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Funding Criteria

Funding will only be offered for projects that provide benefits to a community, region, or the province as a whole, and for costs that are directly related to proposed projects.

Eligible Tree Planting Costs

  • Manitoba hardy planting stock, contracted tree nursery planting services, specified tree planting protection methods, and one year of maintenance following planting are eligible. Funding will be provided for trees and large tree-form shrubs (mature height 3 metres plus), but not for small and medium shrubs.
  • Tree planting projects for community-owned golf courses, schools, religious institutions, seniors homes, cemeteries, sports fields, community clubs, and publicly supported institutions may only apply under the small-scale project category — up to $5,000 maximum.

Ineligible Tree Planting Costs

  • Any costs not related to tree planting and tree maintenance, such as sod or grass seed, soil for landscaping and fill, levelling, berm and path construction, rocks, flowers, site furniture and site facilities.
  • Transplanting cultivated or wild trees from private land, roadsides, and Crown land.

Other Costs Not Eligible for Funding

  • Projects that primarily benefit private organizations or individual land owners.
  • Costs of developing project plans or proposals and retroactive costs previously incurred by proponents.
  • Core funding for an applicant's organization, wages, and general administrative costs.
  • Website costs or capital equipment expenses.

Funding Limitations

  • A fully completed application form for the project including full budget information, site photos, and a site plan must be submitted. Failure to provide this information may disqualify applications from consideration.
  • Maximum funding (including applicable taxes):
    • Small-scale tree planting projects (all categories) — $5,000
    • Large-scale tree planting projects and forest education projects — $20,000
    • Innovative forest projects — $30,000
  • Maximum project funding duration is:
    • One year for small-scale projects;
    • Up to two years for large-scale projects and educational projects;
    • Up to three years for innovative forest projects.
  • School tree planting projects must include a forest education component as part of the overall plan.
  • For multi-component projects, only the tree-planting, forest education and/or innovative forest aspects will be funded.
  • A communication strategy to inform the public about the project is required.
  • Proponents must ensure that tree conflicts with overhead and/or underground utility lines are avoided.
  • Projects must be in Manitoba.
  • Signage — We will provide a standard 30 x 40 inch, green and black, all-weather project sign to all tree planting project proponents (large or small). Cemetery projects will receive a small sign for indoor use. Proponents are expected to install these signs. We will not pay for additional permanent signage that proponents purchase and install separately.

Evaluation Considerations

  • We are committed to maintaining a diverse geographic distribution of projects; that will be a consideration when deciding on which projects to support.
  • Qualifying projects will be scored and ranked using the program's evaluation criteria. Projects will be funded according to the relative merits of each proposal.
  • Small projects will be evaluated by our Forest Enhancement Program Steering Committee. Large projects will be evaluated by a specially appointed, independent Forest Enhancement Program Advisory Committee who will recommend appropriate funding support.
  • Projects with multiple sources of funding or other tangible support are preferred.
  • Projects that include volunteer or in-kind contributions in their delivery are preferred.
  • The potential for successful implementation of the project, and the proponent's commitment to ensure that appropriate follow-up action is taken to make the project sustainable, are important considerations.