The Tomorrow’s Forest Communities grant programme continues in 2025 to support local initiatives that contribute to forest protection, environmental education and the sustainable development of communities around forests. Following the selection process, 11 projects were approved for funding, covering a variety of areas and approaches – from expanding seedling production capacity to innovative environmental monitoring technologies and inclusive nature education.
The commission of independent evaluators received 29 diverse projects, from organisations from all areas of the country – from the counties of Argeș, Bacău, Bihor, Botoșani, Brașov, Buzău, Cluj, Iași, Ilfov, Mureș, Sălaj, Sibiu, Suceava, and Timiș, plus Bucharest. The total budgets requested exceeded 2.4 million lei.
The total value of the grants awarded this year is 750,000 lei, of which 250,000 lei are available for educational projects.
The projects selected for non-reimbursable funding this year
The report of the evaluation committee can be downloaded here (.pdf, in Romanian). The contracting of the projects will start soon, and the implementation will take place according to the calendar established by each individual project.
Balvia Association (county) Timiș): The CODRU Planting Festival
This project continues the participatory afforestation initiative initiated by the organisers of CODRU Festival in Timiș County. Planting actions with volunteers, ecological education workshops and cultural events are planned, aimed at creating a lasting connection between people and nature. With a total value of 300,400 lei, the project won a non-reimbursable grant worth 150,000 lei.
The People of the Forest Association (Suceava county): Forestry education in urban and peri-urban forests around Suceava
The project aims to transform the forests around the city of Suceava into real “green classrooms”, where students will be able to learn about ecosystems, biodiversity and forest protection directly, in the middle of nature. The total value of the project is 25,000 lei, fully financed by the grant obtained.
The Da Vinci System Association (Cluj county): SciBox
An innovative digital and environmental education project, which involves the development of a local network of ten experts (activists, technicians, environmental specialists) who will contribute to the creation of SciBoxes – kits based on Arduino technology, configured to collect environmental indicators directly from the forest (humidity, temperature, air quality, etc). The project promotes STEM education with ecological applicability, has a total value of 213,000 lei, including the non-reimbursable grant of 150,000 lei.
The Association for Social Mobility and Democratic Education (Cluj county): ECOART – The Craftsmen
A cultural-ecological initiative carried out in the Turda Gorges area, which aims to train a new generation of young artists and craftsmen through thematic workshops inspired by the forest. The project, worth a total of 164,190 lei, promotes the forest as a spiritual, cultural and economic resource, through responsible artistic creation. The value of the grant obtained through the Communities of Tomorrow’s Forest programme amounts to 149,220 lei.
The Fairies and Dragons Association (Cluj county): The Forest – a space for play, learning and connection for all children
A project dedicated to inclusion, which gives children with special educational needs (SEN) and their families access to outdoor environmental education activities. With a total value of 25,150 lei (fully covered by the non-reimbursable grant), the project also provides for the development of adapted educational materials about the forest and forest life.
Teodor Pietrariu Brănești Forestry College (Ilfov county): Green education for the Tomorrow’s Forest – Brănești 2025
The project, with a total value of 25,000 lei fully financed by the non-reimbursable grant, provides for the arrangement of an outdoor educational space with ecological furniture, thematic trails and information panels, which will support the educational activities of students in forestry education. A digital forest learning guide will also be created.
Țara Bârsei Prejmer Technical College (Brașov county): Prejmer Green
A project worth a total of 13,014 lei (of which 11,686.16 lei come from the Communities of Tomorrow’s Forest) with a focus on raising students’ awareness of energy consumption and waste management. An educational framework will be created in which students will be able to experiment with practical solutions to reduce their impact on the environment.
The Blue Lion Foundation (Argeș county): Eco Trivale – Travelers on thematic trails
Through this project, the Trivale forest in Argeș county will benefit from a thematic trail marked and equipped with educational panels. Three applied ecology workshops will be organised for children and young people, stimulating knowledge and responsibility towards the forest in an urban context. The grant obtained amounts to 24,800 lei, out of a total of 70,400 lei.
Zetea Forest Management Unit (Harghita county): Extension of the cultivated area within the existing nurseries
The project aims to expand the production capacity of seedlings at the nurseries of the Zetea FMU, with a focus on bare-root seedlings through modern technologies. The investment supports the regeneration of forests with quality seedlings and sustainable management of private and community forests. The project has a total value of 227,051.76 lei, of which the value of the non-reimbursable grant amounts to 152,249.80 lei. Note. The financing of the project by OSR Zetea SA is conditional on the submission of additional clarifications regarding the financial viability of the project and the avoidance of double financing.
PEFC Romania: Journey to the Enchanted Forest
An educational project for primary school children, which involves editing and distributing 500 copies of an illustrated book that introduces concepts of forest ecology and sustainable forest management for children. The project also includes interactive reading and learning sessions about the forest, held in the partner schools. The total value of the project is 27,500 lei, of which 18,000 lei represents the funding granted by the programme.
Elementary School No. 1 Orășeni-Deal (Botoșani county): The Forest Club
School No. 1 in Orășeni-Deal continues this year a successful local project that has brought nature to the centre of the educational process. Through outdoor activities, hikes and practical lessons, students from Botoșani will continue to discover, learn and protect the forest. The entire budget of the project, worth 23,200 lei, is supported by the Communities of Tomorrow’s Forest grant.
About Tomorrow's Forest Communities
The Tomorrow’s Forest Communities programme is addressed to community actors in Romania’s forested areas – forest owners or managers (and their associations), TAUs, NGOs with concerns about sustainable forest management, nature conservation and protected area management, NGOs with a social mission, social enterprises and educational institutions.
The programme will run between 2022-2031, within the limits of available financial resources. The priority areas of funding will be defined for each annual funding cycle but must follow the specific objectives of the Programme.
In the first three rounds of the programme (2022-2024), 16 projects were financed, with a total value of grants awarded of 3,044,271.09 lei.
ERRATUM: The published minutes do not include the project “Pădurea – Școala vieții”, submitted by Asociația Inimi Generoase, which received 77 points.
