Project Canopy Assistance and Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) Restoration Grants are available to state, county, and municipal governments, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations for developing and implementing community forestry projects and programs.

Project Canopy, delivered to you by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Maine Forest Service (MFS), anticipates that $125,000 will be available in Project Canopy Assistance and $700,000 will be available in Urban and Community Forestry Restoration grants to support community forestry projects in the following categories:

Project Canopy Assistance Planning and Education

$20,000 maximum award

Projects support sustainable community forestry management, and efforts to increase awareness of the benefits of trees and forests.

Project Canopy Planting and Maintenance

$15,000 maximum award

Projects increase the health and livability of communities through proper tree planting and maintenance.

Urban & Community Forestry (UCF) Restoration

$200,000 maximum award

Projects support range of activities including urban and community tree canopy establishment and protection, urban wood utilization, urban food forests, local capacity building through workforce development, climate resiliency through tree planting, community tree nursery establishment, and building understanding to care for and manage community trees.

Applicants are highly encouraged to view the previously recorded grant workshop.

The grant workshop is web-based and covers topics including grant writing, project development, sustainable community forest management, and grant administration for both programs.  Additional Project Canopy and UCF Restoration grant office hours will be held 9-10 AM on September 17, October 1 and 15.

Grant applications will be due to the MFS at 11:59 pm on Thursday, October 30, 2025. Project Canopy Assistance grants require a 50% match from the grant recipient in cash or in-kind services. Urban and Community Forestry Restoration grants do not require any local match.

Project Canopy is funded by the USDA Forest Service Community Forestry Assistance Program. The USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program was authorized by the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (PL95-313) and revised by the 1990 Farm Bill (PL101-624) to promote natural resource management in populated areas and improve quality of life.

For complete grant application and workshop information, please visit the Project Canopy website at http://www.projectcanopy.me. You can also learn more about the Project Canopy assistance program by contacting Jan Ames Santerre by phone at 207-287-4987 or by email at jan.santerre@maine.gov