Boston Tree Alliance 2027 Tree Planting and Care Grant
The City of Boston and grant administrator Mass Audubon are accepting applications for the Boston Tree Alliance 2027 Tree Planting and Care Grant, an applicant-facing financial-assistance program supporting new tree planting, two-year tree maintenance, and related community outreach on eligible private property in Boston. The 2027 competition opened September 9, 2026 and applications close November 6, 2026. The controlling NOFO does not state an exact closing time or time zone.
Individual funding and geographic eligibility
Eligible organizations may request up to $249,000; this cap applies per awardee over the lifetime of grants funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and may be lower for prior awardees. The funder has announced up to $688,000 for the entire 2027 competition, which is not an individual applicant amount. No cash or in-kind match is required, although matching support may strengthen a proposal.
Eligible direct applicants are nonprofit or community-based organizations in good standing with the IRS and Massachusetts that work with or serve Boston residents and businesses. A nonprofit fiscal sponsor is required when an individual, for-profit, public entity or unincorporated group participates as a lead project partner. Applicants must have an EIN and meet the program’s liability and workers’ compensation coverage requirements. The project must take place on privately owned land in Boston’s specifically mapped eligible census tracts; publicly owned property and land outside the map are ineligible even when a private entity leases the land.
Eligible and excluded expenses
Eligible project costs include new trees and their installation, up to two years of watering and maintenance, tree-specific site preparation, de-paving and green infrastructure directly related to tree planting, planting plans, site outreach and landowner education. Administrative and indirect costs are capped at 10% of the total project budget. Excluded activities include planting or care on public land, care of trees planted outside this grant, unrelated construction or site preparation, and noncompliant tree species. Projects must follow applicable planting and arboriculture standards.
Application instructions
Submit the 2027 application using the official City of Boston Tree Planting Grant application page and its Airtable application link by November 6, 2026. The 17-page controlling NOFO includes the complete application questions. Applicants must supply a project narrative, planting and two-year care plan, geographic site locations, proposed tree-species list, project budget spreadsheet, signed private-landowner agreements or a clear process to secure them, and applicable site plans. Include a project team and reporting plan for planting, six-month, one-year and two-year follow-up.
Post-award terms
Selected organizations will sign a program agreement with Mass Audubon, submit W-9 and insurance documents, attend an orientation, and provide landowner access agreements before field work. Program funds are expected to be distributed approximately three to four weeks after receiving the grantee’s invoice, before implementation. Grantees must document initial plantings and periodic inspections through two years.
Authoritative sources reviewed November 5, 2026: 2027 funding round NOFO (17 pages; application questions included), Planting, maintenance, budgeting and scoring guidelines (24 pages), and City of Boston program page.