School Garden Training on the St. Lawrence University Campus, Canton, NY
School Garden Training
Location: St. Lawrence University Campus
Date: March 30, 2010
School Garden Training on the St. Lawrence University Campus, Canton
This training is designed for those who already maintain a school garden project AND for those considering one. It is open to school faculty and staff, parents, community members – all are welcome!
Presentations & workshops will include topics such as integrating garden projects into the curriculum, utilizing the harvest in classroom and cafeteria, and q & a sessions with successful project coordinators. Details and registration to come in January 2010. We hope you will plan to join us for this exciting training cosponsored by: Health Quest MOVE & the Eat Well Play Hard Community Project of the St. Lawrence Health Initiative, Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County, GardenShare, UShare, Lettuce Turnip the Beet and the St. Lawrence Valley Teachers’ Learning Center. Please share this information with anyone who may be interested.
A variety of grant opportunities for school garden projects are listed below (thanks to all who send these my way!). Please contact me if you would like assistance planning a school garden project for this coming spring or with any other school gardening questions or ideas for St. Lawrence County.
1. Mantis Awards
Sponsor: Mantis
Award package: Mantis tiller/cultivators
Number of awards: 25
Who qualifies: community, school, and youth garden programs
Annual application deadline: March 1
http://www.kidsgardening.com/grants/mantis-criteria.asp
2. Public School Teachers Request
Sponsor: DonorsChoose.org
Award package:
Who qualifies: Teacher defined projects in schools Annual application deadline: Rolling
http://www.donorschoose.org/teacher/index.html
3. Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program
Sponsor: USDA – CSREES
Award package:: $10,000 – $300,000
Number of awards: not specified
Who qualifies: private, nonprofit entities meeting specific requirements
Annual application deadline: May
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/fo/communityfoodprojects.cfm
4. 2010 Youth Garden Grants
Sponsor: National Gardening Assoc and Home Depot
Award package: $500 -$1000 gift cards
Number of awards: 100
Who qualifies: community, school, and youth garden programs
Annual application deadline: November 2nd
http://www.kidsgardening.com/ygg.asp
5. Champions for Healthy Kids
Sponsor: General Mills
Award package: $10,000
Number of awards: 50
Who qualifies: community-based groups that develop creative ways to help youth adopt a balanced diet and physically active lifestyle.
Annual application deadline: January 15, 2010
http://www.generalmills.com/corporate/commitment/champions.aspx
6 America the Beautiful Fund
http://www.america-the-beautiful.org/
Non-profit group receives seed donations from major seed companies. Sets of 50 packets of vegetables, flowers and herbs are available for the cost of postage and handling.
7. Outdoor Classroom Grant Program
The goal is to provide schools with additional resources to improve their science curriculum by engaging students in hands-on experiences outside the traditional classroom. All K-12 public schools in the United States are welcome to apply.
www.lowes.com
8. Welch’s Harvest Grants
http://www.scholastic.com/harvest/
9. Fiskar’s Project Orange Thumb
http://www.fiskars.com/content/garden_en_us/Garden/ProjectOrangeThumb
Target Field Trip Grants Program
Deadline: Nov. 3, 2009
As part of the Target commitment to supporting education, Target Field Trip Grants program will award 5,000 grants of up to $800 each to U.S. educators to fund a field trip for their students. Target Field Trip Grants may be used to fund trips ranging from visits to art museums and environmental projects to cultural events and civic experiences. Education professionals who are at least 18 years old and employed by an accredited K-12 public, private or charter school in the United States that maintains a 501(c)(3) or 509(a)(1) tax-exempt status are eligible to apply. For more information, and to apply, visit target.com.
Grants for School and Youth Gardens
The National Gardening Association works with sponsoring companies and organizations to provide in-kind grants to projects that actively engage kids in the garden and improve the quality of life for their communities.
To be eligible for these awards your school or organization must plan to garden with at least 15 kids between the ages of 3 and 18. (Mantis Awards are also open to non-youth organizations.)
Please note that all grant winners are required to complete a year-end impact report (see individual grants for details).
Click on the links below for information on each grant program.
Winning one grant does not disqualify you from winning another within the same year, so please apply to all that are appropriate for your program!
2009 Hooked on Hydroponics Awards
Deadline: September 18, 2009
2009 Healthy Sprouts Awards
Deadline: October 17, 2009
2010 Youth Garden Grants
Deadline: November 2, 2009
2010 Heinz Wholesome Memories Intergenerational Garden Award
Deadline: January 10,2010
2010 Mantis Award
Deadline: March 1, 2010
School Garden Grants
Contests encourage school and community gardens
By REBECCA PERRY / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
Big, juicy, organically grown tomatoes; crisp green peppers; perfectly purple eggplant and enough freshly dug potatoes to share with local families in need are reasons enough to tend a plot in a community garden.
Still need convincing? Consider fresh air, exercise and conversation with neighbors. The reasons for community gardens can pile up in a hurry. The cost of gardening materials can add up, too, but there are resources available to help community-minded gardeners meet their goals.
