CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO
Department of the Environment
SAN FRANCISCO CARBON FUND REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Grant RFP Issue Date
TBD
Pre-Application Meeting
2 pm August 15, 2013
1455 Market Street-12th floor SF, CA
1455 Market Street-12th floor SF, CA
or (ADD EMAIL ACCOUNT)
Application Review Process
No later than 5:00 PM,
August 30, 2013
Sept 3 – Oct 4, 2013
Interviews as applicable
September 16 – 20, 2013
Announcement of Grant Awards
October 7, 2013
Project Implementation Period
TBD
Proposal Due
SF ENVIRONMENT AND THE SAN FRANCISCO CARBON FUND
The mission of the San Francisco Department of the Environment (SF Environment) is to improve, enhance,
and preserve the environment, and to promote San Francisco's long-term wellbeing by developing innovative,
practical and wide-ranging environmental programs in recycling, toxics reduction, environmental justice, energy
efficiency, clean transportation, urban agriculture and urban forest. SF Environment fosters groundbreaking
legislation, and educates the public by providing comprehensive and accessible information on a variety of
practices, which serve as models for other cities and countries.
Since 2009, the City and County of San Francisco has levied an innovative carbon fee on municipal airline
travel. Revenue generated supports the San Francisco Carbon Fund (SF Carbon Fund), which is administered
by SF Environment for projects that mitigate carbon emissions. The SF Carbon Fund makes grants to
community-based organizations, for profit entities and neighborhood schools to mitigate carbon emissions and
ultimately, improve San Francisco’s natural infrastructure and enhance the quality of the living environment. In
prior funding cycles the SF Carbon Fund has made funding available for biodiesel and urban forest projects.
The goal of 2013 SF Carbon Fund grants is to reduce carbon emissions by increasing the number of healthy
trees, expanding locally appropriate habitats and decreasing the energy needed to treat the City’s wastewater.
Co-benefits of funded projects include contributing to health and well-being by reducing urban heat island
impacts, lessening flooding risks, expanding the production of locally grown food, increasing the walkability of
San Francisco neighborhoods and providing equitable access to green space. Other environmental benefits
include restoring biodiversity, and reducing and improving the quality of stormwater runoff. Incorporating green
infrastructure into San Francisco neighborhoods is an investment in current and future generations.
The 2013 cycle of the SF Carbon Fund has three project categories:
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Urban Forest: Increase canopy cover in the City through planting trees.
ELIGIBLE PROJECT TYPES
INCLUDE: Street Trees, Alleyway Trees, Urban Orchards, School Yards.
Low Impact Development (LID): Decrease energy needed to treat the City’s wastewater by introducing
and/or improving locally appropriate habitats. ELIGIBLE PROJECT TYPES INCLUDE: Swales, Planted Buffer
Strips, Rain Gardens, Natural Drainage Systems, Constructed Wetland, Habitat Restoration.
Integrated Green Infrastructure: Integrate Urban Forest and Low Impact Development by expanding
canopy cover and restoring natural drainage systems.
SF Environment will estimate and evaluate the carbon sequestered and decrease in energy used to treat
wastewater through reductions in stormwater. Estimates of benefits will generate local environmental
performance data, which will be used to inform the City’s climate change programs.
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS 2013
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PROPOSAL NARRATIVE
Proposal narratives must use at least 11-point font and 1-inch margins and should be no more than 10 pages
in length, including project work plans. Narratives must follow the template below.
1. PROJECT SUMMARY (5 POINTS) (HALF PAGE)
Briefly describe the project type, goals and objectives, the accessibility of the site, the amount being requested
and outline the major partners and collaborators.
2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION ( 95 TOTAL POINTS)
Provide a comprehensive description of the project, the goals and activities to be undertaken and how these
are realistic and measurable.
a. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES (10 PTS)
 Please describe the goals of the proposal and connect them to the goals of the SF Carbon Fund.
b. PROJECT LOCATION AND COMMUNITY (5 PTS)
 Describe the project location, existing site conditions and the surrounding neighborhood.
Communicate the challenges and opportunities on the site or in the neighborhood such as (1) there
is a lack of access to high quality open space (2) it is located in a flood prone area (3) it is in a heat
vulnerable community (urban heat island effect) and/or (4) other risks/opportunities in the
community that demonstrate the importance of the project.
c. CARBON REDUCTION: (20 PTS):
 Describe how the project increases the sequestration of carbon in the City and/or reduces carbon
emissions. Describe factors that can reduce carbon emissions, such as how the project reduces the
energy needed to treat the City’s wastewater by reducing stormwater runoff, such as by intercepting
and storing water in the biomass of trees; improving the quality of stormwater runoff through the
implementation of rain gardens, swales, vegetated buffers or wetlands; removing impervious
surfaces, such as asphalt, concrete, compacted soils, which will reduce stormwater runoff from the
site, or reducing impacts from Urban Heat Islands by increasing canopy cover in vulnerable
communities.
d. NEIGHBORHOOD CO-BENEFITS (5 PTS)
 Describe how the project benefits the public by providing high quality open space.
