The following organizations are eligible for GMF funding:
Canadian municipal governments (e.g., towns, cities, regions, districts and local boards)
Eligible to apply alone or in collaboration with other eligible municipal governments
Organizations applying in partnership with municipal governments, which include:
Municipal corporations
Regional, provincial or territorial organizations delivering municipal services
Indigenous communities or organizations
Not-for-profit organizations registered in Canada (e.g., charitable organizations; volunteer organizations; community, professional, industry or other associations; land conservation organizations; and non-government organizations)
For-profit organizations or academic institution are not eligible to apply as lead applicants but can be collaborators on the plan or study.
Expected Output:
Your plan or study must focus on the forests and trees in your community and be part of one or more of the following categories:
urban forest strategy or plan
tree planting strategy or plan
urban forestry policy or guideline
urban forestry community engagement strategy or plan
urban forest assessment and analysis
Application Deadline:
We will accept and approve applications as they are received, and so you are encouraged to apply as soon as your application is complete. Applications will be accepted until April 15, 2026, or until the funding is fully subscribed. The Green Municipal Fund reserves the right to close the call for applications once funding has been fully allocated.
**Municipalities are only eligible to receive funding for one Urban forestry plan or study.
*The following applicants may qualify for additional funding of eligible project costs:
Municipalities with populations fewer than 10,000, northern and remote communities will receive a cost share of 90%
Indigenous communities or municipalities applying in partnership with an Indigenous community will receive a cost share of 100%
Northern community: A community located in the North, which in the context of GMF funding is defined as the three territories and the northern portion of the following seven provinces, as defined by Statistics Canada codes: Newfoundland and Labrador (10), Québec (24), Ontario (35), Manitoba (46), Saskatchewan (47), Alberta (48) and British Columbia (59).
Remote community: In the context of GMF funding, communities listed on the Canada Revenue Agency list of places located in prescribed zones (formerly referred to as “Northern communities”).
Indigenous community: In the context of GMF funding, an Indigenous community (which includes First Nations, Métis and Inuit) is eligible to apply if a province or territory has passed an act or a regulation that affords a community the status of a municipality, if the Indigenous community is undertaking an eligible project in partnership with a municipal government, or if the Indigenous community has a shared service agreement for any purpose with a municipal government related to municipal infrastructure, climate change or adaptation.
What we fund
We fund plans or studies focused on the sustainable expansion and resilience of community forests and trees, such as urban forest management plans. Your plan or study must contribute to future tree planting initiatives in your community.
Your plan or study must outline how your community will implement the results of this work to make real, measurable changes. It must also consider socio-economic benefits, community climate change resilience, biodiversity and ecosystem health.
Your community can receive funding for plans and studies that will prioritize equity-deserving communities and address systematic inequalities in tree planting locations, resource distribution and access to the long-term benefits of trees and urban green spaces.
What your plan or study needs to achieve
Your plan or study must focus on the forests and trees in your community, and it will need to be characterized as one of the following categories of eligible plans or studies.
This list is not exhaustive, and we encourage municipalities to explore projects that align with their unique urban forestry challenges and community needs.
Urban forest strategy or plan
These are long-term strategies or action plans to manage, enhance and protect the entire urban forest.
For example:
urban forest strategy or management plan (or update to an existing strategy or plan)
urban forest operational plan (e.g. implementation, long-term maintenance, monitoring)
urban forest asset management plan
Tree planting strategy or plan
These are strategies or plans specifically aimed at guiding community-wide or regional tree planting efforts, with a focus on achieving strategic tree planting goals and priorities, such as increasing tree abundance.
For example:
tree planting strategy or framework
tree planting master plan
Urban forestry policy or guideline
These are policies or guidelines that help shape effective urban forestry policies, such as those that govern tree preservation, planting and maintenance.
For example:
tree or urban forest bylaws
technical guidelines, manuals, standards and specifications
urban forestry best-practices and operational design standards
Urban forestry community engagement strategy or plan
These are plans to involve community members in urban forest management and education.
For example:
urban forest collaboration and partnership plans (e.g. engagement plans for Rightsholders and other relevant groups)
community education and engagement strategy
capacity building strategy for tree planting and maintenance
Urban forest assessment and analysis
These are projects that involve gathering, analyzing and assessing data and information to better understand and manage urban forests.