Grants and award programs aimed specifically at school and community gardens are multiplying. They reward chosen recipients with plants, tools and more. The programs are listed in order of application deadline. Stay informed on additional funding opportunities at sites including www.kids gardening.com/grants.asp or www.csrees.usda.gov/business/business.html as new deadlines are posted and other grant information becomes available.
Bayer Advanced “Grow Together With Roses” School Garden Award
This award helps school and community organizations beautify their world with roses. It is intended for groups with the goals of nurturing peaceful relations and involving community members who will be gardening with children between the ages of 3 and 18.
10 rosebushes and education materials
Application deadline: Jan. 23, 2009
Lowe’s Toolbox for Education
Nonprofit public schools for grades K through 12 may apply for grants that cover a variety of education projects. Suggested projects include turning an outdoor space into an inviting reading garden with benches, walkways, shady trees and flowers or planting a vegetable garden where history, social studies, math and science all come together in an active way. $2,000 to $5,000 per school.
Application deadline: Feb. 13, 2009 (or sooner, once 1,500 applications are received)
Fiskars Project Orange Thumb
Getting needed tools in the hands of community gardeners is the idea behind this project. A range of groups – community centers, clubs, youth groups, etc. – are eligible to submit their community garden, neighborhood beautification or horticulture education project. Up to $1,500 in Fiskars Tools; up to $800 for garden materials such as plants, seeds and mulch.
Application deadline: Feb. 17, 2009
Mantis Awards
Past winners have included schools, churches, correctional facilities, community gardens and many other organizations. Charitable and educational not-for-profit groups trying to increase their community’s access to fresh, nutritious foods are welcome to apply. 25 programs will each receive a Mantis Tiller/Cultivator
Application deadline: March 1, 2009
Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards
This award targets nonprofit community groups striving to turn local eyesores into oases by planting trees, bushes and shrubs. Project examples include reclaiming an abandoned lot by creating a fruit orchard to provide fruit to nearby residents or refurbishing the landscape in a community park. Grand prize $2,500 in plants; first place $1,500 in plants; second place $1,000 in plants.
Application deadline: April 1, 2009
Bonnie Plants Third Grade Cabbage Program
This year more than 1 million third-graders will be planting and tending their own cabbage plants from Bonnie Plants, according to the company’s Web site. More third-grade teachers are invited to sign up for next year’s round. Free cabbage plants; $1,000 scholarship awarded to one student in each participating state.
Application deadline: Sept. 1, 2009
Healthy Sprouts Awards
Kids working together in a garden get much-needed exercise in addition to benefiting from healthful fresh veggies. Through these awards, the National Gardening Association supports youth garden programs focused on nutrition and hunger issues. School and youth programs for kids ages 3 to 18 may apply. $200 to $500 in Gardener’s Supply Co. gift certificates and 25 packets of seeds.
Application deadline: Oct. 15, 2009 (applications available Feb. 1, 2009)
Operation Green Plant
America the Beautiful Fund offers grants of free seeds to community groups. 100 to 1,000 packets of vegetable, flower and herb seeds (you pay $14.95 for shipping and handling for the first 100 packets, $5 for each additional set of 100). Applications accepted throughout the year.
Tips to Get a School Garden Grant
Grants, fundraisers and donations all come in handy to help our school gardens grow. While the success of donation drives and fundraisers depend to a large extent on people you know and interact with, like parents of students, local merchants and business houses, grants are more formal in nature. They are awarded by either public entities like local, state and federal governments or by private organizations and foundations.
The process of applying for grants is a little more complicated than seeking donations or holding fundraisers, but when you know what has to be done and do it diligently and thoroughly, you’ll have a much better chance of securing the funding that you need. If you’re thinking of applying for a school garden grant here are a few pointers to help you in the process:
• Apply only for those grants that fit your garden aims and needs.
• Read the rules thoroughly before you start filling in the application forms.
• Learn more about the agency that is funding the grant and find out about the previous grants they’ve awarded (or rejected).
• Fill in the application form as professionally as you can, following instructions to the letter. A school garden may be a small project, but you must approach the issue of seeking a grant with a certain amount of professionalism.
• State the facts without going overboard on details unless asked for.
• Make sure your application is free of errors, both factual and grammatical.
• If supporting documents like letters of recommendation are required, make sure you attach them to the application form.
• Send in your proposal well before the due date. Some grants have a send-by date as a deadline rather than a receive-by date. Read the application form properly to avoid being disqualified over such trivialities.
• If the grant is not forthcoming, don’t be disheartened; instead, try again at other sources.
School Garden Grant Opportunities
1) California School Garden Network (comprehensive list)
2) Calendar of School Garden Grants
3) Grant Opportunities from Schoolgrants.org
4) California Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC Network)
By-line:
This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who writes on the subject of California teaching certificate. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.
School Grant Calendar
The School Grant Calendar is a listing of grants available to school gardens arranged by application deadline date. It is hosted and maintained by the San Diego Master Gardeners Association.
