In mid-September, the United States Forest Service announced that the city of Phoenix was awarded a $10 million grant to support tree planting efforts in heat-vulnerable areas. Planting more trees allows the city to mitigate heat, conserve energy and provide more shade for residents.

The city says that funding will go towards tree planting and maintenance, workforce development, community restoration and resilience as well as mitigating extreme heat. The $10 million will add to the City’s $4 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding that was approved by City Council in 2022 for urban forestry.

Currently, the city’s Office of Heat Response and Mitigation is using ARPA funding to improve tree equity through two grant programs designed for Phoenix residents and schools in Qualified Census Tracts. The Community Canopy grant program is designed to offer trees for individuals and neighborhoods and the Canopy for Kids grant program focuses on providing trees to public schools, nonprofit schools, and 501(c)(3) organizations that serve youth.

Qualifying residents and schools can apply for current grant programs at www.phoenix.gov/heat.