The third round of Urban Forest Initiative ‘Build the Canopy’ grants launched on July 29, 2020. This grant program, created by the Downtown Denver Partnership, the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District, and City and County of Denver, with funding support from private donors, has the goal of building a robust tree canopy downtown. An urban forest can provide our city with numerous environmental, economic, and health benefits when it is mature.
The grant was launched to assist property owners in providing an appropriate amount of space and soil for their trees. Due to the nature of planting trees in the city, installing planting areas can be costly; the grant helps to offset these costs.
Partial grants are available to property owners in downtown Denver to be used for expanding tree planting areas and/or installing new tree planting spaces including costs for concrete work, soil remediation, suspended pavement systems, tree planting and installation, and other tree-related work.
Here’s what you need to know to prepare your property’s application:
- The ‘Build the Canopy’ Grant provides partial funding to property owners within Downtown Denver for tree infrastructure improvements and plantings. Properties may qualify for up to $15,000 per tree area to make these improvements.
- To qualify for the grant, you must be the owner or owner representative of a property in downtown. If your property is in the DDBID, it qualifies automatically. If your property is outside of the DDBID it must fall within the Downtown Area Plan boundary (see map) and provide the same level of tree care that is provided in the DDBID.
- The funding must be used for tree infrastructure installations, retrofits, and plantings. It must be used to enlarge or install at minimum one tree well to a size of 5’x15’, or greater. The more space the project commits to giving a tree, the more funding it is eligible for. Eligible costs include demolition, design, concrete work, materials, irrigation repairs, and other tree-related costs.
The final application is due on November 13, however, it is strongly encouraged to engage with a landscape architect and submit a draft application by October 9. This way your application can be vetted by the Partnership and the City for feedback and a more accurate site plan and estimate can be submitted at the final deadline.
