The Greening our City program helps councils across NSW plant more trees and biodiverse understorey in parks, streets, and neighbourhoods. More greenery brings shade, cools down suburbs, and makes our communities better places to live, work and visit.
The program targets councils in fast-growing areas across Greater Sydney, the Illawarra-Shoalhaven, Hunter, and Central Coast where urban greening will make the biggest difference for growing populations. Since 2019, the program has funded 131 projects delivering over 107,000 trees in the places that need them most.
Together with councils, we’re making our cities greener, cooler, and healthier.
Greening our City grant 2025
The NSW Government has awarded nearly $10 million in funding to 28 urban greening projects in 24 councils across Greater Sydney, the Illawarra-Shoalhaven, and Hunter-Central Coast regions.
The funding will support councils to enhance urban greening and increase biodiversity across their local government areas. By planting native trees and understorey vegetation, these projects will create cooler, more inviting spaces that support local wildlife and improve community wellbeing.
Nearly 24,000 trees and more than 47,000 square metres of biodiverse understorey will be planted, creating more liveable and climate-resilient communities.
Some projects include:
- Increasing canopy cover for Cumberland in areas for low- and mid-rise housing to create green corridors for people and wildlife and reduce heat, guided by urban heat benchmarking and tree survey data.
- Greening Tahmoor Park in a carefully planned design featuring Wollondilly ecological communities and local species all in one place.
- Increasing canopy across the Cessnock local government area by targeting 5 suburbs and townships, enhancing public green spaces.
- Greening Wollongong through a data-informed approach, with street and park tree plantings, understorey vegetation, and tiny forests to improve climate resilience.
- Greening Lake Macquarie’s corridors through tree canopy planting in urban heat-vulnerable hotspots, to improve liveability and biodiversity.
Full list of successful projects
| Council | Project name | Funding amount |
|---|---|---|
| Bayside Council | 2025 Greening Bayside | $414,535 |
| Camden Council | The Camden Canopy Project | $1,870,000 |
| Campbelltown City Council | Broughton Street Cycleway Tree Planting Project | $150,000 |
| Canterbury-Bankstown Council | Little Streets Big Dreams | $112,000 |
| City of Canada Bay Council | Grow Our Canopy Round 5 | $600,000 |
| City of Parramatta Council | Thriving in our City | $500,000 |
| Cumberland Council | Woody Meadow at Oxford Street Park Merrylands | $150,000 |
| Cumberland Council | Canopy for Cumberland - Low and Mid Rise Housing Areas | $144,000 |
| Fairfield City Council | Cooler Streets in Fairfield City | $202,774 |
| Fairfield City Council | Cool and Green Spaces for Our City | $94,710 |
| Georges River Council | Greening Georges River: Planting Trees for Cooler Streets | $116,150 |
| Hawkesbury City Council | Cooling the Hawkesbury - Reducing Urban Heat Impacts | $980,000 |
| Inner West Council | Gunggung Gunya (Frogs' Home): Growing Biodiversity on the Greenway | $203,333 |
| Liverpool City Council | Liverpool's Greener Cooler Suburbs | $750,000 |
| Ryde City Council | Implementation of Urban Forest Strategy – Street Tree Planting Program 2026 | $50,000 |
| Sutherland Shire Council | Green, Cool and Connected Caringbah | $280,000 |
| Sutherland Shire Council | Greening for Growth Sylvania | $160,000 |
| Willoughby City Council | Willoughby Urban Forest Upgrade Program 2026 - 2028 | $340,473 |
| Wollondilly Shire Council | Connecting Canopy, Water and Biodiversity at Tahmoor Sportsground | $57,508 |
| Wollondilly Shire Council | Greening Tahmoor Park; Biodiversity and Caring for Country Outcomes | $198,700 |
| Woollahra Municipal Council | Greening Ocean Street | $87,000 |
| Council | Project name | Funding amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cessnock City Council | Trees in Towns - Increasing the canopy across Cessnock LGA | $249,235 |
| Lake Macquarie City Council | Cool Corridors: Greening Lake Mac's Heat-Vulnerable Suburbs | $366,850 |
| Maitland City Council | Growing Resilience Project | $402,980 |
| Newcastle City Council | Greening Wallsend's Vulnerable Corridors | $400,000 |
| Shellharbour City Council | Keith Fletcher Park Enhancement | $96,352 |
| Shoalhaven City Council | Shelter and Shade: Greening Shoalhaven's Carparks | $488,000 |
| Wollongong City Council | Accelerated Urban Greening Program: Green the Gong | $482,658 |
The expanded grant program will benefit NSW residents by:
Planting trees, shrubs, and plants that reduce urban heat, increase liveability, and support biodiversity in urban areas.
