GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant
In 2022, 150 programs will receive funding to start or expand their youth garden or greenspace. A total of $90,000 will be awarded.
Applications for this grant are closed. Winners will be announced Friday, March 18, 2022.
GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant
The GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant, brought to you by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation and KidsGardening, is designed to bring the life-enhancing benefits of gardens to communities across the United States. The Grassroots Grants are part of Scotts Miracle-Gro’s larger GroMoreGood initiative, which aims to bring the life-enhancing benefits of gardens and greenspaces to 10 million children by 2023.
Eligibility
Any nonprofit organization, school district, university, government entity, or tax-exempt organization like religious organizations and Tribal governments in the United States and US Territories serving at least 15 youth is eligible to apply. Applicants must be planning to use the funds to install new or expand existing youth gardens or greenspaces.
Applicants must provide proof of 501(c)(3) status or qualify as tax-exempt. If your organization has not achieved 501(c)(3) or tax-exempt status, you may apply for a GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant by partnering with a fiscal sponsor who has achieved this status.
Previous winners of the GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant must wait two years after receiving an award to apply again.
We prioritize the following when selecting winners…
Beyond the best fit with the GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant focus on youth gardens or greenspaces, the selection of winners is prioritized based on demonstrated need and program impact. KidsGardening considers a variety of factors when determining need, including:
- Economic and Demographic Factors: Does the program exist within or engage an under-resourced community? Is program leadership representative of youth participating in the program?
- Program Funding and Support: Does a program have limited access to resources and/or consistent monetary support, including recent grant funding?
- Impact: Will grant funding expand learning opportunities for program participants? Does the intended impact of the program reflect the needs of the community?
GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant Award Packages
In 2022, 150 programs will be awarded $500 to start or expand their youth garden or greenspace. Programs will have the opportunity to apply for additional funding through the following specialty award categories:
- Plus Specialty Award: For new and existing garden programs that have greater funding needs due to, but are not limited to, financial, environmental, safety, health, and regulation challenges. The award will provide 5 programs $1,000 in 2022 in addition to the $500 base award.
- Pride Specialty Award: For new and existing garden programs that serve a majority of LGBTQ+ youth. The award will provide 5 programs $1,000 in 2022 in addition to the $500 base award.
- Equity Specialty Award: For new and existing garden programs led by people of color that serve a majority of youth of color. The award will provide 5 programs $1,000 in 2022 in addition to the $500 base award.
How to apply
The deadline for application submission is Friday, February 4, 2022, at 11:59 pm PST.
All applications must be submitted online. You can download a copy of the questions to view ahead of time as a Word document or PDF file. We strongly advise saving the questions and then copying and pasting the answers into the application rather than composing your answers directly into the online form. Many browsers are set to timeout after 30 minutes of inactivity (or sometimes sooner) and so you may lose your work if it takes longer than your browser's setting to complete or save your entry.
Award Notification and Fulfilment
Winners will be announced and contacted by email by Friday, March 18, 2022. A list of winners will also be posted on KidsGardening.org on that date. Awards will be distributed in April 2022.
Grant Recipient Requirements
Grant awardees are required to report on their program’s progress by December 15, 2022. Winners will be provided with a link to an online form to complete.
Reporting requirements include:
- 5-10 digital images of the garden or greenspace
- Parental release forms to accompany images of children
- A narrative about the impact of the garden program
If you do not feel that you will be able to comply with these reporting requirements, please do not apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are my chances of winning a GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant?
We typically receive between 700 - 900 applications each grant cycle.
How do I apply for the specialty award categories: Plus, Pride, or Equity?
As you complete your GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant application, you will find the (brief) additional questions for the specialty categories near the end.
Are we required to provide documentation of our 501(c)(3) status?