For example:
tree inventory
land cover analysis (e.g. canopy cover, plantable area)
planting site inventory
canopy growth modelling
planting prioritization study (e.g. urban heat, equity)
forest structure and function study (e.g. biodiversity, connectivity, ecosystem services)
urban forest climate vulnerability assessment
urban forest current conditions assessment/baseline analysis (e.g. criteria and indicators assessment)
urban tree risk assessment (e.g. environmental, financial)
Required documents
Required documents will differ depending on the type of applicant. See the application guide for details.
Readiness check
Complete the following questions to determine if your plan or study could be eligible for funding.
It sounds like your plan or study could be a good fit for our funding.
The next step is to download the application guide and confirm your eligibility by completing the pre-application form through FCM’s funding portal and following the instructions in the application guide to complete it.
To further discuss your application, contact a GMF representative to schedule an appointment:
It sounds like your plan or study could be a good fit for our funding.
The next step is to download the application guide and confirm your eligibility by completing the pre-application form through FCM’s funding portal and following the instructions in the application guide to complete it.
To further discuss your application, contact a GMF representative to schedule an appointment:
Then, obtain a pre-application form through FCM’s funding portal. Once you have completed this form, submit it through the funding portal. To do this, create a client profile in the portal and follow the instructions listed there.
Supporting documents are not required at the pre-application stage. They will need to be submitted with your full application.
A GMF representative will review your pre-application and determine whether your organization and project are eligible to proceed to the next step of the application process. You should receive a response within five business days of the date we receive your pre-application.
IMPORTANT: Even if your organization and project are deemed eligible to move forward with a full application, it does not guarantee that your project will be approved for funding.
Step 4: Full application completion and submission
If your organization and project are deemed eligible to proceed, your GMF representative will inform you that the full application form is available through FCM’s funding portal. They will also provide you with a project workbook to complete.
As you complete the application and the workbook, contact your GMF representative if you have questions or need help. Once you’ve filled out the application form and project workbook and attached the required supporting documents found in the application guide, submit all of this information through FCM’s funding portal.
Step 5: GMF project officer review
Once your full application is submitted, a GMF project officer will be assigned to your file and will review your application for accuracy and completeness. They will work with you to resolve any questions and be your point of contact throughout the rest of the application and funding decision process.
Step 6: Peer and internal review
Following an external peer review and an internal analysis of your full application, a funding recommendation is made by GMF to FCM’s Board of Directors.
Step 7: Funding decision
FCM’s Board of Directors approves plans and studies funded under Urban forestry plans and studies.
Access urban forestry coaching
You can access free coaching from urban forestry professionals to improve the quality of your application and receive answers to technical questions about your plan or study. If you are interested in speaking with a coach to support your application, please ask your GMF representative to refer you.
Coaches can help you with:
Scoping your project and reviewing methodology
Maximizing project benefits
Ensuring your project is informed by best practices in urban forestry
Please refer to our coaching webpage for more information on this service.
Consult Appendix D: Reporting requirements of the application guide to ensure that your project’s budget includes sufficient resources to meet reporting requirements.
Visit FCM’s funding portal to create your profile and request a PIN to access the system or access your existing profile.
Non-municipal organizations with a partnership with Quebec municipalities are eligible and invited to apply to access this funding.
Municipally owned corporations are not included in the agreement with the ministry. They must obtain authorization from the Quebec government to secure an agreement with FCM, in accordance with the Ministère du Conseil exécutif.
Communities know that trees matter. They enhance community well-being while creating cooler, greener and more climate-resilient spaces. However, many communities lack urban forestry expertise and support to manage trees effectively, protecting their long-term investment.
Launched in 2023, GMF’s Growing Canada’s Community Canopies initiative (GCCC) helps communities plant the right type of trees in the right places, and urban forestry coaches help to bring this important work to life by supporting them to get the most value from tree planting and planning projects.
In this article, you’ll discover common urban forestry challenges communities face and how GCCC’s network of over thirty urban forestry coaches can help. Four coaches share their insights:
Marshall Buchanan, devoted to nature conservation for over 30 years; he’s managed his own forestry consulting business, specializing in landscape restoration, urban forestry, private woodlot management and forest gene conservation.
