniques Fund Grant Program
The Safe Arborist Techniques Fund (SATF) is a joint program of Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund) and International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), established in 2015 to support research and development into the techniques and equipment that arborists use in climbing, rigging, and working on trees, and the means of identifying potential hazards, to provide a safer working environment. Grant-funded projects are expected to be completed within two years of initial fund disbursement with a maximum award value of $15,000. The 2026 SATF grants must support useful inquiry into the areas of worker safety and/or biomechanics, including investigation into tree failure mechanisms and causes, and offsetting practices and techniques to protect workers, residents and property. Sample topics include decay assessment, inoculating trees with root decay, response growth, mechanical pruning, lightning protection, support systems and cabling, machine-aided climbing, and biomechanics. TREE Fund welcomes research proposals from a wide range of academic and technical disciplines, both qualitative and quantitative in nature. The fund does not support grants to individuals, municipal tree surveys, tree planting programs, traditional forestry and timber production studies, or product testing primarily for manufacturer benefit. Research findings are expected to be freely and widely available, with recipients encouraged to publish in relevant professional journals and present at conferences.
Bob Skiera Memorial Fund Building Bridges Initiative and John P. White Grant Program
The Bob Skiera Memorial Fund Building Bridges Initiative honors Bob Skiera, an urban forestry pioneer known for building bridges between urban foresters and other urban planning professionals, and John White, an arborist and urban forest influencer in Florida. The Initiative provides financial support to help arborists and urban foresters communicate the value of trees and urban forests through collaborative research and projects with public works officials, risk assessment professionals, civil engineers, wildlife researchers, soil scientists, and others. The 2026 Building Bridges Initiative Grant(s) focus on research to facilitate or engage interactions between urban forest managers, arborists, and other professionals committed to maximizing value and use of the urban forest resource. Suggested areas of investigation include quantitative and qualitative analysis of urban forest benefits to humans and communities, policy formation and program implementation, nature-based solutions, and ecosystem services. TREE Fund welcomes research proposals from a wide range of academic and technical disciplines, both qualitative and quantitative in nature. The program does not fund grants to individuals, municipal tree surveys or assessments, tree planting programs, traditional forestry and timber production studies, or product testing primarily for manufacturer benefit. The maximum award value 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.
Jack Kimmel International Grant Program
The Jack Kimmel International Grant Program, championed by the Canadian TREE Fund, honors the late Jack Kimmel who was the former Director of Parks for the City of Toronto. He is remembered for his contribution of 46 years of leadership to the ISA and its Ontario chapter. Jack Kimmel grants provide much needed funding to arboriculture and urban forestry researchers all over the world. This grant is administered by TREE Fund, with participation from the Canadian TREE Fund in the evaluation process. These grants are available to researchers whose work is primarily outside of the United States. Projects are expected to be completed within one to two years. Grant award amounts are limited to a maximum of $10,000 and will vary depending upon the adjudged value of the project relative to the needs of the arboriculture community. No project may receive more than one award from this program. In 2026, TREE Fund's Jack Kimmel International Grant program will be focused specifically on three areas of emphasis: Arboriculture Theory and Practice (including pruning, fertilization, climbing), Tree Health, and Risk Assessment and mitigation (including all aspects of decay and structural integrity). The program welcomes research proposals from a wide range of academic and technical disciplines, of both qualitative and quantitative nature.
John Z. Duling Grant Program
The John Z. Duling Grant Program was established and funded by a bequest from the estate of John Z. Duling of Indiana, a strong advocate of research who in 1972 proposed the establishment of the ISA Research Trust. The goal of this program is to provide start-up or seed funding to support innovative research and technology transfer projects that have the potential of benefiting the everyday work of arborists. John Z. Duling Grants may be used to support exploratory work in the early stages of untested, but potentially transformative, research ideas and approaches. Examples may include application of new approaches to research questions, or application of new expertise involving novel disciplinary or interdisciplinary perspectives. For 2026, the program will focus on Propagation, Plant Selection, Development of New Varieties, and Planting/Establishment and Arboriculture Theory and Practice. TREE Fund welcomes research proposals and applications from a wide range of academic and technical disciplines, of both a qualitative and a quantitative nature. Projects are expected to be completed within one to three years with a maximum grant award of $15,000.
At a Glance
- Total Funding Opportunities
- 11
- Active Now
- 5
- Source Domain
- treefund.org
Catalog Data
This funder profile was automatically extracted from grant listings. Information may be incomplete.
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