Prioritising areas of low canopy and high urban heat.
Aligning with the Biodiversity in Place Framework, Clean Air Strategy, local urban greening strategies, and areas identified under the low and mid-rise housing policy.
Cooling and greening public spaces, including streets, parks, plazas, and active transport routes.
Demonstrating Connecting to Country principles.
Supporting information
The 2025 Greening our City Grant Guidelines (PDF, 941 KB) provide further details about eligibility and the assessment process.
The heat vulnerability and canopy cover data for Greater Sydney (PDF, 304 KB) has also been provided to support council’s during the grant application process.
For more information about the 2025 grant round, email [email protected]
This grant round is being administered by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
Case studies
Explore our case studies to discover how urban greening transforms communities, enhances biodiversity, and creates cooler, more sustainable cities.
Previous grants
In 2022, the NSW Government awarded $9.9 million in grant funding to 21 projects in 17 councils across Greater Sydney. These projects planted over 17,000 new trees to increase urban tree canopy where there was low coverage. They also added more than 35,000 square metres of green cover.
The grant funding helped fix canopy gaps by planting trees in suburbs with low tree cover and high heat. These new trees now provide shade, lower local temperatures, and reduce the urban heat island effect.
The funding also gave councils the support they needed to plant and care for the trees during the first 12 months. After that, councils commit to continue to look after the trees as part of their regular maintenance.
In 2021, the NSW Government awarded over $9.9 million in grant funding to 28 projects across Greater Sydney. These projects planted over 20,000 new trees to increase urban tree canopy where there was low coverage.
The grant funding helped address low tree canopy and high heat. The new trees now provide shade, lower local temperatures, and reduce the urban heat island effect.
The funding also gave councils the support they needed to plant and care for the trees during the first 12 months. After that, councils committed to continue looking after the trees as part of their regular maintenance.
In 2020, the NSW Government awarded $10.2 million in grant funding to 50 projects in Greater Sydney through 2 streams:
Stream 1: Cooler suburbs
$8.1 million was awarded to 38 projects to support council tree planting. These projects added over 40,000 new trees in public spaces across Greater Sydney. These projects brought more shade and comfort to community.
Stream 2: Green innovations
$2.1 million was awarded to 12 projects that offered smart, scalable ways to solve tree planting challenges.
In 2019, the NSW Government awarded over $5.3 million in grant funding to 32 projects across 20 councils in Greater Sydney. These projects enhanced urban tree canopy in public spaces such as streets, parks and plazas.
Resources
Use these resources to help you design better, more effective projects. They offer clear guidance on urban greening and climate adaptation to benefit community health:
- Low-mid rise housing: Learn about creating thriving and sustainable communities through the tree canopy guide for low- and mid-rise housing to support urban tree canopy and deep soil.
- Greener Neighbourhoods: Learn how to create cooler, shadier greener neighbourhoods.
- Biodiversity in Place: Welcome nature into our backyards, balconies, rooftops and verges. Learn more at Biodiversity in Place.
- Urban heat and canopy data: Mapping heat and tree cover helps focus green projects where they’re needed most. Learn more at urban heat and canopy data.
- Climate Adaptation Resources: AdaptNSW has been produced by the NSW Government to inform and empower communities, businesses, households and government to adapt to climate change.
- Air Quality: Trees significantly impact air quality by absorbing pollutants and releasing oxygen. Trees create healthier communities, learn about the air quality around you.
- Cooler Places: Cooler Places is a resource hub that helps plan cooler towns and cities. It gives advice on how to use urban design, green spaces, water, and cool materials to build cooler, more resilient places to live.
- Valuing green infrastructure and public spaces: The Department created a valuation framework to make sure projects and programs include green spaces. It helps them plan, budget, and deliver these spaces.
- Which Plant Where: The Which Plant Where tool helps decision-makers choose plant species that can handle climate change across Australia. It also includes helpful guides and tips to overcome common challenges in creating green spaces.