Barbara Rabicki, principal owner of Wild by Nature; a forest sanctuary of over 1,000 trees planted in a former depleted quarry.
Tyler Searls, registered professional planner, forester and ISA-certified arborist. He joined Diamond Head Consulting, a company which aims to “protect, restore and enhance the natural environment” in 2021.
Margot Ursic, ecologist. She is the Principal of Grounded Solutions, using her experience as an applied Planning Ecologist to advise committees on land conservation efforts.
How can an urban forestry coach help your community?
Urban forestry coaches provide specialized urban forest management expertise to communities across Canada and are supported by a partnership with Tree Canada.
Coaches support communities through every stage of the GMF funding journey; during the funding application process, coaches offer specific recommendations to bolster their applications and overall project. This can include support in:
developing tree planting plans,
designing community engagement strategies,
selecting the right trees and stock,
ensuring strong monitoring and maintenance practices.
Once funding is approved, coaches support communities in the execution of the project, offering best practices to maximize the environmental and social benefits, as well as ensuring high tree survivability rates and sharing tools for tracking metrics.
What are the top challenges communities face when starting an urban forestry project?
1. Industry expertise
Rabicki—like other urban forestry coaches—has developed a great deal of experience that she enjoys sharing with those who want to green their communities, but may lack the industry expertise. In fact, this lack of experience is one of the main challenges that Rabicki and other urban forestry coaches often see funding applicants grapple with—especially for communities without in-house urban forestry experts, or in smaller municipalities who are strapped for staff time and resources.
2. Community buy-in
Another common challenge is securing public support for an urban forestry plan, says Ursic. While “most people like trees,” Ursic says, “how much are [decision-makers] willing to really invest? If a municipality wants a canopy to be sustained for the long term, it needs continual reinvestment in planting, maintaining and protecting.”
Rabicki explains that coaches help applicants share with municipal decision makers the value of trees as green infrastructure, which she says can benefit wildlife habitats, air quality, stormwater management, energy savings and pest management. For example, Rabicki says, diversifying the types of trees planted can protect communities against the emerald ash borer, an invasive wood-boring beetle that, within eight to 10 years of entering a community, kills 99 percent of ash trees.
3. Building momentum
Despite many community members wanting to contribute to a solution, individuals who know the benefits of trees beyond being “nice to look at” may feel uncertain of who to approach to launch a greening initiative, Buchanan says.
“How can they ignite their enthusiasm [for a solution] and bring [people] together to make it happen? Is the impetus coming from the local government, or is it coming from the citizens group—and how can that effort be empowered?” Buchanan asks.
That’s why GCCC’s network of coaches is so crucial. They act as both expert guides and strategic allies for communities, building compelling cases for long-term investment, helping communities overcome gaps in staffing, training and peer connection.
Identifying canopy gaps
With years of industry expertise, coaches leverage different tools and resources to support funding applicants, such as by helping them craft a plan for their tree planting project.
From an equity standpoint, Searls says that, when creating a tree planting plan, it’s vital that communities identify gaps in their canopy and which neighbourhoods might benefit the most from greening. Factors such as race, culture, income and education may have historically impacted how trees were planted throughout an area, with underserved neighbourhoods often seeing less green space. This lack of green spaces can lead to higher rates of heat-related deaths and illnesses, higher utility bills, structural damage due to extreme weather events and more.
Addressing biodiversity loss
Buchanan adds that there is a ‘biodiversity crisis’ in Canada—statistics show that at-risk mammal populations, such as the woodland caribou who rely on mature trees for nutrition and safe travel routes, have fallen by almost half in 50 years.
When natural spaces and biodiversity are lost, risks to human health increase. Without the power of trees, the air is filled with more pollutants, food safety and security dwindle, pandemic risks increase, and more.
That’s why it is so important to design urban forestry projects that increase biodiversity, prioritize native species and protect existing green spaces. Coaches can offer expert guidance to support a more diverse and resilient urban forest through strategic tree planting or naturalization projects.
Right-sized support
Regardless of size or prior experience, any community applying for funding can benefit from urban forestry coaching.
