Mini-Grants

Apply for a Mini-Grant

If your non-profit organization wants to plant trees on your property or in your community, consider applying for a Taking Root Mini-Grant. Through this program, Taking Root will supply advice, expertise, and funds. We accept applications for tree planting projects in need of funding from $250 – to $1500; amount is determined on a case-by-case basis. Mini-Grant applications are accepted all year. Taking Root encourages autumn planting as it is the best time to plant, although spring plantings will be considered. Reach out to us with your plan for a tree planting project. All applicants will be notified of their application status within approximately two months.

Eligibility

• Projects should be community based. Typical projects include community street trees, schools, non-profit organizations, parks, places of worship and other public campuses, etc.
• Applications must contain a detailed budget of how funds will be spent as well as a 2-3 year care plan for the newly planted trees.
• Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• Applications MUST be submitted online. Paper copies will NOT be accepted.

Reporting

• After the project is complete, Taking Root requires a report about the project, relative to the original plan. What went well? What didn’t? Were you able to stick with the original plan?
• After the trees have been in the ground 12-18 months, we ask you to send a report on how they are doing. Are the trees healthy? Some are healthy but with a lot of die back? Was there any vandalism? We had difficulty watering because …

Notes

• For failure to complete your project within the grant period or to submit a final project report, we would request that you return awarded funds to Taking Root.
• If you want primarily technical or horticultural assistance from Taking Root and do not need funds, please reach out to us at info@takingroot.info.
• To be approved for the grant, we may request adjustments to your plan to increase likelihood of success and or a closer alignment with Taking Root goals.
• If you want help removing honeysuckle or other invasives, please check out the Collaborative Projects.
• To help with a successful planting, please see our Planting & Tree Care information — it may help your develop your budget.

Application

1. Review the application questions. You may want to write out your responses in a Word document or other text editor, then paste them into the appropriate fields in the online application. The Google Form will NOT save any content if not completed within the session. We recommend submitting all answers at once to avoid any inconveniences or deletions of answers.
2. We are happy to answer your questions, however, to keep the application process unbiased, we will not help develop your project or plans. If your project is selected, we are happy to offer our expertise to help you refine your plans.

When Preparing Your Application Please Consider the Following

• Diameter of 1.5” – 2” caliper trees (6-8 feet tall) cost about $200 each, including delivery.
• Three-gallon container trees (approx. 1 inch in diameter and 4 feet tall) cost about $20 each.
• One year old, bare root seedlings cost $1.00 – $2.00 each (plan on about 300-400 per acre for a reforestation project).
• Long term care of newly planted trees is critical. Project applications should include provisions for watering and maintaining trees for 2-3 years after planting.
• Protection from deer browse should be seriously considered.

Recent Mini-Grant Projects

Taking Root would like to thank Mini-Grant applicants for their passion and commitment for planting trees. This program is only possible thanks to the Taking Root donors who support our projects. Please consider making a contribution to Taking Root’s Tree Fund so we can continue to fund these great projects!

From 2016-2020, Taking Root awarded 34 Mini-Grants to 29 organizations. Funding ranged from $2000 (eleven grants) to less than $1000 (seven grants), with some applicants supplying additional funding from their own or other sources. Project scale ranged from the planting of three trees in an urban parking lot to reforestation that added trees, seedlings and shrubs to areas cleared of invasive honeysuckle.

For the most part, this program has added trees to school grounds (10), parks or preserves (8) or urban neighborhoods (8), including street tree plantings in four neighborhoods. Projects have occurred throughout the region: Hamilton County accounted for about 60% and the rest were in Ohio’s Butler, Clermont and Warren Counties and Kentucky’s Campbell and Kenton Counties.

In 2020, Taking Root awarded five Mini-Grants for planting trees in low-canopy neighborhoods, local parks and school grounds. Each grant enabled local entities to carry out self-initiated plans and projects in which the addition of new trees is just part of the project benefit.