Community Reforestation (CoRe) Grants - OPEN
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 grant applications are due by Wednesday March 12, 2025 at 2 p.m.
How to Apply for CoRe
For the complete grant information please read the Bid Document/Request for Applications (RFA) (PDF) and the Appendix 8 — EQIP Standards (PDF). To apply, please visit the State Financial System (SFS) Vendor Portal. Please note that in the SFS system grant applicants are referred to as “bidders” and the grant RFA as a “Bid document."
For help with NYS grants, please visit the Grants Management Resources for Applicants page for documents, webinars, and trainings on navigating grant applications in SFS. For support with the SFS system, please log into the Vendor Portal and click the SFS Coach Icon. Or Contact the SFS Help Desk via email at [email protected] or phone at 877-737-4185 toll-free.
This is a reimbursement program, so all costs are covered by the awardee first and then reimbursed. Reimbursement can be requested quarterly.
Webinar for Interested Applicants
A webinar about project eligibility and the application process (including info on the use of the Statewide Financial System) was held on Thursday, January 9, 2025. The slides from the webinar (PDF) are now available and a recording of the webinar is available. Questions from the webinar are available in an FAQ (PDF).
Eligible Applicants
- New York State municipalities and quasi-governmental entities including but not limited to counties, cities, towns, villages, public benefit corporations, public authorities, municipal corporations, and soil and water conservation districts
- Indigenous nations and tribes recognized by the State or the United States with a reservation wholly or partly within the boundaries of New York State
- 501(c)(3) not-for-profit (NFP) corporations – please note that Nonprofits must prequalify prior to application/bid submission. To prequalify, the Nonprofit must register with the SFS and complete the online prequalification application
- NYS Agencies such as NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; NYS Department of Transportation; State University of New York (including individual campuses)
Eligible Project locations
- Projects must be on non-federal public properties (i.e. state, county, municipal) or privately owned land that is open to the public (i.e. preserves, land trusts, cemeteries); AND
- Be within the boundaries identified by the CoRe Grant eligibility map.
Project Types/Practices
Project work must meet the practices, specifications, and standards outlined in the Bid Document/Request for Applications (PDF) and the Appendix 8 — EQIP standards (PDF).
Eligible projects include:
- Afforestation/reforestation
- Forest stand restoration/competing vegetation control
- Deer exclosures
- A combination of the above practices
Award Information
- Of the $15 million available, up to $3 million is for State agencies, State authorities, State public benefit corporations, and State educational entities. The remaining $12 million is for all other eligible applicants (bidders)
- Minimum grant amount is $150,000 and maximum grant amount is $3,000,000
- Up to $3 million is for smaller projects by non-state eligible applicants ($150,000 - $500,000)
- There is no match funding required for this grant program.
- Funds from the CoRe grant cannot be used for real property (land) acquisition or for planting and maintenance of individual street or park trees.
- Applicants (bidders) may submit multiple applications for multiple projects, or one application with multiple project sites.
Previous Urban and Community Forestry Grants
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.