When working with funding applicants, Searls’ first step is to have a discovery meeting to better understand where the community is at in terms of expertise and previous urban forest management—for example, is this the first-ever large-scale greening initiative, or is it a municipality looking to scale their existing urban forestry efforts with additional funding?
“That can help you chart the course to get through the application process and hopefully be successful,” says Searls. As a coach, one of his first assignments was with an established community of over 100,000 people. Searls explains that, as a larger community, they had a great deal of subject-matter expertise in urban forest management—however, where Searls came in was to help them navigate their GMF funding application.
“They have good awareness of where they might have needed me, and so we've left the door open to them engaging me as they see fit,” he says.
Rabicki’s approach is similar to Searls’—she begins every project by identifying a community’s existing capacity. “Are they struggling with staffing resources, financial resources?” she says, listing the kinds of problems a community can face, from managing their urban forestry contacts to finding suppliers, or drafting up contracts and tenders for forestry services. “Those are all things that we can help with, depending on what their individual needs are,” Rabicki says.
Searls says that smaller communities are more likely to have limited urban forestry networks, as they may not have the staff capacity or resources to attend industry conferences. “They don't belong to certain professional associations, they don't get the networking opportunities.”
Even a community that is well-established in urban forestry can benefit from coaching, Rabicki says. “Your network can never be big enough, because there are often challenges that you're facing at different times,” Rabicki said—for example, figuring out how to protect tree canopies from an unexpected disease or pest infestation.
Coaches can support strategic planning work, like the development of an urban forest management plan. With a strategic plan in hand, Rabicki says that communities have a “road map” that they can refer to, including touchpoints with a community’s municipal council for buy-in, as well as “helping the public understand what the goals are, and why it's critical to build a tree canopy,” she says.
Ursic adds that, while the needs of each community are unique, there’s always something to be gained from working with a coach. For example, a larger municipality might need a particular niche filled—such as an expert on woodland management—while others need assistance with figuring out how to approach their to-do list. “Maybe they need guidance on helping to prioritize [tasks],” Ursic says. “There's a lot they want to do, but they can only do so much. Where's going to be the best place for them to put their resources?”
Currently an urban forestry coach to various municipalities, Ursic adds that funding applicants benefit from urban forestry coaches who work with a breadth of communities. “I learn little bits and pieces in different places that I can bring to other projects and say, ‘over here, they've had this experience, maybe this would work for you,’” she says.
While communities benefit greatly from working with a coach, coaches also have something to gain from partnering with funding applicants: Rabicki—who has worked both as a forestry consultant and as a municipal staff member—says she “gets excited” about helping others learn and become confident in their projects.
“It's about passing on the experience and helping others grow and succeed and learn together,” she says. “It's a collaborative greening of Canada's communities.”
Got a project idea? Don’t do it alone
Whether you’re just starting to dream up your urban forestry project or already deep in implementation, connecting with a GCCC urban forestry coach early on can make all the difference.
The earlier you connect with a GCCC urban forestry coach, the stronger your project will be. Talk to our outreach team to learn about GMF funding, share your project idea, get matched with a coach and explore how we can help.
The Green Municipal Fund’s Growing Canada’s Community Canopies is a $291 million initiative, ending in 2031, funded by the Government of Canada and delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Capacity building is enabled through a partnership with Tree Canada. GCCC will support the planting of at least 1.2M trees across Canada by end of March 2031.
St. Albert rec centre retrofit aims to cut utility bill by $98,000 per year
The City of St. Albert, Alberta, is upgrading a 44-year-old community facility that serves up to 200 people per day. The energy-efficiency retrofits at the Fountain Park Recreation Centre will reduce energy consumption by 30%, greenhouse gas emissions by 42% and annual utility costs by more than $98,000.
The $10.5 million project, made possible by a $3.75 million loan and a $1.25 million grant from the Community Buildings Retrofit Initiative, adopted best practices in energy efficiency and supported the city's efforts to pursue green certification for all new and retrofit projects.
