The Giant Co., in partnership with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, has named 37 recipients of its 2025 Healing the Planet grant program. A total of $119,022 was awarded in support of native tree planting projects across Pennsylvania.
The grants were awarded to tax-exempt organizations across Giant’s operating areas, according to the Thursday announcement.
Among the recipients were 14 projects in Berks (1), Chester (3), Delaware (5), Montgomery (4) and Schuylkill (1) counties.
“Every action, big or small, helps create a greener tomorrow,” Courtney Hopcraft, manager of community relations and charitable giving, The Giant Co., said in a statement. “This year’s Healing the Planet grant recipients are making a difference in their own local communities, planting more than 4,000 new trees throughout the Commonwealth.”
The following area organizations are among the recipients:
• Abington Township Public Library, Abington (Montgomery)
• Chester Housing Initiatives, Chester (Delaware)
• Chester-Ridley-Crum Watersheds Association, Edgmont Twp. (Delaware)
• Darby Creek Valley Association, Upper Darby Twp. (Delaware)
• Founding Forward, Valley Forge (Montgomery)
• Haverford Township Civic Council, Havertown (Delaware)
• Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association, Kempton (Berks)
• Honey Brook Community Library Inc., Honey Brook (Chester)
• Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens, Devon (Chester)
• Marsh Creek State Park, Downingtown (Chester)
• Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy, Schwenksville (Montgomery)
• Pottsville Area School District, Pottsville (Schuylkill)
• Springfield Township Delaware County, Springfield (Delaware)
• St. Thomas Church Whitemarsh, Fort Washington (Montgomery)
This is the fifth year The Giant Co. has partnered with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful to offer the grants. Since 2021, the Healing the Planet grant program has awarded more than $1.3 million to 178 recipients for projects that connect communities with green spaces, protect and improve local waterways and water resources, prevent, reduce, and recover food waste, and support native tree planting and habitat restoration, according to a press release.
Native trees play a critical role in protecting local ecosystems — supporting wildlife, reducing erosion, and requiring less maintenance to thrive, according to Heidi Pedicone, director of programs at Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.
“Tree planting efforts also help improve the appearance and safety of our communities, which can reduce littering and support long-term economic development. Each grant recipient is making a lasting impact in their community, from restoring green spaces to protecting water resources across Pennsylvania,” Pedicone said in a statement.
The program was announced in June, and applications were accepted through July 1 for grants of up to $4,000 each via the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website. To be eligible, projects were required to be shovel ready with any required permits already secured. The applicants also needed to include tree planting and direct costs related to tree planting. All of the trees planted must be native to Pennsylvania.
Eligible expenses for the projects include trees native to Pennsylvania, equipment, tree signage, tools and supplies. Preference was given to applications that aim to plant the highest number of trees, The Giant Co. said in June.
Source: Berkshire mont