Wednesday, May 21, 2025
When communities plant trees they benefit from carbon sequestration, enhanced biodiversity, and better climate resilience and well-being. With this in mind, the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) and its Growing Canada’s Community Canopies (GCCC) initiative funds planting the right type of trees in the right places so that communities across Canada can grow, manage and protect their tree canopies.
To qualify for tree planting funding, your project must contribute to the planting of new trees with municipal government involvement and accountability.
As tree planting benefits communities in diverse ways, projects with planting that supports environmental, economic and social objectives will be more likely to receive funding.
To meet your local needs, GMF, which is administered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), funds a combination of tree planting, including:
- Community-wide urban planting
- Forest restoration in naturalized areas
- Localized planting projects
Maximum Award:
- Funding for up to 50%* of eligible costs
- Up to a maximum of $10 million** in project funding
- Up to a maximum of $1 million** in infrastructure activity funding
Open To:
The following organizations are eligible for GMF funding:
- Canadian municipal governments (e.g., towns, cities, regions, districts and local boards)
- Eligible to apply in collaboration with other eligible municipal governments or alone
- Organizations applying in partnership with municipal governments, which include:
- Municipal corporations
- Regional organizations delivering municipal services
- Indigenous organizations (for-profit and not-for-profit) or Indigenous communities
- Not-for-profit organizations registered in Canada (e.g., charitable organizations; volunteer organizations; community, professional, industry or other associations; land conservation organizations; and non-government organizations)
- For-profit organizations or private-sector entities (legally incorporated or registered in Canada)
The following entities are not eligible to receive funds directly:
- Homeowners
- Federal government entities and any organizations established by those entities
- Provincial and territorial government entities and any corporation that they own or control
Expected Output:
A new tree planting project, with municipal government involvement and accountability.
Application Deadline:
The deadline to submit a full application for this funding is September 18, 2025 (aiming for the Spring 2026 planting season).
GMF recommends submitting your application as soon as it is complete, so GMF can review it and flag any issues for your attention before the application window has closed. Applications that are incomplete when the application window closes will be deferred to the next funding cycle for assessment.
Featured image credit: Getty Images