Yes. During the application process, you will be required to upload verification documents of your nonprofit status. 501(c)(3) organizations may include their IRS Determination Letter or Formation Document or Organization's Charter. Schools can submit a letter on school district letterhead, signed by a school district official, stating that the school in question falls under the jurisdiction of the school district. For other tax-exempt organizations such as government agencies, religious organizations, and Tribal governments, please provide a letter on official letterhead stating that you are designated as an automatically tax-exempt organization and thus exempt from needing a 501(c)(3) documentation to claim nonprofit status with the US government.
My program has previously been awarded a grant from KidsGardening, am I eligible to apply for and receive a GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant?
Previous winners of the GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant must wait two years after receiving the award to apply again. Programs that have previously been awarded other grants from KidsGardening are welcome to apply and are eligible to be selected. That being said, given the high number of applications we receive for our various grant funding opportunities, it is unlikely you will be awarded multiple KidsGardening grants in a single calendar year or in back-to-back years.
What makes a good GroMoreGood Grassroots application?
The GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant is designed to bring the life-enhancing benefits of gardens to communities across the United States. As such, a competitive application will demonstrate a clear picture of how the new or existing youth garden or greenspace will benefit your community.
We also encourage you to explore our Grant Writing Tips resource for general advice about crafting a standout grant application.
Can I apply for multiple specialty award categories?
Yes, you are welcome to apply for multiple specialty award categories. That being said, given the high number of applications we typically receive, it is unlikely you will be awarded in multiple categories.
I’m having difficulty with LimeSurvey, the grant application platform. What do I do?
Check out our LimeSurvey tutorial which has helpful tips for navigating the application process and troubleshooting common issues.
I’m having trouble uploading photos to LimeSurvey. What do I do?
Likely the file size or file format is the problem with your upload. We can only accept pictures that are 1024KB each and in .jpg, .jpeg, .pdf, or .png format.
If your pictures are larger than that, you will want to resize them. There are many free online platforms that allow you to resize your photos. Another option is to resize them yourself.
- Mac: Open the photo, under “Tools,” find the button to “Adjust Size,” and adjust the photo size so that it is 1024KB or less.
- PC: Double-click the image file you want to resize to open it in Photos. Once it's opened, click the three dots in the top-right corner, then click "Resize." A small pop-up will appear, offering you three preset sizes for the picture.
How do I know if I’ve successfully submitted my application?
You will receive a confirmation email from LimeSurvey following the submission of your application. Occasionally these emails end up flagged as Spam, so we recommend checking your Spam box.
How do you select grant winners?
We have a team of grant readers that evaluates applications and supporting materials over the course of about a month. A single application typically goes through three rounds of evaluation before being selected as a winner. In the initial round, a single reader will review an application, using a standardized scoring rubric, judging it on assorted criteria including but not limited to demonstrated need, program sustainability and impact, and clear fit with grant objectives. High quality applicants are then selected to undergo a second round of evaluations. In this phase of the review process, each member of the grant selection committee reads all second round applications before meeting to engage in group deliberation and finalist selection. These finalists are then recommended to grant program sponsors, who review application materials and confirm winner selections.
I didn’t receive an email on Friday, March 18, 2022, the day of the winner announcement. Does this mean my program hasn’t been awarded a grant?
We send a notification email about GroMoreGood Grassroots selection to the main contact as listed on your application. Emails are sent to both winning programs and those that were not selected for this year’s grant. Because these emails are sent out en masse, this communication is frequently flagged in the main contact’s Spam box. We encourage you to check your Spam box if you do not receive a notification email on the day of the announcement or to visit our website to view a list of Grant Winners.
Grant Application Technical Support
If you have any questions that were not addressed in the above Frequently Asked Questions section, please contact KidsGardening Program Director Sarah Lane at [email protected].
About the Grant Sponsor
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation is committed to bringing the life-enhancing benefits of gardens and greenspaces to more people and more communities, especially those that need them most. Working with a wide range of innovative partners, including KidsGardening, they are ensuring that today's generations, and the ones that come after, will experience a world made better through gardens and greenspaces.
Grant Application Support
Grant writing tips and how to navigate our online grant application platform
More Grant Opportunities
Additional grant opportunities from other organizations
Grant Winners
Meet our amazing grant winners, listed by award
