Hillsborough Opens Neighborhood Tree Grants for 2027 Planting Projects

Hillsborough County announced on November 2, 2026, that community groups in unincorporated Hillsborough County can apply for financial assistance to purchase and install trees in residential neighborhoods through the Neighborhood Tree Grant Program. The application period opened November 1, 2026, and closes January 31, 2027. The County says the program is intended to enhance community spaces, expand neighborhood canopy, diversify the urban forest, and support greener residential areas. Funding comes from the Hillsborough County Tree Trust Fund, which reinvests fees collected through tree-mitigation requirements into new community planting projects. This is an application opportunity for qualifying community groups in unincorporated Hillsborough County; the release does not describe it as a direct payment to individual homeowners or as a City of Tampa program. It also does not state a standard grant amount, a guaranteed award, or the number of projects that will be selected. Applicants should use the official Neighborhood Tree Grant Program materials linked by the County to confirm the application process, documentation, eligible planting areas, and any current requirements before submitting.

The published timeline gives neighborhood groups several planning milestones. Applications will be reviewed during February and March 2027, award recommendations are scheduled to be finalized in April, and recipients are expected to be notified by April 30. Approved planting projects may begin in May 2027 and must be completed by November 30, 2027. Recipients must provide a final planting report within 30 days after completing their project, followed by a one-year establishment report documenting the trees' continuing health and growth. Those follow-up requirements make site selection and establishment care important parts of a responsible proposal: a community should plan where the trees will fit, who will coordinate installation, and how the plantings will be monitored after the work is complete. Those practical considerations support the County's stated reporting schedule but do not add eligibility rules beyond the official announcement. Because applications remain open through January 31, 2027 and the project cycle continues into 2027, this Landscape News record is Active. The direct Hillsborough County release remains the source for the dates and program description, while the linked grant-program page is the place to check for application instructions or later updates.