Parks and Parkways Tree Planting Grant

The Department of Parks & Parkways, through a one-time allocation from City Council, is providing funding to assist nonprofit partners in Orleans Parish in planting trees on public property in the City of New Orleans. This award will provide support for nonprofit partners to aid Parks & Parkways in their citywide tree planting projects and will help the City reach its goal of restoring and expanding New Orleans urban forest with 40,000 new trees planted by 2030. 

Applicants are recommended to attend the informational webinar on April 28th at 2:00pm. Sign up to attend the webinar here! 

How to Apply for Funding 

There is a total of $146,500 available for this round of funding to support projects for the 2026-2027 planting season. Grant sizes will range from $15,000 to $25,000. The grant will be paid to recipient organizations in two installments contingent on accomplishment of designated milestones. 

Tax-exempt nonprofit organizations located in Orleans Parish are eligible to apply. 

To be eligible for this round of tree planting grants, an organization must have successfully finished planting and reporting for any past tree planting grants it has received. 

Applicants should submit their completed proposal (including supporting material) via the Foundation’s online portal.   

If your organization has already created a profile, simply log in with the same information and you will be able to apply to the Parks and Parkways Tree Planting Grant.  If not, setting up a profile is a very easy process.  Creating a profile will allow you to track the status of your grants from the Foundation’s various programs in the future as we bring more programs online. 

Our technology partner, Foundant, has created a brief tutorial for applicants that may be viewed here. 

If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to email grants@nocsf.org. 

Specific Guidelines

Awarded funds may be used for tree planting, supplies, and planting related expenses. Awards may not be used for general operating support, fundraising, or lobbying activities. 

For technical requirements and recommendations, please visit this webpage: Parks & Parkways – Tree Planting Grant – City of New Orleans 

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of stakeholders led by the Foundation. 

The following criteria will be used to select grantee partners: 

• Organizational Capacity: Organization demonstrates capacity to successfully implement and maintain the tree planting project, including experience, technical knowledge, partnerships, and long-term maintenance planning. 

• Location & Impact: Project is located in a public, eligible area with clear documentation of need for increased tree canopy, particularly in communities with high social and environmental vulnerability. The beneficial community impact of these plantings is tangible and clear. 

• Community Engagement: Applicant demonstrates a clear, inclusive plan for engaging community members in planning, planting, and stewardship, with an emphasis on strengthening community connections. 

• Budget: Proposed budget is reasonable, allowable under grant requirements, clearly detailed, and represents best value for the funds requested. Budget aligns with project activities and demonstrates fiscal responsibility. 

Grantmaking Schedule

Grant requests must be received by 11:59 pm on the deadline date. The deadline and notification dates are: 

Application deadline:
May 15, 2026 

Notification date:
June 2026 

Permitting & Reporting Requirements

If a grant is awarded, the grantee is required to submit interim and final programmatic and financial reports outlining the use of grant funds.  Total awards will be granted in two installments, with the second installment contingent upon meeting and reporting specific milestones. 

For all tree plantings on public property, permits are required. Grant recipients must register for and utilize the Department of Parks & Parkways Tree Collector App to ensure all planted trees are captured in the department’s GIS tree inventory. Additional details will be provided upon awarding of the grant, and all grantee partners will be required to attend a training session to review details for permitting, planting, and reporting planted trees.