Draft — active rolling Georgia Forestry Commission opportunity; official funding-cap conflict ($10,000 in the linked application vs $5,000 in the live program page's detailed guidance) and conflicting published mailing addresses require clarification before applicant-facing funding representations, mailed submission, or package budgeting.Atlas Opportunity Score 70/100
Georgia Forestry Commission Making the Shade Grant — Rolling
Georgia Forestry Commission’s rolling Making the Shade Grant supports eligible elementary-school playground shade-tree projects with a dollar-for-dollar non-federal match and required local GFC Community Forester coordination. Official GFC materials currently conflict on whether the maximum award is $10,000 or $5,000, so Atlas is holding the funding ceiling for clarification.
FundingOfficial Georgia Forestry Commission sources conflict: the current linked Making the Shade application states a maximum award of $10,000, while the live program page's detailed Available Funds section states a maximum award of $5,000. Treat the maximum award as unresolved until GFC clarifies.
DeadlineRolling/year-round; no fixed closing date published by GFC.
Last verifiedSeptember 22, 2026
Required next actionObtain authoritative Georgia Forestry Commission clarification of the current Making the Shade maximum award and correct mailing address before representing a funding ceiling, mailing an application, or building an applicant budget. The live program page lists 1055 East Whitehall Road, Athens, GA 30605, while the linked application lists 141 Wilshire Road, Rome, GA 30161; both publish shawkins@gfc.state.ga.us. For neighborhood associations, verify 501(c)(3) status because the application expressly includes that qualifier. Then verify site need, school authorization, local GFC Community Forester relationship, 1:1 non-federal match, CRM and queue and send-history deduplication, recipient, Email_Opt_Out, and permanent-bounce status before ORIGINAL outreach.
Broad Eligibility
Eligible recipients include educational institutions, parent-teacher organizations, community tree volunteer groups, and neighborhood associations for eligible elementary-school campus shade-tree projects. The linked GFC application expressly labels neighborhood associations as 501(c)(3), while the live program page omits that parenthetical, so neighborhood-association tax status should be verified before qualification. A working relationship with a local GFC Community Forester is required before application and throughout the project.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score 70/100. N9+ Fit 0/100. QC Healthcare Fit 0/100. This is a legitimate rolling Georgia Forestry Commission opportunity, but the controlling official materials currently conflict on both the award ceiling and mailing address: the linked application says $10,000 and 141 Wilshire Road, Rome, GA 30161, while the live program page's detailed guidance says $5,000 and 1055 East Whitehall Road, Athens, GA 30605. Both publish shawkins@gfc.state.ga.us. Fail closed on the funding maximum and mailed submission route until GFC clarifies. For neighborhood associations, verify 501(c)(3) status because the application expressly includes that qualifier. Applicant-specific site need, school authorization, forester coordination, 1:1 match, recipient, opt-out and bounce status, and authoritative CRM and queue and send-history deduplication remain required before ORIGINAL outreach.
The Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) administers the Making the Shade Grant Program in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service to create healthier, shaded playground areas on elementary school campuses throughout Georgia. Applications are accepted year-round.
Funding
The current official GFC materials conflict on the funding ceiling. The linked Making the Shade application states a maximum award of $10,000, while the live program page’s detailed Available Funds guidance states a maximum award of $5,000. Atlas therefore treats the current maximum award as unresolved until GFC clarifies. Grant funds are limited to eligible tree-planting project costs such as trees, staking, organic non-dyed mulch, watering aids when needed, and eligible tree-installation costs. Funding may not be used for entertainment, food and beverages, computers, equipment purchases, or permanent underground watering installations.
Eligibility
Eligible recipients include educational institutions, parent-teacher organizations, community tree volunteer groups, and neighborhood associations. The linked GFC application expressly labels neighborhood associations as 501(c)(3), while the live program page does not repeat that parenthetical, so neighborhood-association tax status must be verified before qualification. A working relationship with a local GFC Community Forester must be established before application and maintained throughout the project. The funded work must be tied to an elementary-school campus and the program’s playground-shade objectives.
Match
Grant funds require an equal dollar-for-dollar non-federal match. Match may include eligible cash and in-kind contributions, including volunteer time, donated supplies or equipment use, and qualifying professional services. Federal employee or GFC staff assistance cannot be counted toward match, and pre-agreement expenditures cannot be used as match.
Project and submission requirements
Projects may begin only after the grantee and State Forester sign a grant agreement, and recipients have one year to complete the project. The application requires a project narrative, budget/financial detail form, signed liability waiver, and endorsement letter. A completed application must be submitted to the applicant’s GFC Community Forester and also to the Making the Shade program. The official sources currently conflict on the mailing address: the live program page lists 1055 East Whitehall Road, Athens, GA 30605, while the linked application lists 141 Wilshire Road, Rome, GA 30161. Both publish shawkins@gfc.state.ga.us, but Atlas does not guess which mailing address controls.
Atlas assessment
Atlas Opportunity Score: 70/100. N9+ Fit: 0/100. QC Healthcare Fit: 0/100. This is a legitimate rolling Georgia-administered opportunity with straightforward eligibility, but the official funding ceiling and mailed submission route are currently contradictory and must be clarified before applicant-facing funding representations, mailed submission, or package budgeting. Applicant-specific site need, school authorization, forester coordination, match capacity, authoritative recipient, CRM/queue/send-history deduplication, opt-out status, and permanent-bounce status must all be verified before ORIGINAL outreach.
Source verificationReferenced source · gatrees.orgAtlas last verified this record September 22, 2026. Always use the funder's current application materials, amendments and portal instructions as the controlling source.View source and application materials ↗
