Council launches $1m Urban Forest Fund grants for 2026

The City of Melbourne will open applications on January 19 for its latest round of Urban Forest Fund grants, with up to $1 million available to help transform private and community spaces from “grey to green”.

Lord Mayor Nick Reece said the expanded program would help strengthen Melbourne’s identity as a greener, cooler city as the impacts of heat and urban density intensify.

“We’re strengthening Melbourne’s status as a Garden City, with a super-sized Urban Forest Fund launching in 2026,” Cr Reece said.

He said the program was designed to unlock greening opportunities beyond council-controlled land.

“Nearly 75 per cent of land in the City of Melbourne sits outside our control – a major opportunity for other landholders to help green our city,” he said.

“With up to $1 million in grants available, we’re calling on the community to bring forward bold, innovative projects that help turn Melbourne from grey to green.”

Environment portfolio lead Cr Davydd Griffiths said the fund had become one of council’s most successful sustainability initiatives by putting resources directly in the hands of residents, businesses and community groups.

“The Urban Forest Fund is one of our most successful greening initiatives – creating a groundswell of grassroots support and helping communities shape the neighbourhoods they want to live in,” Cr Griffiths said.

“Urban greening doesn’t just benefit the environment, it makes Melbourne a more liveable city,” he said, adding that the funding pool had increased this year. “With an extra $600,000 added to the funding pool this year, we encourage anyone with an idea to help turn a part of our city green to apply.”

Since launching in 2017, the Urban Forest Fund has helped unlock more than $3.2 million in matched funding to green laneways, rooftops, car parks and community spaces, with council prioritising projects that are publicly accessible and deliver broad community benefit.

Two funding streams are available in 2026. Stream 1 will support high-impact greening projects, offering matched funding between $30,000 and $100,000 for larger private-property projects such as green walls and facades, rooftop gardens, new canopy cover, water-sensitive urban design and other innovative ideas.

Stream 2 will support community greening, providing matched funding of up to $10,000 for smaller projects on private property or council footpaths with a Greening Melbourne permit, including laneway greening, planter boxes, garden bed revitalisation, food growing and biodiversity plantings.

Previous projects funded through the program have shown how even hardscaped parts of the city can be reimagined.

In Docklands, Victoria Point’s owners’ corporation used Urban Forest Fund support to help transform more than 2800sqm of concrete along the Marvel Stadium concourse into a publicly accessible garden.

In East Melbourne in 2023, an Agnes St apartment owners’ corporation received $38,050 to green a previously stark communal space, creating nearly 200sqm of new green coverage.

Community information sessions will run throughout February, giving prospective applicants a chance to hear from green infrastructure experts and community greening champions and ask questions before submitting.