Looking for funding to activate a local park or open space? If so, apply for the NYC Green Fund Grassroots Grant Program.
Donor Name: City Parks Foundation
State: New York
City: New York City
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/22/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The NYC Green Fund Grassroots grant program is intended to advance the viability of grassroots initiatives across parks and open spaces in all five boroughs and to foster a resilient network of equitable public green spaces.
The NYC Green Fund Grassroots grant program is intended to advance the viability of grassroots initiatives across parks and open spaces in all five boroughs and to foster a resilient network of equitable public green spaces. The NYC Green Fund Grassroots grant program provides support for a range of programming areas including stewardship, environmental action, organizational development, health and wellness, youth development, arts and culture, and Urban Forest Grants brought to you by Con Edison. With direct funding and technical assistance, diverse community groups will receive support in their work to activate and enrich parks and open spaces across NYC.
Types of Work Supported
Applicants may apply for funding to support work in up to three of the following categories.
- Stewardship: Community-led care of open spaces such as volunteer service and beautification projects.
- Environmental Action: Educational and awareness-building programs that provide people with the knowledge and skills to take responsible actions to protect the environment.
- Organizational Development: Resources that support your organization’s internal growth and capacity to activate public space. Grant recipients of this category may receive pro-bono design support from Partnerships for Parks’ art director for print and digital marketing materials.
- Youth Development: Programs that inspire children under 18 and young adults (18-24) to pursue “green” jobs through hands-on service learning, paid work opportunities, and professional skills training.
- Health and Wellness: Activities that promote the physical, mental, and emotional health of people using NYC’s parks and open spaces.
- Arts and Culture: Arts and community-oriented cultural programming in public open spaces.
- Urban Forest Grants brought to you by Con Edison: Activities that promote the health and development of NYC’s urban canopy through stewardship or educational programming
Funding Information
The NYC Green Fund Grassroots grant program will provide funding for one- or two-year proposals to organizations whose total expenses for the most recently completed calendar year were less than $175,000.
- The minimum amount of funding organizations may apply for is $1,000, while the maximum amount organizations may apply for is dependent upon their total expenses for the most recently completed calendar year. No organization may request more than $40,000, regardless of their total expenses.
- Organizations whose total expenses were between $0-$9,999 may apply for up to $2,500, per year of their proposal.
- Organizations whose total expenses were $10,000 or higher may apply for funding up to 25% of their total expenses, per year of their proposal.
Eligible Expenses
Eligible expenses include:
- Equipment, tools, plant material, and supplies
- Consultants, vendors, contractors, or professional fees
- Staffing costs
- Stipends for volunteers
- Programming costs
- Impact assessment costs
- Marketing and outreach costs
Eligibility Criteria
All grant applicants are required to meet the prerequisites below:
- Applications must be submitted by a member of a group/organization of two or more people.
- Applications must be submitted on behalf of a 501(c)3 organization or a group utilizing a fiscal sponsor. Applications submitted by LLCs or 501(c)4 organizations are not eligible.
- Applicants’ total expenses for the most recently completed calendar year must be less than $175,000.
- If an applicant has received a grant from CPF or PfP since 2020, all interim and final reports must be submitted prior to applying for new funding.
- Applicants must possess demonstrated experience working in NYC’s publicly accessible open spaces and have a strong connection to the community/communities they are working in.
- Applicants must possess demonstrated experience working in NYC’s publicly accessible open spaces and have a strong connection to the community/communities they are working in. Applicants’ proposals must support work in NYC’s publicly accessible open spaces, such as:
- Parks
- Playgrounds
- Community gardens
- Street trees
- NYCHA properties
- Public plazas
- Open Streets
- Waterfronts
For more information, visit City Parks Foundation.
