Mayor Scott Gillingham has announced phase one of the city's long-term effort to make Winnipeg greener, and bring the community together.

The Home Grown grant program offers up to $180,000 for community-led tree-planting initiatives, with applications open now. It's funded by the Government of Canada's 2 Billion Tree program, and each community organization $20,000 to design and coordinate tree planting projects in 2023.

"Trees create greener, more vibrant neighbourhoods, and by engaging community groups in volunteer planting efforts we can make these benefits accessible to more Winnipeggers," said Mayor Scott Gillingham. "This is just one component of the city’s long-term strategy to renew our urban forest, and I look forward to announcing more investments in the weeks ahead."

Over the past three years, Winnipeg has received over $7 million for its program, and is only one of the many municipalities throughout Canada to receive project funding this year through 2 Billion Trees.

"Today I was pleased to join Mayor Gillingham in launching the Home Grown tree planting grant program," says Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. "Supported by over $7 million from the federal government, this investment in Winnipeg will bring about over 71,000 new trees. On behalf of the Government of Canada, we are proud to be supporting climate action, clean air and sustainable jobs here in Winnipeg."

Not only will the chosen applicants receive the funding for their project, but will receive one-on-one guidance and oversight from a City of Winnipeg arborist and support to guarantee their respective programs' success.

"Canada’s commitment to plant two billion trees is a key part of our collective effort to tackle the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss," says the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources. "Our partnership with the City of Winnipeg to launch the Home Grown tree planting grant program will plant over 71,000 trees. This will help capture and store carbon from the atmosphere, improve air and water quality, and enhance local biodiversity while creating sustainable jobs."

To be eligible, community organizations must be either incorporated or a registered not-for-profit and have identified a planting site on public property within their respective community. Priority will be given to organizations who serve underserved communities or geographic areas of higher poverty.

The application deadline for the 2023 season is March 1.

View the full application criteria and forms at winnipeg.ca/homegrowngrant.