Press Release: 10/23/2025

Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards Over $559,000 to Plant Trees and Green Urban Spaces in Gateway Cities

 



Grants Promote Tree Planting, Community Engagement, and Solutions to Combat Urban Heat



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



10/23/2025



MEDIA CONTACT



Aisha Revolus, Communications Manager



 Online



Email Aisha Revolus, Communications Manager at aisha.revolus@mass.gov



BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced over $559,000 in grants to support community green spaces, remove concrete and asphalt, and encourage local participation in Gateway Cities across Massachusetts. This funding will support three municipalities, six nonprofit organizations, and one high school through the Greening the Gateway Cities Program (GGCP). 



A total of $370,800 will be allocated through the GGCP Implementation Grant Program, which provides financial resources for municipalities and nonprofit organizations to plant and care for trees, remove impervious surfaces, and undertake related activities to enhance urban tree canopy. An additional $188,747 will go to seven projects under the GGCP Non-Profit Partnership Grant Program, focusing on grassroots outreach to ensure more trees are planted where they're needed most. 



“Tree plantings provide cleaner air, cooler streets, and healthier neighborhoods. These grants focus on investing in gateway cities, which have faced higher pollution levels and fewer green spaces,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “By reducing heat, managing stormwater, and improving public health, this work supports the goals of our recently proposed Mass Ready Act, which aims to build stronger, more resilient communities across Massachusetts.” 



The Greening the Gateway Cities Program is a collaborative effort involving the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) and the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) Urban & Community Forestry Program, along with local governments and community organizations. This program aims to plant trees in urban neighborhoods, improving air quality, reducing energy costs, preventing flooding, and alleviating the increasingly intense heat experienced in Massachusetts summers. Trees offer shade and cooling benefits, helping neighborhoods thrive even during the hottest days of the year. 



“This $100,000 investment in Springfield’s urban canopy is about more than planting trees—it’s about planting opportunity, equity, and resilience. Through this program, we’re helping to cool our neighborhoods, reduce energy costs for residents, and improve air quality in areas that need it most,” said Senator Adam Gómez (Hampden District). This funding will ensure newly planted trees are properly watered and maintained, while also enabling the installation of green infrastructure in a hotspot identified for environmental justice. It’s a smart, community-centered investment in public health, climate resilience, and the long-term vitality of Springfield.”   



“I am thrilled to hear that the state is making important environmental investments in some of its most vulnerable communities,” said Representative Joseph McGonagle (28th Middlesex). “Gateway Cities have long been overlooked, and it’s time to recognize the value these cities have in the Commonwealth. Everett has been making strong efforts to improve environmental assets in the city, so I’m grateful the Governor and Lieutenant Governor are standing up to support us.” 



The GGCP Implementation Grant awardees are:  




  • City of Everett- $100,000 to consistently water public trees planted by the Greening the Gateway Cities Program.

  • One Holyoke- $34,800 to consistently water public trees planted by the Greening the Gateway Cities Program.

  • Saint Bernard’s High School- $36,000 to remove impervious surfaces around a school, located in an identified hotspot, to facilitate tree planting by the Greening the Gateway Cities Program.

  • City of Salem- $100,000 to water trees planted by the Greening the Gateway Cities Program and to plant trees in an identified hotspot.

  • City of Springfield- $100,000 to water trees planted by the Greening the Gateway Cities Program and install green infrastructure to facilitate planting of shade trees in an identified hotspot. 



The Non-Profit Partnership Grant awards empower nonprofit organizations to work directly with residents and business owners, helping them access free trees through the Greening the Gateway Cities Program. These partnerships are critical to maximizing the number of trees planted in neighborhoods that can benefit the most. 



The GGCP Non-Profit Partnership Grant awardees are:  




  • Growing Places- $41,846 to raise community awareness of the GGCP in both Leominster and Fitchburg, conduct door-to-door canvassing, connect DCR foresters with new landowners for tree planting in environmental justice neighborhoods, mail literature,  and undertake tabling at community events to increase knowledge of the many benefits of urban tree planting within both communities.  

  • Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust- $26,901.39 to conduct door-to-door canvassing, social media outreach, and tabling at community events to raise awareness of GGCP tree planting, as well as to conduct training and educational programs.

  • Salem Sound Coastwatch- $30,000 to conduct outreach and generate interest in the GGCP program and recruit residents to have tree(s) planted on their property, as well as identify high-priority planting locations across the designated planting zone in coordination with DCR.

  • Revitalize CDC- $60,000 to conduct outreach to generate interest in the GGCP program and communicate the benefits of urban canopy in environmental justice neighborhoods in Chicopee and Holyoke.

  • Wildlands Trust- $30,000 to conduct social media and community outreach, literature mailings and tabling at community events to raise awareness of GGCP tree planting and communicate the benefits of urban canopy in environmental justice neighborhoods within Taunton.