BALCH SPRINGS, Texas — August 19, 2026 — Rooted Futures Collective (RFC) has been awarded a $5,000 H-E-B Trees for Texans “For Communities” grant to support native tree planting and ecological restoration work in Balch Springs.
Trees for Texans is a statewide conservation initiative from H-E-B in partnership with Texan by Nature, created to expand native tree planting at schools and in communities across Texas. H-E-B commissioned Texan by Nature to manage the program, which includes grants supporting nonprofit organizations and other community groups undertaking local tree-planting projects.
The award will help RFC expand efforts to create healthier, more resilient community landscapes by increasing native tree canopy, improving wildlife habitat, providing shade, and demonstrating how thoughtfully designed plantings can serve both people and local ecosystems.
“This funding gives us an opportunity to put more of our conservation work directly into the ground,” said Jess Reaka, Founder and Executive Director of Rooted Futures Collective. “We’re not interested in planting trees simply to reach a number. We want to choose the right native species, put them in places where they can provide meaningful ecological and community benefits, and create plantings that become more valuable as they mature.”
North Texas communities face a combination of extreme summer heat, habitat fragmentation, development pressure, stormwater challenges, and loss of native vegetation. Increasing native tree canopy can help address several of those issues at the same time.
Trees provide shade, intercept rainfall, improve water infiltration, reduce erosion, store carbon, moderate temperatures, and provide food and shelter for wildlife. Native species offer additional value because they support the ecological relationships of the regions in which they naturally occur.
The broader Trees for Texans program similarly focuses on planting native trees to increase shade, expand tree canopy, enhance greenspace, and create healthier environments in communities across the state.
RFC plans to approach its project as more than a traditional tree-planting effort.
Where program requirements and site conditions allow, the organization hopes to incorporate native shrubs and other woody understory species alongside trees to create more structurally diverse habitat. Rather than placing isolated trees in landscapes dominated by turfgrass, RFC’s broader restoration approach emphasizes ecological layers and the relationships among canopy trees, understory vegetation, native grasses, wildflowers, wildlife, soil, and water.
“A healthy landscape is a system,” Reaka said. “Trees are incredibly important, but they don’t exist in isolation in nature. Whenever we have the opportunity, we want our projects to reflect more of that natural complexity and create habitat that actually functions.”
The project also supports RFC’s larger effort to demonstrate how conservation can be incorporated into community development and public spaces.
Strategically planted native trees can make parks, sidewalks, gathering areas, outdoor classrooms, and other community spaces more comfortable during North Texas summers while improving habitat and environmental conditions over time.
The H-E-B Trees for Texans award comes during a period of significant growth for Rooted Futures Collective as the organization expands its restoration, environmental education, and community stewardship programs in Balch Springs.
“This grant represents more than the plants we’ll be able to purchase,” Reaka said. “It is an investment in what these landscapes can become five, ten, twenty, or fifty years from now. The trees we plant today can eventually provide shade, habitat, healthier soils, and places where future generations gather and learn. That long-term view is central to everything we do.”
RFC will announce additional information about planting locations, species, project timing, and opportunities for community participation as planning is finalized.
“We’re incredibly grateful to H-E-B and Texan by Nature for investing in conservation at the community level and giving organizations like ours the resources to turn that investment into something tangible,” Reaka said. “Five thousand dollars can put a lot of roots into the ground, and we intend to make every one of them count.”
About Rooted Futures Collective
Rooted Futures Collective is a Balch Springs-based nonprofit working at the intersection of ecological restoration, environmental education, community stewardship, and sustainable local development. Through habitat restoration, outdoor learning, community-led conservation initiatives, and partnerships, RFC works to create healthier, more resilient places for people and nature.
Educate. Organize. Regenerate.
Learn more: https://www.rootedfuturescollective.org/rooted-futures-collective-awarded-5000-h-e-b-trees-for-texans-grant/
About H-E-B Trees for Texans
H-E-B Trees for Texans is a statewide initiative conducted in partnership with Texan by Nature to support native tree planting at schools and throughout Texas communities. The program includes community grants that help nonprofits, municipalities, and civic organizations increase tree canopy, enhance greenspace, create shade, and engage Texans in hands-on conservation.
Media Contact
Jess Reaka
Founder & Executive Director
Rooted Futures Collective
jess@rootedfuturescollective.org
https://www.rootedfuturescollective.org
