TORONTO, October 26, 2026 – Toronto residents planning to create pollinator gardens or improve green spaces in their communities have just two days left to apply for city funding. The application deadline for the 2026 PollinateTO Community Grants program has been extended to October 28, with eligible projects able to receive up to $5,000.
PollinateTO primarily supports residents and community groups working to improve habitats for pollinating insects. Eligible projects include creating new pollinator gardens or rain gardens, adding native pollinator-friendly plants to existing gardens, and transforming lawns, boulevards or sections of paved surfaces into habitats for bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
Projects must be located in Toronto and contribute to increasing publicly visible pollinator habitats. The city also encourages applicants to include community education and resident participation to help more people get involved in protecting local biodiversity.
Eligible applicants include resident and tenant associations, community groups, schools, Indigenous organizations, faith-based organizations, Business Improvement Areas, registered charities and non-profit organizations.
Individual residents can also form groups to apply, but each group must include at least three Toronto residents from different households. Applications from individuals acting alone and for-profit businesses are not eligible.
Eligible project locations include shared community gardens, school teaching gardens, boulevards, cemeteries and designated city-owned parks. Residents of neighbouring properties may also work together to create a “pollinator pathway” by connecting smaller front-yard gardens.
However, individual residential backyards, single front-yard gardens, balcony or rooftop gardens, and urban agriculture projects used exclusively for food production are not eligible for funding under this program.
Some applications also require advance permission from the property owner. Projects located on school grounds, private property, city boulevards and certain public lands must include the appropriate authorization documents. Projects proposed for parks on the city’s pre-approved list do not require an additional property permission letter.
The city expects to review applications between November and December, with funding decisions announced in February 2027. Approved projects may begin planting next spring.
Since its launch in 2019, PollinateTO has helped communities establish more than 650 gardens. Residents and community groups interested in applying must complete their online applications by October 28 and prepare a project budget, photographs of the proposed location and any required permission documents.
（LJI by Yuanyuan）