This major building upgrade brought together local workers and suppliers to install energy-saving boilers, better lighting, a more efficient heating and cooling system, new windows, and a single efficient unit that replaces two existing air handling units. The revamped facility is also much more accessible, with new guard/handrails throughout the building, better visual and tactile indicators, a renovated wheelchair ramp and a new portable aquatic chair lift.
For a city with a population of just 65,589, it was a major undertaking to update the systems in a building that has served the community for decades. That made the project a model for future CBR upgrades that aim for higher building standards while making active lifestyles more accessible for all residents.
Photo courtesy of the City of St. Albert
Want to explore all GMF-funded projects? Check out the Projects Database for a complete overview of funded projects and get inspired by municipalities of all sizes, across Canada.
Alberta’s Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP) has enabled 27 municipalities to deliver hundreds of home energy upgrades through local PACE programs since 2021. CEIP helps homeowners install a wide range of upgrades, such as efficient windows and doors, insulation, upgraded HVAC and lighting systems, renewable energy technologies, and more—all while enabling repayment through property taxes and reducing monthly energy bills.
Unique enabling legislation in Alberta, backed by a nearly $82 million investment by FCM’s Community Efficiency Financing program (CEF), has transformed local retrofit markets with a province-wide approach to scaling municipal Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs. CEIP provides administrative support, uptake information, and economies of scale that help a growing network of contractors install upgrades that not only enhance comfort but also help homeowners save money by allowing them to repay costs over time and lowering monthly utility bills through improved energy efficiency and/or renewable energy generation.
Alberta Municipalities (ABmunis) administers CEIP in partnership with all participating communities. The communities and ABmunis share responsibility for program planning, delivery and administration. ABmunis helps its local partners apply for GMF funding-often a crucial benefit for small municipalities with limited staff and supports their efforts to build business cases, line up investment capital, review bylaws and develop program materials. This hybrid program delivery model - ABMunis as the central administrator and partner communities - has accelerated uptake across the province of Alberta.
CEIP has also set up a qualified contractors' network that ensures consistent performance across individual projects, supports homeowners through their CEIP journey, serves as an informal sales network for the local programs, bolsters local economic development and supports good jobs in participating communities. As of June 30, 2025, more than 550 contractors have joined the program.
Due to the programs' popularity, some municipalities are exploring options to continue financing retrofits after CEF funding has run its course, and/or adopting commercial PACE bylaws that expand on their existing residential programs.
In April 2025, the City of Calgary approved the continuation and expansion of its local CEIP and supplemented it with a free home energy upgrade program for income-qualified homeowners and renters, part of the city's broader Energy Equity Strategy.
Alberta CEIP impact (as of July 24, 2025):
1,026 active projects and 717 completed projects
Total estimated GHG savings of 2,852 tCO₂e/yr, annual energy savings of 19,644 GJ/yr and annual renewable energy generation of 3,078 MWh/yr
23 municipalities with active CEIP programs
Alberta Municipalities (ABmunis) is a not-for-profit association founded in 1905. It represents Alberta's 265 urban municipalities, including cities, towns, villages, summer villages, and specialized municipalities.
Photo courtesy of Alberta Municipalities
Want to explore all GMF-funded projects? Check out the Projects Database for a complete overview of funded projects and get inspired by municipalities of all sizes, across Canada.
The Kenora District Services Board (KDSB) and the City of Dryden, Ontario, are setting out to tackle a shortage of seniors' housing with a project that represents an essential investment for the region's aging population. A new seniors' residence will be built to a solar-ready, Net Zero Energy Ready (NZER) standard, with projected reductions of 72% in energy consumption and 85% in GHG emissions. The $20.6 million project received a $2.4 million grant and a $1.6 million loan from the SAH initiative.
Serving a population of 75,000 across nine municipalities and four unincorporated territories, KDSB is the region's largest housing provider. The Arthur Street project will be the agency's first high-efficiency multi-unit building, featuring a highly insulated envelope, low-energy systems, and a ground-source heat recovery system.
Want to explore all GMF-funded projects? Check out the Projects Database for a complete overview of funded projects and get inspired by municipalities of all sizes, across Canada.
