Ready to change your community? Greener Towns is here to help!
Are you ready to plant native plants, functional landscaping, and/or a sustainable lawn in your community? Greener Towns is here to help! The Greener Towns Program provides plants, resources and education to help Nebraska communities improve and protect their green spaces.
Green spaces (also called green infrastructure) are the living complement to the built environment in our cities and towns (roads, buildings, utilities). Through Green Infrastructure, we utilize plants to keep a community healthy and vibrant.
Learn more about how green infrastructure is a part of vibrant, healthy communities in Nebraska.
Greener Towns Landscapes Make a Difference
Greener Towns Landscapes improve property values, provide energy savings (heating & cooling), create recreation opportunities, and improve air quality. All furthering PlantNebraska's mission to plant Nebraska for healthy people, vibrant communities, and a resilient environment.
Our Focuses
- Native and well-adapted plants that offer many benefits as well as create a sense of place and pride in our Nebraska landscapes.
- Water is essential. We need to conserve irrigation, protect rainwater and reduce waste.
- Biodiversity is a cornerstone of any healthy ecosystem by supporting insects and birds while providing resilience to pests and disease.
- Trees shade and shelter us, mute noise pollution, reduce energy use, offer year-round beauty, and more.
- Learn more
Who is Eligible?
Nebraska community groups who want to improve their public landscapes like streets, trails, parks, campuses, schools, and fairgrounds are encouraged to apply for Greener Towns. Funding is awarded competitively to the financial sponsor of the project. Projects must offer clear benefit to the community or educational opportunities; we cannot award funds to projects on private property or for home landscapes.
Volunteers and employees are invited to apply on behalf of non-profit organizations, government entities, or educational organizations. Wondering if your project or organization qualifies? Email Sarah Buckley (Sustainable Landscape Specialist) at sarah.buckley@unl.edu.
Timeline
The Greener Towns program will be accepting applications through July 6th, 2026 for projects to be planted:
- Fall landscaping projects: Sept.-Oct. 2026
- Spring landscaping projects: May-June 2027
- Dormant lawn conversion seeding: January-February 2027
Learn more about how the Greener Towns program works.
To apply, create an account in our grant management system. You will be able to log in using the same button to check the status of your application and to complete any assigned reporting follow-ups.
Not quite ready to start? Sign up for grant alerts to be reminded of future deadlines.
Our Partners
Greener Towns is a program of PlantNebraska and is funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust.
