Grant Opportunities

Selected Tree Planting Grants

Established in 1989, Trees Forever has earned national recognition for its exceptional grant programs, supporting tree planting, community forestry, water quality projects, and visionary transportation improvements in eligible regions. With 8 grants available, recipients have the opportunity to receive awards of up to $5,000, fostering a greener and more sustainable future for our communities

Check Treesforever for more details.

TreePlanters Grants are awarded to people, groups, or organizations in the Chicago region that can bring together and coordinate their neighbors to plant 10-40 trees in predetermined locations in their neighborhood.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Plantings occur in the spring (April-May) and fall (September-early November) of each year. Please apply here.

Check Open Lands website for more information.

The Urban Forest Improvement Program, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the USDA Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, provides grants to help organizations benchmark their urban or community forests against the SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard. These grants support the assessment of current management practices, offering valuable insights into how sustainably these forests are managed, as well as a roadmap of opportunities for improvement.

Deadline: Open on a rolling bases until May 30, 2027 or until all funds are awarded

Selected Native Garden and Pollinator Grants

The Central Chapter of the Illinois Native Plant Society offers grant funds of up to $1000 to individuals or groups for support of projects that promote the conservation of Illinois native plants and natural communities in the central Illinois region. Examples of past projects include demonstration prairies, tree reforestation, invasive plant removal, butterfly gardens, rain gardens, and educational events.

Applications are accepted and reviewed on an on-going basis.

The Lawns to Legumes pilot program offers a combination of workshops, coaching, planting guides and cost-share funding (individual support grants) for installing pollinator-friendly native plantings in residential Minnesotan lawns. The program also includes demonstration neighborhoods, which are pollinator programs run by local governments and nonprofit organizations with support from BWSR, and a public education campaign to raise awareness about creating pollinator habitats.

Deadline for 2025 award is November 30, 2024

Apply here.

Schoolyard Wildlife Habitat Action Grant for Illinois schools to use native Illinois plants in their wildlife habitat area. Projects must emphasize student/youth involvement with planning, development, and maintenance and increase the educational and wildlife habitat values of the site. Teachers, nature-center personnel, and adults who are youth-group leaders (grades prekindergarten through 12) in Illinois may apply.

2025 applications will be available Spring 2024. Deadline to apply: November 30, 2024.

Click here for more information

This nationwide grant is offered annually in an effort to increase habitat and awareness of what is required to support butterflies and their life cycle.

Applications for 2025 will be accepted from January 2 to February 28, 2025

Click here for more information

ComEd Green Region Grant

Recognizing that open space in our communities is crucial to the quality of our lives, ComEd and Openlands have committed to supporting non-profit organizations, schools, school districts, housing authorities, townships, counties, park districts, conservation districts, forest preserve districts, and municipalities-including municipal entities such as water reclamation districts- in northern Illinois with their ongoing efforts to protect or improve public spaces for the benefit of all. ComEd designed the ComEd Green Region Grant in partnership with Openlands to assist local communities in Illinois and NW Indiana in these efforts by providing funding for some expenses towards these goals.

Application submissions have closed, please check back for details on their 2025 application deadline.

The Wildflower Association of Michigan (WAM) awards grants annually to fund projects that range from creating an outdoor classroom to enhancing an existing site with native plants.

Application Deadline: December 1st of each year

Click here for more information.

The Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Program (SFE) is named for Wild Ones lifetime Honorary Directory Lorrie Otto, the founding inspiration for Wild Ones, Native Plants, Natural Landscapes, Ltd. SFE program provides meaningful learning opportunities that connect youth to nature and the Wild Ones mission. For more than 20 years, this vital Wild Ones donor-funded program has provided grants ranging from $100 to $500 for native plant gardens and landscaping projects throughout the United States.

The funds are designated for acquiring native plants and seeds for outdoor learning areas that engage youth (preschool to high school) directly in planning, planting and caring for native plant gardens. Examples include pollinator gardens, rain gardens to improve water quality, tallgrass prairies, native plant monarch waystations featuring citizen science activities and sensory and natural playgrounds.

Application deadline for 2025 award is November 15, 2024

Teachers, nature center personnel and adults who are youth group leaders (grades prekindergarten through 12) in Illinois may apply. Projects must emphasize student/youth involvement with planning, development and maintenance and increase the educational and wildlife habitat values of the site. The applicant must be prepared to maintain and commit resources to the project for at least five years. The project must be implemented on school grounds or another public place (for example, a park or nature center/forest preserve district land). Illinois Conservation Foundation sites and Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) sites do not qualify for funding. Admission fees cannot be charged to obtain access to the site. Individual student projects will not be funded.

Deadline: December 12, 2024

Apply Here

Prairie Garden Grants Program

Gardening and other conservation groups, parks, schools, and other entities in Missouri and immediately surrounding states are invited to submit proposals to MPF’s Prairie Garden Grants Program. In 2024, MPF would like to award several grants to help fund the establishment or improvement of prairie gardens or plantings. Grant awards up to $800 each

Gardens must be available to the public and must incorporate native prairie species. Grant funds must be used to establish a new native garden or to improve an existing garden. Gardens can be formal or informal. Grant funds can be used to purchase native seeds or native plants.

Deadline: 1/24/2025

For more information and requirements for this grant click here!

Full List of Midwestern Native Plant and Horticultural Grants

Grant Opportunities

Selected Tree Planting Grants

Selected Native Garden and Pollinator Grants

Prairie Garden Grants Program

Full List of Midwestern Native Plant and Horticultural Grants

Illinois:

Michigan:

Wisconsin:

Indiana:

Iowa:

Missouri:

Minnesota:

Kentucky:

Midwest/Nationwide:

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