Ontario Community Environment Fund

Learn about the Ontario Community Environment Fund (OCEF) and how not-for-profit organizations, municipalities, schools, colleges, universities and Indigenous organizations and communities can apply for government grants to support local projects that help protect and restore the environment.

About the fund

The Ontario Community Environment Fund (OCEF) directs money collected from environmental penalties to support important, community-based activities such as shoreline cleanups, habitat restoration and tree planting.

In 2025, we are making over $2.9 million available for local projects that aim to restore the environment.

By directing these funds to local projects in communities impacted by environmental violations, we are supporting healthy communities and protecting and preserving our land, air and water.

How the fund works

We may issue environmental penalties when:

industrial facilities or landfilling sites don’t follow Ontario’s environmental rules
a spill or an adverse environmental effect occurs
an effluent limit exceedance occurs (such as liquid waste or sewage)
a flaring event occurs at a petroleum facility and the sulphur dioxide discharge limit is exceeded

OCEF uses money collected from these penalties to support projects that improve the environment in the region where the violation or environmental impact happened.

Projects that are eligible for support focus on:

environmental restoration and remediation activities which repair environmental harm
resilient communities and local solutions to environmental issues

We evaluate project applications based on their technical merit and potential to benefit the environment and community.

Who can apply

The fund is open to:

Indigenous communities and organizations
schools, colleges and universities
municipalities
incorporated not-for-profit organizations
incorporated community-based groups

Eligible regions and grant amounts

To qualify, your project must be based in a region where environmental penalties were collected. Check the interactive map and list below to confirm how much funding is available for your area.

Please type in your address and press the Search button to find out your MECP region:

Region	2025 grant amount
Southwest	$1,602,577.85
West Central	$721,425.00
Northern	$585,875.32
Eastern	no funding available
Central	no funding available

Eligible projects

Funding is available for 2 different kinds of environmental improvement projects. These include projects that focus on:

Increasing environmental restoration and remediation activities which repair environmental harm. For example:
- planting native trees, shrubs or plants to help mitigate and adapt to climate change
- rebuilding fish habitat and creating fish spawning beds
- stabilizing stream banks and creating buffer strips to reduce erosion and nutrient run-off
- controlling invasive species that disrupt local ecosystems
- restoring streams to improve habitat and water quality
Resilient communities and local solutions to environmental issues. For example:
- improving the resilience of natural ecosystems by restoring and preserving areas of significant environmental and ecological importance
- installing rain gardens to reduce the risk of flooding and help communities adapt to climate change
- environmental monitoring that provides data to understand and support the protection and conservation of the natural environment

The minimum funding request is $5,000.

How to apply

Step 1: Review the application guide.

Step 2: Create or log into your Transfer Payment Ontario account to apply. All applications must be submitted electronically through Transfer Payment Ontario.

Step 3: Follow the guide and complete the application form through Transfer Payment Ontario.

Step 4: Provide supporting documents, including a mandatory and comprehensive project budget. If you feel that the evaluation of your proposal would be improved by any of the following documents, please attach them to your application in Transfer Payment Ontario:

mandatory: a detailed budget that includes all project costs and funding sources outlined in an Excel spreadsheet
a map or sketch of the project location
signed letters from key organizations or individuals, such as landowners, funders and project partners
organizational chart
copies of required permits, approvals or permit applications
a copy of your organization’s purchasing policy
signed letter from First Nation community’s Chief and Council or a letter from the Band Administrator or Manager

Questions

If you have any questions about OCEF, you can:

Call the Public Information Centre:

Toll-free: 1-800-565-4923
TTY: 1-855-515-2759 (for people with hearing disabilities)

Contact the OCEF project manager:

For help and assistance with Transfer Payment Ontario, contact customer service, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET at:

Funded projects

Since 2021, Ontario has invested nearly $2,400,000 in projects that help protect and restore the environment in communities across the province.

Aamjiwnaang First Nation — industrial air project

Developing an air monitoring plan and installing the air monitoring equipment required to improve technical knowledge and environmental awareness regarding air quality within the Aamjiwnaang First Nation community. The project includes planting 50 trees and 50 shrubs, developing a training course on industrial air emissions and environmental monitoring and developing and implementing a water and sediment sampling program.

Algoma University — water quality enhancement and habitat restoration in Sault Ste. Marie

Enhancing water quality and restoring wildlife habitat around manicured flood control channels in Sault Ste. Marie, with support from the Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority and Sault College.

Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority — enhancing rural green infrastructure in the Ausable and Bayfield watersheds

Improving water quality and protecting local communities from flooding and erosion by planting over 20,000 trees and restoring up to 21 wetlands.

Bayfield River Valley Trail Association — erosion protection and fish habitat improvement at the Bayfield River Flats

Restoring fish habitat, a trail, and an eroded riverbank along the Bayfield River by planting trees and shrubs, installing log root wads and other erosion protection measures.

Brant County — Paris parks enhancement project

Protecting and conserving Carolinian forests at Barker’s Bush and Watt’s Pond by reducing erosion, controlling invasive species, creating or enhancing 8 km of public trails, planting a total of 5,000 native trees or shrubs and installing habitat for snakes, bats and birds.

Bruce County — Spring Creek restoration project

Replacing 2 failed culverts with an arch culvert to restore water quality and fish habitat in Spring Creek, within the Lindsay Tract Forest.

Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association — community restoration of riparian habitat and water quality of Crane River, northern Bruce Peninsula

Working with the landowner, Parks Canada, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Bruce Peninsula Sportsmen Association to fence livestock out of the stream and naturalize the riverbank and near-shore buffer zone. This will restore water quality, create a 0.75-hectare buffer, reconnect a wildlife corridor and protect brook trout habitat along the Crane River.

