Growing Together: Groundwork Erie’s 2025 Annual Report
Growing Together marks Groundwork Erie’s inaugural annual report and a milestone moment for our organization. This first report affirmed what Groundwork has long believed: real change happens when people, land, and opportunities are nurtured together. From youth stepping into green workforce leadership, to neighbors planting and caring for trees, land, and our local food system, our work in 2025 was shaped by collaboration, listening, and shared growth. This report reflects a year of learning and momentum and the collective effort of partners, residents, and young people who are growing a healthier, more resilient Erie alongside us.
What’s Next?
As we reflect on 2025, we begin to envision a 2026 full of healthy, green, just, and resilient neighborhoods for all. We are proud to announce that we have been awarded $441,000 through the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (DCNR) Community and Watershed Forestry Grant Program, allowing us to continue our work towards this vision!
Over the next three years, this funding will support Groundwork Erie’s efforts in expanding tree canopy, engaging over 100 youth and young adults in paid tree planting work, and building long-lasting tree stewardship capacity.
Urban trees are essential infrastructure because they help manage stormwater, reduce flooding and erosion, improve air quality, and lower neighborhood temperatures. These benefits are especially critical in communities that have experienced historic disinvestment and increased environmental burdens. “By combining tree planting with youth workforce development and community stewardship and economic development, we’re ensuring these benefits last well into the future,” says our Executive Director, Erin Carey.
Over the next three years, we will utilize this grant to:
Coordinate and fund an Urban and Community Forestry workforce development paid-program for youth and young adults
Plant hundreds of trees across the city of Erie, focusing on neighborhoods with the lowest tree canopy
Build local capacity for long-term tree care and stewardship
Grow the existing Green Team program to include spring and fall employment opportunities for high-school aged youth
Launch Ground Corps, a workforce development initiative for young adults aged 18+
DCNR’s commitment to strengthening local forests, protecting watersheds, and investing in community-driven solutions will work in tandem over the next years with our own commitment here at Groundwork Erie to connect people, land, and opportunity. Erin Carey believes “this investment affirms what our community has known, trees are not just amenities, they are vital to public health, community resilience, and neighborhood stability.”
