grants and funding opportunities
Healthy tree canopy grants
Our grants are available to cities, affordable housing properties, schools, and non-profit organizations to enhance the county’s tree canopy.
The goals of the program are to combat threats to trees from invasive insects and disease by funding tree planting, educate the public on tree care and the importance of trees, and increase the diversity and resiliency of the tree canopy.
Types of grants
2026 healthy tree canopy grant flyer (PDF, 1MB)
Affordable housing
Grants are for removing ash trees and planting trees on affordable housing properties.
They are for new and existing affordable housing properties. Eligible applicants include:
- Owners and managers of existing affordable multifamily housing
- Developers of new affordable multifamily housing
- Affordable housing land trusts
Grants of a minimum of $5,000 up to a maximum of $20,000 are available. A 25% match of the granted amount is required.
Grant guidelines for affordable housing properties (PDF, 1MB)
Grant application for affordable housing properties (DOCX, 1MB)
Cities
For cities with no tree inventory or an incomplete tree inventory:
- Grants are only to complete tree inventories.
- Grants of $1,000 to $5,000 are available, and a 25% match is required.
For cities that have a completed tree inventory and a have a MN DNR certified tree inspector or an ISA-certified arborist under contract for the proposed grant project:
- Grants are to implement tree plantings, maintain newly planted trees, remove and replace ash trees, conduct outreach, develop gravel-bed nurseries and develop tree management plans.
- Grants of $10,000 to $50,000 are available, and a 25% match is required.
Grant guidelines for cities (PDF, 1MB)
Grant application for cities (DOCX, 1MB)
Schools
Grants are for tree plantings on school properties, tree-related education, tree inventories, ash tree removals, and Arbor Day celebrations.
Eligible applicants include administrators, teachers, principals, and facility managers of existing charter, private, and public schools in Hennepin County. Grants of a minimum of $1,000 up to a maximum of $10,000 are available. No match required.
Grant guidelines for schools (PDF, 1MB)
Grant application for schools (DOCX, 1MB)
Nonprofit organizations
Grants are for tree plantings on community properties, tree-related education, tree inventories, ash tree removals, and Arbor Day celebrations.
Eligible applicants include nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in Hennepin County.
Grants of a minimum of $1,000 up to a maximum of $10,000 are available. No match required.
Recommended tree list
When developing a planting plan, use the recommended tree list (PDF, 2MB). The list includes species of trees and notes about their suitability for planting in various locations. A do-not-plant list is also included.
Application
Applications for 2026 will be open from Tuesday, January 20 through Tuesday, March 3.
Register in the Supplier Portal
You need to be registered to submit an application. There has been an upgrade to the Supplier Portal, so you may need to register or re-register. For detailed instructions on how to register and submit an application, including video tutorials and more, visit Supplier Portal help.
Access the RFP and apply
- Visit the Supplier Portal
- Under Contracting opportunities, view the application materials by selecting the Healthy tree canopy grant you wish to apply for (affordable housing, cities, nonprofits, or schools).
- Submit materials through the supplier portal by 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3.
Contact us for help with your project
Hennepin County foresters are available to help you develop projects and answer any questions related to the grant and application process. Before applying, potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the healthy tree canopy grant manager, Leslie, at leslie.alcantarmejia@hennepin.us.
Information meeting
Hear about project ideas and understand the application process discussed during the February 4 information meeting:
Recently awarded grants
In August 2025, the county board awarded 26 Healthy Tree Canopy grants totaling $500,000. Grant projects will take place in nine cities, on two affordable housing properties, at four schools, and through eleven nonprofit organizations, including congregations and neighborhood associations. More than 930 trees will be planted through the grant projects.
The grants will:
- Fund the collection of data through tree inventories, which is critical to increasing and diversifying the tree canopy and starting to respond to emerald ash borer.
- Address the impacts of tree pests and pathogens by improving city forestry capacity and treating or replacing and replanting ash trees that are threatened by emerald ash borer. Grantees are required to plant at least one replacement tree for every ash tree removed.
- Educate residents on the benefits of trees and engage them in tree planting efforts.
- Improve livability and reduce disparities by planting trees in neighborhoods throughout the county experiencing disproportionate amounts of economic, environmental, and health inequities.
- Protect people and increase the county's resilience to climate change - important goals in the county's Climate Action Plan - by increasing the benefits that trees provide. These benefits include capturing carbon, reducing air pollution, and taking up stormwater, and providing shade to counteract the urban heat island effect.
Grants awarded to cities
Grants to cities fund tree inventories, help mitigate the effects of tree pests and pathogens, increase the capacity of city forestry programs, educate residents on the benefits of trees and engage them in tree planting efforts, and improve livability by planting trees in neighborhoods that face economic, environmental, and health disparities.
Brooklyn Center
$25,912 to remove 12 ash trees and plant 40 trees.
Brooklyn Park
$50,000 to update public tree inventory, remove and replace 35 ash trees, and a reforestation project.
Champlin
$22,942 to remove ash trees and plant 40 trees.
Crystal
$50,000 to conduct disease tree removal and replacements on public property across five neighborhoods of Becker, Lions Park, Broadway, Skyway, and Twin Oaks.
Eden Prairie
$37,933 to conduct oak wilt management, which includes removing and replacing infected trees, at Staring Lake Park.
Excelsior
$33,150 to update public tree inventory, tree preservation ordinance, and conduct disease treatments.
Golden Valley
$32,240 to remove up to 30 ash trees and plant 70 trees at Pennsylvania Woods Nature Center.
New Hope
$25,000 to remove 50 ash trees and plant 50 replacement trees.
Plymouth
$43,704 to update the public tree inventory using a smart tree inventory.
Grants awarded to affordable housing providers
Grants to affordable housing providers promote a more diverse, resilient, and equitable tree canopy by removing and replacing ash trees and planting new trees.
Aeon
- $20,000 to remove and replace 11 ash trees at Bass Lake Crossing in New Hope.
- $20,000 to remove and replace 9 ash trees at Kings Manor in New Hope.
Grants awarded to nonprofit organizations and schools
Grants to nonprofit organizations and schools are used to engage communities in planting trees, remove and replace ash trees, conduct tree-related education, complete tree inventories, and hold Arbor Day celebrations.