TreePhilly partnered with the Friends of Gorgas Park, the Boy Scouts, and the Roxborough Manayunk Wissahickon Tree Tenders in April to give away 284 trees at Gorgas Park in Roxborough. | Photo by Charles Bouril
Program is Offering Community Yard Tree Giveaway Grants
to Groups and Local Businesses
In a bid to help restore Philadelphia’s urban forest, community groups and local businesses can start in their own backyards and apply for TreePhilly grants to host yard tree giveaways in their neighborhood this fall.
In addition to receiving 50 trees and a grant for $500—a $2,000 value—recipients will also get educational materials, event planning and promotion guidance and free mulch. Groups and nonprofits that serve in low tree canopy areas will be given preference, but all organizations that serve Philadelphians are encouraged to apply. But hurry, the deadline is July 31.
The Community Giveaway Grants initiative hopes to build on the tree program’s success in hosting free yard tree giveaways each spring and fall. This past spring, TreePhilly gave away more than 1,500 trees, including fruit trees, flowering trees and shade trees.
Through the new Community Giveaway Grants initiative, TreePhilly, a program of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation in partnership with the Fairmount Park Conservancy and supported by Wells Fargo, hopes to branch out into new neighborhoods, especially those with low tree canopy coverage. TreePhilly’s efforts are in direct response to Mayor Nutter’s Greenworks Philadelphiagoal to increase tree canopy coverage to 30 percent in all neighborhoods.
“We want to give Philadelphians even more opportunities to get free trees and make sure we’re reaching out to all neighborhoods across the city,” says Erica Smith Fichman, TreePhilly program manager. “With the new Community Giveaway Grants, we’re reaching even more neighborhoods, building new partnerships, and empowering community groups to help restore Philly’s urban forest.”
To apply, visit TreePhilly.org, email [email protected], or call 215-683-0233.