 Describe how the project promotes environmental education.
 Describe how the project and connects residents to the natural environment, creates new
opportunities for physical activities and/or improves the walkability of the City?
 Describe how the project creates new opportunities for locally grown, affordable food in the City.
 Describe additional community benefits, e.g. workforce development, job creation, youth
development, networking opportunities, etc.)
e. PLANT PALETTE AND GREENING (10 PTS):
 Describe whether (and how) invasive species will be removed from the site.
 Describe whether (and how) riparian or wetland habitats will be restored.
 As appropriate, describe how the project supports the City's Urban Orchard & Agriculture goals by
planting harvestable species.
 As appropriate, describe how the project supports the City’s Urban Forestry Master Plan: to
increase canopy cover, improve overall health of the City’s Urban Forest and/or create a more
walkable, livable city.
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f.
As appropriate, describe how the project supports the City’s Biodiversity Goals to protect or restore
remnant natural ecosystems, maximize habitat value in developed and naturalistic areas. Describe
how the project restores locally appropriate habitat, which supports and sustains vital wildlife, e.g.
bees, birds and butterflies.
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION (15 PTS)
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Describe how you will complete the implementation component of the project within 12 months from
the start of the grant.
Describe how the project uses locally sourced materials, such as native, locally appropriate or
harvestable plants sourced from a local nursery.
If appropriate, describe how the project reuses existing site materials, such as repurposing existing
concrete to create permeable pavers.
Describe how the project complies with the City’s statutes and ordinances requiring the materials
removed from the existing site be composted or recycled.
Demonstrate that all of the necessary permits have been researched and timelines for securing
permits have been assessed.
g. PROJECT MAINTENANCE & ONGOING STEWARDSHIP (10 PTS)
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Describe the plan for maintaining the project for 36 months after the initial 12-months, including
partners involved in maintenance, methods for monitoring, caring for and possibly replacing trees
and plant material.
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Detail how organic maintenance material will be taken care of and is in compliance with the City’s
statutes and ordinances.
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Describe how the project follows the City’s Integrated Pest Management Ordinance.
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Outline opportunities to minimize green house gas emissions during maintenance, such as use of
a renewable fuel for vehicles or maintenance equipment.
3. QUALIFICATIONS (10 PTS)
 Describe the qualifications of your organization, partner organizations and key team members.
 Clearly articulate the role of each project partner.
 Describe successful management of similar grants and projects.
4. BUDGET (10 PTS)
 Describe how the project would not be realized without grant funding and how it goes beyond the
scope of existing City operations.
 Describe how the proposed project leverages other resources and funding.
 Describe how funds will be allocated to maximize the ecological services for the neighborhoods and
the City as a whole.
5. COMPLETED APPLICATION (00 PTS)
 Five points will be awarded for successful completion of all documents by the submission deadline.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & REFERENCES
 TREES & VEGETATION
SF PUC: Low Water Use & Climate Appropriate List (Trees, Shrubs)
SF PUC Stormwater Design Guidelines (LID Vegetation Palette, Draft)
SF Street Tree Recommendation List (SF Planning Department)
California Native Plant Society, Yerba Buena Chapter (Gardening with Natives)
California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) online inventory of Invasive Plants
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National Park Service: Target Invasive Plants
San Francisco Urban Forest Master Plan
San Francisco Sustainability Plan: Biodiversity Chapter / Strategies
California Wetlands Tracker
Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of California
Berkeley Center for Diversified Farming Systems
 STORMWATER
SF PUC: SF Stormwater Design Guidelines (Low Impact Development & Best Management Practices)
Stormwater Management Ordinance (No. 83-10)
EPA Stormwater Runoff & Impervious Surfaces
 ENERGY
Energy Aware Planning Guide: Stormwater Reduction
Urban Tree Planting and Greenhouse Gas Reductions, Greg McPherson
 HUMAN HEALTH & WELL BEING
San Francisco General Plan: Recreation & Open Space. Policy 2.1: Map 02
EPA: Community Cooling Strategies: Trees and Vegetation
Recreation Assessment
 PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AND MAINTENANCE
San Francisco’s Construction & Demolition Debris Recovery
Zero Waste
Integrated Pest Management Ordinance
PERMITS
While it is not required that you submit official permits with the proposal, you must submit a letter from the
landowner of the project site (whether this is a City Department or private property) indicating commitment to
the project. Grant funds cannot be disbursed until official permitting is provided. Information can be found at:
 Street Trees: DPW/Bureau of Urban Forestry – (415) 641-2676, http://www.sfdpw.org
 Sidewalk Landscaping: DPW/Bureau of Urban Forestry – (415) 641-2676, http://www.sfdpw.org
 Minor Encroachments (planters, seating, etc): DPW/Bureau of Street Use– 554-5810, www.sfdpw.org
CARBON FUND GRANT REQUIREMENTS
POST-IMPLEMENTATION: INVENTORYING, MAINTAINING & REPORTING
Grantees must agree to maintain project vegetation for three years following the end of the 12-month
implementation phase and submit an annual Plant Inventory Report for a total of 4 reports (including an initial
report within 3 months of the end of the first year). Plant inventories must list project species and note if a
species has failed or is in danger of failing. If plant material dies the applicant agrees to replace it within 3
months of learning of the failure. The date the species is replaced must be indicated in the annual Plant
Inventory Report.
