Urban Tree Planting Mini Grants will fund tree planting projects in urban census tracts and block groups with less than 30% tree canopy cover. With special funds through the USDA Forest Service’s National Urban & Community Forestry Program and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, these grants will advance work within areas with high population density to support more resilient urban and community forests.
VT UCF staff will host two Grants Office Hours as a chance for potential applicants to ask specific questions about application development, submission, and grant administration. These Office Hours will be held virtually using Microsoft Teams and pre-registration is not required.
- Thursday, December 3rd, 2026, 12-1pm, meeting link
- Tuesday, January 5th, 2027, 9-10am, meeting link
Urban Tree Planting
- $8,000 available in 2027
- $1,000 minimum award, $3,000 maximum
- No cost share requirement
- Eligibility limited to urban census blocks with less than 30% tree canopy cover
- Applications due January 29th, 2027
- Projects must be completed by November 30, 2027
Eligibility
Municipal governments and public educational institutions in Vermont may apply.
Eligibility will be determined in accordance with criteria that have been approved by the USDA Forest Service’s National Urban & Community Forestry Program. Projects must take place in a census block that has been identified as having a current tree canopy cover of 30% or less according to the website TreeCanopy.us. See the grant application for more information.
Eligible Vermont communities that have a census block with 30% or less current tree canopy cover are, in alphabetical order: Barre City, Bennington, Brattleboro, Burlington, Chester, Essex, Essex Junction, Middlebury, Montpelier, Morrisville, Rockingham, South Burlington, St. Albans City, St. Albans Town, St. Johnsbury, Swanton, Vergennes, Waterbury, Williston, Windsor, and Winooski.
Eligible Project Components
Projects must take place in Vermont and plant trees in public ways and places as defined in 24 V.S.A. § 2501a. This includes municipal rights-of-way and municipal property, and at public educational institutions.
Grant Category Information
The document linked below contains all relevant information to support applications for this grant category.
2027 Urban Tree Planting Mini Grant Application Guidance
Application
All 2027 Urban Tree Planting mini grant applications must be submitted using the online form linked below.
Once started, applications cannot be saved or restarted in the form application. We highly recommend using the grant application worksheet to develop your application and transfer your answers into the online application form once ready to submit.
Grant application worksheet (MS Word)
When your application is ready to submit, transfer your answers to the online grant application form.
2027 Urban Tree Planting Mini Grant Application Form
Additional Documents & Guidance
- Grant Budget Form (Word doc)
- Grant Budget Form (fillable PDF) - download and save to your computer before editing
- Risk Assessment Questionnaire (fillable PDF) - download and save to your computer before editing
- 2027 Urban Tree Planting Application Scoring Guide
- VT UCF Planting Specifications
- Section 1111 Permit guide for planting trees in a state highway right-of-way
- Grantee Insurance guidance
- FPR W-9 Guidance
- UCF Grants Frequently Asked Questions
Questions
For more information or assistance, contact the VT UCF staff listed below.
- Grant Application Questions: Elise Schadler, (802) 522-6015, elise.schadler@vermont.gov
- Project Development Questions:
- Joanne Garton, (802) 249-4217, joanne.garton@vermont.gov
- Adam McCullough, (802) 522-5104, adam.mccullough@vermont.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider. To file a discrimination complaint, for questions, free language services, or requests for reasonable accommodations, please contact ANR’s Nondiscrimination Coordinator at ANR.CivilRights@vermont.gov or visit ANR’s online Notice of Nondiscrimination.