City of Cornwall — Safeguarding critical fish habitat through riparian restoration and improvements

Safeguarding critical fish habitat through riverbank restoration and improvement work. The project will create a near-shore “buffer zone” using trees and shrubs to improve water quality and habitat conditions, which will positively impact fish populations over the long-term.

EcoSuperior Environmental Programs — analyzing plastics in LittaTraps

Preventing plastic pollution from entering local waterways and Lake Superior by installing LittaTraps in storm drains, in partnership with the City of Thunder Bay.

Elephant Thoughts — restoration of a 10-acre red pine forest in Durham, Grey County

Engaging local youth and community volunteers in planting 7,000 native trees to restore a ten-acre red pine forest, in partnership with the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority and The Environment Network.

Essex Region Conservation Authority — Peche Island fish habitat and erosion mitigation project

Constructing offshore sheltering islands to the north of Peche Island in the Detroit River. This will create a backwater area where aquatic vegetation can grow and create fish habitat for native fish species and species at risk in the upper Detroit River.

Forests Ontario — Forest Ontario's 50 million tree planting

Planting and tracking the growth of approximately 185,000 trees and engaging with landowners in Northern Ontario communities to promote greater public awareness about Ontario’s forests and planting trees.

Heartland Forest Nature Experience — biodiversity corridor restoration and community engagement

Restoring a key “biodiversity corridor” by planting native trees, shrubs and wildflowers along an accessible walking trail that passes through grassland and Carolinian forest habitat. The project will also support an education program for elementary school students on the topics of climate change, invasive species, modern environmental impacts, species at risk and native plants and their traditional Indigenous uses.

Invasive Species Centre — invasive phragmites in Northern Ontario

Engaging communities in removing invasive phragmites to protect biodiversity, infrastructure and species at risk.

Junction Creek Stewardship Committee — urban stream restoration for the long-term recovery of Junction Creek

Restoring sensitive habitat features and improving aquatic habitat in Sudbury's Junction Creek. This will be accomplished by restoring the creek bank and near-shore areas, mitigating stormwater contaminants and building capacity for long-term community stewardship and ecological resilience.

Kayanase (Grand River Employment and Training Inc.) — wetland creation and habitat restoration in Six Nations

Restoring the Grand River floodplain behind Kayanase by managing invasive species, restoring a riverbank, improving stormwater management, and creating breeding and spawning habitat for amphibians, fish and turtles in a diverse wetland habitat.

Land Care Niagara — a tree today, a forest tomorrow

Planting 40,000 native tree species and installing a variety of wildlife habitat structures on private and public lands throughout the Niagara Region. In partnership with Forests Ontario, the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, Ontario Power Generation, the City of Niagara Falls, and local community groups and volunteers, this project will increase native biodiversity and forest canopy cover while building resilience to climate change.

Long Point Basin Land Trust — remediation and improving accessibility of Long Point Basin land trust nature reserves

Restoring 5 properties which include a provincially significant wetland, a cold-water stream and Carolinian forests by removing invasive species, cleaning up litter, installing educational signage, sowing native seed and planting 50 shrubs.

Manitoulin Streams Improvement Association — Grimesthorpe Creek restoration and livestock restriction

Restoring Grimesthorpe Creek by restricting livestock access, planting 700 native trees or shrubs and completing an island-wide litter pick-up event.

Manitoulin Streams Improvement Association — Manitou River site M17.1 bank stabilization and island-wide garbage cleanup

Planting native trees and shrubs to stabilize 300 m² of stream banks and conduct an island-wide garbage cleanup. This project, in partnership with Tehkummah Township and community volunteers, will restore 55 linear metres of the Manitou River, enhance aquatic habitat and improve water quality across Manitoulin Island.

ReForest London — preparing for the storm: ecological restoration projects to enhance urban stormwater management in a rapidly changing climate

Improving stormwater management and ecological resilience in the City of London by working with volunteers and community groups to plant over 4,000 native trees and shrubs in 10 local parks containing stormwater management ponds or natural waterways.

Scouts Canada — restoring environmentally significant oak savanna forest at Camp Attawandaron

Removing invasive pine trees and planting native trees and shrubs in an ecologically significant oak savanna forest to restore habitat and protect species at risk.

St. Clair Conservation — habitat restoration and monitoring in the St. Clair Region

Planting trees and restoring wetlands on approximately 5 hectares of land and collecting habitat health metrics in the St. Clair Region, in partnership with the Ipperwash Phrag Phighters and the Town of Plympton-Wyoming.

Town of Kapuskasing — riverside park green space rehabilitation

Enhancing the Lower South Bay by removing deteriorating cement structures, re-grading the slope to improve drainage and replacing dead trees along the Kapuskasing River.

Trout Unlimited Canada — reconnecting Armstrong Creek: phase 2

Rehabilitating the Town Pond Dam area in Markdale and restoring 110 metres of the channel. Stream habitat, water quality and biodiversity will be improved through bank stabilization, installing in-stream habitat structures and planting trees, shrubs and live stakes, working in partnership with the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority and the Municipality of Grey Highlands

Water First — a community-based fish habitat restoration and education project

Collaborating with the Sagamok First Nation to restore essential Walleye fish habitat, build local capacity and foster environmental stewardship on the Sagamok First Nation’s traditional territory.

Watersheds Canada — shoreline restorations in the Cataraqui and Quinte watersheds

Planting 4,000 native species on shoreline properties near Kaladar. Working with Quinte Conservation, this project will restore 0.4 km² of shoreline habitat in the Cataraqui and Quinte watersheds.

Whitefish River First Nation — stream improvement project

Restoring 3 streams on Whitefish River First Nation’s traditional territory by stabilizing stream banks and improving fish spawning conditions. A bridge will also be built over a frequently used part of the stream to reduce further erosion.