OWNERSHIP OF ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
The SF Carbon Fund Urban Forestry carbon offsets methodology is informed by the Climate Action Reserve’s
Urban Forestry Protocols. SF Environment will have sole ownership of all carbon sequestration benefits
directly derived from projects implemented using SF Carbon Funds to account for the possibility of participating
in CAR’s Urban Forestry program or other carbon markets.
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GRANT PROCEDURES & GUIDELINES
Who can Apply – For 2013 grants, only nonprofit organizations, neighborhood groups, and schools within the
City and County of San Francisco may apply. . Applicants are required to submit proof of non-profit status.
For-profit business may participate as a sub-contractor to an eligible organization.
Grant Types and Sizes – For this grant cycle the SF Carbon Fund will award up to $150,000. The minimum
award will be $15,000 and the maximum will be $50,000. Grants will be awarded for four (4) years, with the
majority of the grant (88%) awarded in the first year and less funding (4% per year) for the following 36 months
to cover maintenance and reporting. SF Environment may award full, partial or no funding. If no suitable
proposals are submitted or if there are grant funds remaining upon completion of the grant process, SF
Environment retains the right to reallocate the grant funds. Funding for each year of the grant is subject to
satisfactory completion of grant-funded activities.
Geographic Focus – The project site(s) must be publicly accessible and within the City & County of San
Francisco. Site(s) can be publicly or privately owned.
Grant Agreement/Contract Requirement – Before the City can award funding, grantees must become an
approved city vendor and meet Human Rights Commission requirements. This process can be arduous and
should be started as early as possible or risk grant awards being held up. Required forms may be downloaded
from http://www.sfgov.org/oca/purchasing/forms.htm. For more information, contact HRC at 415-252-2500.
Proof of Insurance – Insurance information is not required for the grant application. However, all funded
projects will be required to show evidence of insurance. Insurance requirements and sample insurance
certification forms can be obtained from Rachel Buerkle, SF Environment, at rachel.buerkle@sfgov.org or
downloaded at http://sfgsa.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=729.
Reimbursement Method – SF Environment’s payment process is cost-reimbursement. Payments will be
withheld pending timely submission of deliverables, reports and inventories. SF Environment may consider
providing an advance in situations where an applicant can demonstrate a legitimate fiscal need. Expenses
accrued before the grant becomes effective or after the grant ends will not be eligible for reimbursement.
Application Format and Deadline – Proposal narratives must be double sided, 8.5” x11”, al least 11-point
font, with 1-inch margins. They should be no more than 10 pages in length. The 10-page limit includes the
project work plan, but does not include the cover sheet, concept map, budget, plant list, estimated carbon
sequestration and ecosystem services, agreement letter(s), organizational chart, references and permit list.
Electronic submission is preferred, however proposals may be mailed or hand-delivered.
Electronic submissions A completed submission will include two parts: (1) the PDF(s) and (2) completed
Attachment D as an Excel document. Ideally all attachments will be sent in one email, which should not should
not exceed 5 MB. Allow plenty of time for any technical issues that might occur with an electronic submission.
Email to: ADD EMAIL ACCOUNT
If an electronic submission is not possible mail or hand-deliver proposals to:
San Francisco Department of the Environment
Attn: Calla Ostrander
1455 Market Street, Suite 1200
San Francisco, CA 94103
Proposal will NOT be accepted after the submission deadline (see timeline on the first page, No
exceptions). For hand-delivery please give yourself enough time to go through security at our new building in
order to submit your proposal on time.
