2026 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. In 2026, 120 programs will receive $750 - $1,500 in funding.
2026 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 support The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company’s commitment to GroMoreGood by bringing the life-enhancing benefits of gardens and greenspaces to children across the country.
In 2026, 120 programs will receive funding to start or expand their youth garden or greenspace. A total of $100,000 will be awarded.
¡Pueden aplicar a los programas en español! Aplica aquí y haga clic en el botón "English (US)" y cámbielo a "Spanish".
Eligibility
Any nonprofit organization, school district, university, government entity, or tax-exempt organization, such as 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 improve existing youth gardens or greenspaces.
KidsGardening grantees from any 2024 - 2025 grant program (Budding Botanist, Waterwise Garden, Youth Garden, GroMoreGood Grassroots, and Lots of Compassion) are not eligible to apply.
Organizations must:
- Provide proof of tax-exempt status or partner with a fiscal sponsor that has achieved this status.
- Support, work with, or serve under-resourced communities
(those most impacted by systemic inequities and situational hardships.) - Have fifteen or more youth participate in the garden program.
- Have received less than $10,000 in grants for the garden program in 2025 so far.
Funding Priorities
The selection of winners is prioritized based on demonstrated need and program impact. KidsGardening considers a variety of factors when determining needs, including:
Socioeconomic & Sociodemographic Factors: How does the program exist within or engage a community that has been systematically denied resources, whether physical assets and money or representative leadership and community services? Organizations affected by multiple socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors are given priority.
Program Funding and Support: Does an organization have access to consistent, substantial monetary support or prior grant funding? Or are pre-existing resources (financial or otherwise) limited? Organizations experiencing the latter are given priority.
Impact: Will grant funding dramatically expand learning opportunities for program participants? Does the intended impact reflect the needs of the community? Organizations working with more than 50 youth will be given priority.
GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant Award Packages
In 2026, 120 programs will be awarded $750 to start or expand their youth garden or greenspace. Programs will also have the opportunity to apply for additional funding through the following specialty award categories:
Plus Specialty Award: Designed to fund new and existing garden programs that have greater funding needs due to, but not limited to, financial, environmental, safety, health, and regulatory challenges.
Pride Specialty Award: Designed to fund new and existing garden programs that serve a majority of LGBTQ+ youth.
Equity Specialty Award: Designed to fund new and existing garden programs led by people of color that serve a majority of youth of color.
A total of 15 grantees will receive an additional $750 each.
How to apply
The deadline for application submission is Friday, January 30, 2026, at 11:59 pm PT.
KidsGardening has streamlined its grant application process and created a Common Application form. To apply for the GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant, use our Common Application form and apply by the deadline.
You can download a copy of the questions below.
English:
2026 KidsGardening Grant Opportunities Common Application Questions
2026 KidsGardening Grant Opportunities Common Application Questions
Español:
Solicitud de subvenciones de KidsGardening 2026
Solicitud de subvenciones de KidsGardening 2026
We strongly advise answering and saving the questions in a Word document and then pasting the answers into the online application rather than composing your answers directly into the online form. Many browsers timeout after 30 minutes of inactivity (or sometimes sooner), 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 in March. A list of winners will also be posted on KidsGardening.org. Checks will be distributed in April.
Grant Recipient Requirements
Grant awardees are required to complete a brief grant-end report by December 15, 2026. These reports help KidsGardening and the sponsors determine the overall impact of the grant program. You can download a copy of the grant-end report as a Word document or PDF file.
Winners will be provided with a link in November 2026 to the 10-question online form.
Grant-end reporting requirements include:
- Digital images of the garden
- A quick video of the garden
- Parental release forms to accompany images of children
- A short 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 makes a quality 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 Application Support page for advice on how to craft a standout grant application.
What are my chances of winning a GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant?
The GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant is a competitive funding opportunity. We typically receive between 500 - 700 applications each grant cycle.
Are we required to provide documentation of our tax-exempt status?
Yes. You must upload verification documents of your nonprofit status during the application process.
- 501(c)(3) organizations - Submit your IRS Determination Letter. EIN letters are not accepted.
- Schools - Submit a letter on school district letterhead, signed by a school district official, stating that the school in question falls under the school district's jurisdiction.
- For other tax-exempt organizations, such as universities and religious organizations - 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. You may also submit an IRS Determination Letter.
- Fiscal Sponsorship - Submit your sponsor's IRS Determination Letter and a signed contract detailing the fiscal sponsorship relationship between your organizations.
My program has previously been awarded a grant from KidsGardening, am I eligible to apply for and receive a GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant?
Programs that were previously awarded a grant from KidsGardening in 2024 or 2025 are ineligible. Programs that were funded in 2023 or earlier are welcome to apply.
What can we use the $750-$1,500 in funding on?
You may spend the grant funds on gardening materials such as raised bed materials, soil, plants, seeds, compost materials, tools, fencing, greenhouse or hydro/aquaponic materials, curriculum, watering supplies, observation tools, garden decor, cooking supplies, garden field trip expenses, and programming. This is not an exhaustive list but merely an example of how the funds can be used.
A maximum of 50% of the budget can be used to cover salaries or stipends.
How does KidsGardening’s Common Application work?
KidsGardening has streamlined its grant application process, and applicants can now apply for multiple grants at the same time using the 2026 Common Application form. We recognize it takes time and energy to complete a grant application, and as such, this change will reduce the burden of submitting multiple grant applications within the same grant cycle year.
Complete the application by the grant deadline to be considered for that grant. If you plan to apply for multiple grants, complete the application by the first deadline. If you are only applying for one grant, apply by its deadline.
How do I know if I've successfully submitted my application?
You will receive a confirmation email from [email protected] when you submit your application on our application platform, JotForm. Occasionally these emails end up flagged as Spam, so we recommend checking your Spam box.
What if I have started my application but have not finished it? Will it be reviewed?
No, applications that are started but not submitted will not be considered for the award.
What if I submit more than one application for the same organization?
The last application submitted will be evaluated.
What if I need to update my submitted application?
To edit your submission, click the “Edit Submission” link at the top of the confirmation email sent from [email protected]. If you can not find the confirmation email, please complete a new application. We will only review the last application submitted by an organization.
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 the winner selections.
I didn’t receive an email in March. Does this mean my program hasn’t been awarded a grant?
We send a notification email about the winner selection to the primary contact listed on your application. Emails are sent to both the grantees 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 primary contact’s Spam box. If you have unsubscribed from our newsletter list, there may be a delay in receiving grant communication. We encourage you to check your Spam box if you do not receive a notification email on the announcement day or to visit the KidsGardening 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.
GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant
The deadline for application submission is Friday, January 30, 2026, at 11:59 pm PT.
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
