Community Planting and Stewardship Grant

• Eligible funding requests must range between $5,000 and $100,000 per project.
• All grants require a 50-50 match ($1 for every $1 granted) in cash and/or in-kind contributions.
• For funding requests exceeding $50,000, Urban Forestry must be consulted to discuss eligibility and scope before application.

• The applicant must be a public school board, hospital, college, university, or an eligible institution (including but not limited to non-profit housing providers) located within the City of Toronto.
• The project must focus on increasing tree canopy cover through activities such as planting non-invasive trees and shrubs, maintaining existing trees, or community education on private land.
• The project must be conducted on private land within the City of Toronto and must not duplicate or conflict with existing programs or regulations.
• The application must include a plan to provide matching funding (cash and/or in-kind) equal to 50% of the requested grant amount.

Who is eligible?

• Public school boards
• Hospitals
• Colleges
• Universities
• Other eligible institutions (including but not limited to non-profit housing providers) within the City of Toronto

Who is not eligible

• Companies and organizations not classified as public school boards, hospitals, colleges, universities, or other eligible institutions (such as non-profit housing providers) within the City of Toronto.
• Previously funded groups that have failed to meet the terms and conditions of a past grant or have outstanding requirements.
• Previously funded groups that have received over $1 million in funding for related activities.
• Businesses or organizations proposing projects managed, delivered, or funded (fully or partially) by the City of Toronto.
• Companies operating outside the City of Toronto.

Eligible expenses

• Direct costs necessary to carry out the tree planting or stewardship project on private land.
• Internal or external salaries and people-costs, provided they do not exceed 50% of the requested grant amount.
• Overhead and administrative costs, provided they do not exceed 15% of the requested grant amount.

Eligible geographic areas

• Organizations located within the City of Toronto.

• Alignment of the project with the stated purpose of increasing tree canopy cover.
• Applicant’s experience and capacity to complete the project and maintain trees long-term.
• Feasibility and clarity of the project process, including clearly defined deliverables.
• Reasonableness of project costs and demonstration of how the 50% matching funding requirement will be met.
• Demonstrated impact of the project in relation to increasing canopy cover, including considerations for geographic and community impact, environmental impact, and equity benefits.

• Grant requests over $50,000 require prior consultation with Urban Forestry regarding project scope and eligibility.
• Matching funds can be provided as cash and/or in-kind contributions.
• Projects may be allowed up to 18 months for completion with prior approval from Urban Forestry.
• Virtual information sessions about the program are available on specified dates for interested applicants.