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS 2013
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SF CARBON FUND COVER SHEET
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Submitting Applicant:
Contact Person:
Address:
Zip:
Work Phone:
E-Mail:
PROJECT DETAILS:
Project Title:
Project Address or Intersection:
SF Carbon Fund Project Type:
Urban Forest
Low Impact Development
Integrated Green Infrastructure (Urban Forest & Low Impact Development)
Supervisorial District:
Neighborhood:
Total Project Budget
$
Amount requested from SF Carbon Fund
$
Forms can be downloaded from www.sfenvironment.org/
must be submitted in the order outlined below:
*****SF Environment’s website. Proposals
CHECKLIST ITEMS
COMPLETED
COVER SHEET
PROPOSAL NARRATIVE
(Summary, Project Description (a-g), Qualifications and Budget)
ATTACHMENT A: WORK PLAN (Implementation & Post-Implementation)
ATTACHMENT B: PROJECT SITE MAP
ATTACHMENT C: BUDGET
ATTACHMENT D: PLANT MATERIAL DATABASE & ESTIMATED ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
ATTACHMENT E: AGREEMENT LETTER FOR ONGOING SITE MAINTENANCE
ATTACHMENT F: PARTNERSHIP MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU)
ATTACHMENT G: ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
ATTACHMENT H: REFERENCES
ATTACHMENT I: PERMIT / PERMISSIONS
ATTACHMENT J: PROOF OF NONPROFIT STATUS
SIGNATURE:
The signatory declares that: (1) they are authorized to sign on behalf of all entities in the partnership; (2) the
proposal accurately outlines the extent, objectives and methods of the project; (3) SF Carbon Fund grants will
be used solely for the purposes outlined in the proposal.
Project Signatory (Print)
Signature
Date
Title
E-mail
Phone
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ATTACHMENT A: WORK PLAN: IMPLEMENTATION & POST-IMPLEMENTATION
(1) IMPLEMENTATION WORK PLAN: The work plan should be listed in chronological order. Names included in
the responsible partner column must be included on the organizational chart. Add additional rows and
pages to the Implementation Work Plan as needed.
(2) POST-IMPLEMENTATION PLANT INVENTORY WORK PLAN: Post-implementation workplan should include
maintenance activities and process for completing inventories. Inventories will be used to track the
survival or the replacement of project trees and vegetation and should maintain a consistent tree and
plant material information.
ATTACHMENT B: PROJECT SITE MAP
Create a one-page digital or hand drawn 8-1/2” x 11” map to: (1) delineate the boundary of the project site
(include the surrounding streets) and (2) mark location and the species of trees and/or vegetation zones and
the species mix.
ATTACHMENT C: BUDGET
The budget should include the total cost of the project, the grant request, matching funds and in-kind support.
ATTACHMENT D: PLANT MATERIAL List & ESTIMATED ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Itemize proposed planting material (trees and vegetation are on separate tabs in the downloadable Excel
document). Complete the estimated ecosystem services with the calculators provided. The two steps are
combined into one Attachment to directly transfer, when possible, the information from the planting lists to the
estimated ecosystem services calculator. The ecosystem services that are estimated by the SF Carbon Fund
calculators are carbon sequestration, stormwater intercepted and energy avoided to treat wastewater.
Comprehensive instructions are included on the first page of Attachment D (Excel Document).
THE COMPLETED
ATTACHMENT D MUST BE INCLUDED AS AN EXCEL DOCUMENT IN AN ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION.
P
ATTACHMENT E: AGREEMENT LETTER FOR ONGOING SITE MAINTENANCE
If applicable, attach any agreement that demonstrates that the maintenance partner will have access to the site
for 36 months following implementation of the project.
ATTACHMENT F: PARTNERSHIP MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU)
Where a partnering, collaborative and/or subcontracting relationship is proposed, the proposal must include an MOU
between partnering organization(s), which documents the relationship and delineates tasks for each party.
ATTACHMENT G: ORGANIZATIONAL CHART (MAXIMUM TWO PAGES)
The chart should include board of directors, project team and contact information. If the project is a partnership
include for the entire project team and illustrate the relationship between the organizations.
ATTACHMENT H: REFERENCES
List three references that can attest to the qualifications of the applicant that align will the skills that will be
need to successfully complete the proposal.
ATTACHMENT I: PERMIT / PERMISSION
While it is not required that you submit official permits with the proposal, you must submit a letter from the
landowner for your project sire (whether this is a City Department or private property) indicating commitment to
the project. Grant funds cannot be disbursed until all official permitting are provided.
ATTACHMENT J: PROOF OF NONPROFIT STATUS
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