Open Urban and Community Forestry Grants
Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program Round 17 – Tree Inventories and Management Plans
$10 million in funding is now available through Round 17 of DEC’s Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) Grant Program. Of the $10 million dollars available for this round of grants, $3 million is set aside for communities with populations of 65,000 or less. Maximum grant awards are limited to $2.5 million and minimum awards are of $50,000.
Applications are due 2 p.m. on Wednesday August 12, 2026.
Applications must be submitted through the Statewide Financial System (SFS). Those wishing to apply must first register in SFS. Not-for-profits must also prequalify before the application deadline. Funding for this grant opportunity is provided by the New York State Environmental Protection Fund.
For complete information on eligibility, application questions, grant requirements, and scoring criteria applicants should review the UCF Round 17 Request for Applications (RFA).
Eligible Entities
- Municipalities;
- Not for profit organizations;
- Indian Nations and Tribes; and
- State agencies (only for inventory of forested natural areas)
Eligible Projects
- Traditional street and landscaped park tree inventory and assessment;
- Street tree and landscaped park tree inventory and assessment using ground-based remote sensing technologies;
- Forested natural areas inventory and assessment; and
- Management plans based on inventory and assessment data.
DEC will host a free webinar on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, from 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m., to provide information and answer questions about this funding opportunity. Register for the webinar now.
Past Urban and Community Forestry Grants
Community Reforestation (CoRe) Grants Round 1 -– Closed
Governor Kathy Hochul celebrated Arbor Day 2025 by announcing $15 million in new grants through the new Community Reforestation (CoRe) program. Sixteen projects will establish and expand resilient forests in and near New York’s urban communities, contributing to the 2024 State of the State “25 Million Trees Initiative” launched by Governor Hochul to recognize the importance of trees and forests for climate resiliency and community health. Funding for this round of the CoRe grant program was allocated by the Governor in her 2024-2025 Executive Budget.
View the complete list of CoRe Awardees (PDF).
About the CoRe Grant
More than 85% of New York’s population lives in or near an urban community. $15 million is available for municipalities, nonprofits, and State agencies through the Community Reforestation (CoRe) Grant program for tree planting projects that expand, restore and create forested natural areas that serve urban populations. This competitive reimbursement grant program contributes to New York State’s goal to plant 25 million trees by 2033, which will mitigate climate change impacts like extreme heat.
CoRe Applicants Resources
- Slides from the webinar (PDF) are available along with a recording of the webinar.
- Questions asked during the open period have been answered in the CoRe Grant FAQ (PDF) which was updated on March 4, 2025.
- CoRe Grant eligibility map.
- Bid Document/Request for Applications (PDF) and the Appendix 8 — EQIP standards (PDF).
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Urban and Community Forestry Grants 2023 - Closed
Funded by the USDA Forest Service through the Federal Inflation Reduction Act, the NY IRA grants were awarded in 2024 in July and September. View the list of initial awardees and the list of additional awards.
The USDA Forest Service allocated this funding to support projects in disadvantaged communities to increase and maintain a healthy urban canopy and equitable access to trees and the benefits they provide. The Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program authorizes funding for a broad range of activities, such as urban wood utilization, urban food forests, extreme heat mitigation, and workforce development.
Urban and Community Forestry Grants Round 16 - Closed
UCF1 – Tree Inventory and Community Forest Management Plan grant awards totaling $978,820 were awarded on December 22, 2023. View the list of awardees for more details.
UCF2 – Tree Planting and Tree Maintenance grant awards totaling $2,040,841 were awarded on April 26, 2024. View the list of awardees (PDF) for more details.
The Request for Applications (RFA) (PDF) outlines deadlines, eligible applicants and projects, and application scoring.