A group of Elders from the Pitquhirnikkut llihautiniq/Kitikmeot Heritage Society in the Hamlet of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut is developing a new cultural campus to document, revitalize and mobilize traditional lnuinnait knowledge. The entire community will benefit from a $500,000 project that consists of two buildings totalling 4,600 square feet and space for outdoor activities. Designers listened closely to local residents' needs and experience and incorporated those learnings in a space that will maximize community uses and support local culture.
Nunamiutuqaq (Building from the Land) is meant to revitalize Inuit practices for building in harmony with the Arctic landscape by bridging traditional architectural principles with cutting-edge approaches to low-energy, low-carbon buildings—many of which have not previously undergone Arctic testing. The initial 1,100-square-foot structure was constructed at the Green Building Technologies research lab at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, then shipped to Cambridge Bay and reassembled as a space to test and monitor the performance of sustainable building materials and technologies.
The second building is now under construction. It will include a museum and archives, an innovation hub, a community gathering space, a dedicated space for Elders and a research library. The design incorporates traditional principles and concepts identified by Elders and other community members, including passive solar and solar shading techniques, building orientation, fenestration techniques and foundation design to account for permafrost. The building will feature walls and ceilings with top-tier insulation, high-performance windows, enhanced airtightness with minimal thermal bridging, energy-efficient components, onsite solar panels and high performance low-embodied carbon materials. The project also emphasizes local economic participation with a purchasing process that prioritizes Northern and Indigenous-owned businesses.
Photo by Margaret Thompson. Courtesy of Kitikmeot Heritage Society
Want to explore all GMF-funded projects? Check out the Projects Database for a complete overview of funded projects and get inspired by municipalities of all sizes, across Canada.
A network of four "sponge schools" in Quebec City will help students, teachers and parents adapt to climate change and prepare for its impacts by greening their school yards. The Conseil regional de l'environnement de la Capitale-Nationale received a $429,020 grant from LLCA to complete the installations, each of which is expected to capture and filter at least 10% to 12% of the stormwater at each school.
The project is converting 400 square metres of yard space in the Vanier, Limoilou, Saint-Roch and Saint-Sauveur districts, all neighbourhoods that are exposed to high levels of air pollution, urban heat islands, limited tree cover, and social inequality. By making creative use of established ecological management and bioretention practices like rain gardens and vegetated swales and turning the school sites into natural "sponges", the city is setting out to restore natural water cycles while making communities more pleasant, more liveable, and safer in a flood or severe storm.
The city set up local project teams and hosted information workshops in each school, successfully engaging students, teachers, parents, and administrators in every aspect of their local projects. LLCA's funding is enabling a hands-on opportunity for at least 120 students across the four sites to learn more about water management challenges and climate change.
Photo courtesy of the CRE – Capitale-Nationale
Want to explore all GMF-funded projects? Check out the Projects Database for a complete overview of funded projects and get inspired by municipalities of all sizes, across Canada.
The False Creek Neighbourhood Energy Utility (NEU) received a $1.5-million grant and a $10.1-million loan from GMF to expand its existing sewage heat recovery (SHR) system in downtown Vancouver. The investment will reduce reliance on fossil fuels, improve system resilience against extreme weather and fuel supply disruptions, and support local economic development. The expansion will restore the utility's 70% renewable energy target, dramatically improve the system's energy efficiency, and cut potable water consumption for sewage filtration and equipment cleaning by 97%, conserving 42,700 cubic metres of water per year.
NEU had already been in operation for a decade, supplying heating and hot water to 5.4 million square feet of residential, commercial and institutional space, when it set out to expand its operation. The system already had three megawatts of SHR capacity, but had gradually become more dependent on natural gas boilers as its customer base increased by 300% between 2010 and 2018.
With sewage heat still meeting 44% of the community's thermal demand, a feasibility study identified an expanded SHR system as the most cost-effective way to increase the utility's renewable energy production. The expansion project will reduce natural gas consumption at the False Creek Energy Centre by 56% by replacing gas boilers with ultra efficient heat pumps -a major step toward reaching 100% renewable energy over time.
Photo by Brett Ryan Studios. Courtesy of the City of Vancouver
How can an urban forestry coach help your community? 
What are the top challenges communities face when starting an urban forestry project? 
Identifying canopy gaps
Addressing biodiversity loss
Right-sized support 
Got a project idea? Don’t do it alone
