Apply for a Tree Grant

Trees provide numerous environmental benefits such as oxygen production, air pollution control, noise abatement, rainfall dispersion to control flooding, and aesthetic and wildlife enhancement.

Eligibility

• Must be included in the Neighborhood Roster before applying for a grant
• To check that your organization is listed in the Neighborhood Roster click the magnifying glass and type your organization’s name in the search bar. If your organization is in the listing, your association’s information will appear. Please verify that the organization’s information is current.
• To update the neighborhood organization’s information, click the here link within the organization’s information box. You will be redirected to the Neighborhood Listing Update Form and follow the prompts to submit your changes.
• If your association is not in the Neighborhood Listing, click the Neighborhood Roster Application  and follow the directions. The Neighborhood Relations team will contact you when they receive your submission to be included in the Neighborhood Roster. 
• Neighborhood, Civic, Homeowner Associations, Crime Watch Programs and Special Taxing Districts in Hillsborough County are eligible
• HOA's must be released from their developer
• You may only receive funding under this program once every two years

Things to consider

Find tree grant information and other requirements.

Tree grant information

• We invite neighborhood leaders to propose projects that will add trees in community-maintained areas and/or road right-of-ways within or adjacent to the neighborhood
• The area you propose in the application can be either community-owned, or County-owned and community-maintained
• You must attach proof of ownership and/or county maintenance agreements to the application
• This is a year-round matching grant program 
• You must submit your application by Sept. 30 of each year
• We will award a maximum of $2,500 per association
• Your association may receive funding under this program only once every two years

Other requirements

• You must have a water source available for the new plantings
• You can spend a maximum of 50 percent of the Tree Grant monies on drought-tolerant shrubbery
• We require you to provide a minimum match of 50 percent of the funds requested, either as cash or in-kind services
• We encourage a match above 50 percent
• We require your association to involve residents to provide volunteer manpower in the planting, care and maintenance of the trees
• Type and size of plantings is required for County Forester approval
• You don't have to get this approval before applying
• Our staff will arrange for the review upon receipt of the application
• We will give consideration to including native vegetation and shrubbery as complements to trees to prevent run-off and retain moisture
• Cypress mulch is not an allowable expense, for conservation reasons. Other types of mulch are allowable.
• All plantings must account for required vehicular clearance recovery and unobstructed vehicle lines of sight
• The association is responsible for any permits necessary for the project
• We encourage you to utilize agriculture programs in the public schools as a potential source for trees

Projects not qualified

• Removing or moving currently planted trees
• Purchasing palms
• Completed on private property, subsequently benefiting an individual property owner
• Begun prior to Board of County Commissioners approval
• Presented without evidence of association Board of Directors (Trustee) approval

How to apply for a tree grant

1. Download the application
2. Read each question carefully and respond in the space provided - you can provide back-up materials on a maximum of three 8-1/2 x 11 sheets of paper
3. Submit the completed application in person, or via mail or email In person or mail - print it out and drop off or mail to: County Center Office of Neighborhood Relations 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., 28th Floor Tampa, FL 33602 Email the application to neighborhood-relations@hcfl.gov - If you email your application, you still must also mail or deliver the original to the above address

What's next

We will review the grant application and contact you.

If your association is awarded a grant

• You must perform all the steps found in the application packet under "Other Requirements and Considerations" and "Program Procedures"
• If your project includes road right-of-way plantings, you will need to get a technical review and permit. Visit our Apply for a Right of Way (ROW) Management Permit page for more information on obtaining the permit.
• You must present a copy of this permit before signing the Letter of Understanding mentioned in the "Other Requirements and Considerations" section of the packet

Requirements before payment is issued

• Have the the Letter of Understanding executed
• Provide documentation of plan approval by the County Forester - our staff will coordinate plan approval with the County Forester

After project completion

• Submit before and after photos, a report, and an inventory of the tree and other plantings, with documentation of their condition to ONR upon completion of the project, and annually for two years after that
• We will consider tree survival success and the transmittal of required monitoring reports for the awarded grant when determining eligibility for subsequent mini-grant application requests

Get help

Department: Customer Service & Support
Email: neighborhood-relations@hcfl.gov
Phone: (813) 272-5860