Belltrees Public School in the Upper Hunter Valley is on a multi-year journey to rehabilitate the sprawling farmland on which the school is located, using funds from Federation’s Tree Levy grants scheme to help fund it. Your school can apply for a 2026 Tree Levy Grant here.
The school’s project promotes ecological education, community involvement, conservation of one of Australia’s most beloved tree species and is creating a sustainable koala habitat that includes native eucalypts and other flora. The area is of ‘Regional Koala Significance’ and the school’s plan is in line with the NSW Koala Strategy.
With the Hunter Region Landcare Network also encouraging the community to address critical data gaps in koala habitat restoration, in 2025 Belltrees Public School applied for — and was successful in qualifying for — a Federation Tree Levy grant.
The grant allowed the school to purchase 12 black she-oak plants, as well as 36 eucalypts in three different species: grey gum, grey box and Blakeley’s red gum — all of which were purchased from the nearby plant nursery.
The school then held a planting day at which students, teachers and locals came together to get things growing.
Just like Belltrees Public School, other NSW schools with an elected Federation Representative can apply for a grant of up to $600, to buy native trees and woody shrubs for planting in and around school grounds.
Since 1996, the grants program has offset the environmental impact of Federation’s paper usage through the planting of trees in school playgrounds, courtyards and gardens across the state.
Whether your school would just like to provide some shade to help keep students and teachers cool, or like Belltrees Public School, you’d like to create a home for native birds and animals, you can apply for a grant.
Applications close on Friday 3 July — the last day of term 2, so be quick and discover how your school can apply by logging into the Member Portal today.