KEY TAKEAWAYS: New Orleans awarded $146,500 in tree planting grants to nine nonprofit organizations. The program supports the city’s goal of planting 40,000 new trees by 2030. Projects will expand tree canopy on public property throughout Orleans Parish. Officials said the initiative will he lp reduce urban heat, improve stormwater management and strengthen neighborhood resilience.   The City of New Orleans Department of Parks and Parkways has awarded $146,500 in grants to nine nonprofit organizations to support community tree planting projects as part of the city’s goal to expand its urban tree canopy. The city announced Tuesday that the 2026 Tree Planting Grant program will fund nonprofit-led projects on public property across Orleans Parish. The program, administered by the Greater New Orleans Foundation, supports the city’s initiative to plant 40,000 new trees by 2030. The grant recipients are Culture of Cleanliness, Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association, Groundwork New Orleans, Irish Channel Neighborhood Association, Neighbors First for Bywater, New Orleans East Green Infrastructure Collective, People’s Housing+, Thrive New Orleans and Sustaining Our Urban Landscape (SOUL). According to the city, the funding will help nonprofit organizations plant trees that expand canopy coverage while supporting stormwater management, reducing urban heat and improving neighborhood quality of life. “These organizations represent communities across New Orleans that are committed to making our neighborhoods greener, healthier, and more resilient,” Michael Karam, director of the Department of Parks and Parkways, said in a statement. “By partnering with these nonprofit organizations, we are investing in the future of New Orleans’ urban forest while expanding tree canopy, reducing the impacts of urban heat, improving stormwater management, and enhancing the quality of life for residents throughout our city.” The Department of Parks and Parkways said it partnered with the Greater New Orleans Foundation to administer the grant program and thanked organizations that applied for funding. The department’s reforestation initiative is part of a broader effort to increase New Orleans’ tree canopy and improve environmental resilience through investments in public green infrastructure. ...read more read less