Lots of Compassion Grant
2026 Lots of Compassion Grant
This grant is now closed.
Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and KidsGardening share a belief that the garden has the power to do more than grow flowers and herbs. It can grow people, communities, and even kindness, too. Together, we designed the Lots of Compassion Grant program to support local leaders looking to transform vacant lots into gardens to help grow compassion in their community.
About 15% of populated land is deemed vacant or abandoned, which can lead to many negative outcomes for surrounding neighborhoods, including decreases in physical and mental health and diminished feelings of safety & security[1]. Lots of Compassion aims to provide resources to those seeking to transform vacant lots in their neighborhood into gardens for community growth.
Through the Lots of Compassion initiative, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day is pledging to provide up to $1 million from Compassion Flower product sales to support community garden transformations over the next five years. Now in its fourth year, ten grantees will receive $20,000 each to transform a vacant lot into a garden. A total of $200,000 will be awarded.
Eligibility
Nonprofit organizations, school districts, universities, religious organizations, or other tax-exempt organizations in the United States and U.S. territories are eligible to apply.
Groups and individuals are also eligible to apply by partnering with a fiscal sponsor that has achieved tax-exempt status.
Municipalities, like cities, states, or the federal government, and politically funded organizations are not eligible to apply. Previous Lots of Compassion Grant winners are ineligible.
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 people participate in the garden program.
- Use the funds to build a garden on a vacant lot.
Funding Priorities
The selection of winners is prioritized based on demonstrated need and program impact. KidsGardening considers a variety of factors when determining need, including
Socioeconomic & Sociodemographic Factors: 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? Under-resourced organizations are given priority.
Program Funding and Support: Does a program 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 considered higher need. Organizations experiencing the latter are given priority.
Impact: Will grant funding dramatically expand learning opportunities for program participants? Does the intended impact reflect the actual needs of the community? Organizations working with greater than 50 people will be given priority.
Lots of Compassion Award Packages
In 2026, 10 grantees will be awarded $20,000 each to transform a vacant lot into a garden.
How to apply
The deadline for application submission was Monday, June 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM PT.
All applications must be submitted online. You can download a copy of the questions as a Word document or PDF file. (See links below.) We strongly advise saving the questions and then pasting the answers into the online application rather than composing your answers directly into the online form. Many browsers time out 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.
2026 Lots of Compassion Grant Application Word doc2026 Lots of Compassion Grant Application PDFSolicitud de subvención Lots of Compassion 2026 Documento de WordSolicitud de subvención Lots of Compassion 2026 Archivo PDF
Award Notification and Fulfillment
Winners will be announced and contacted by email in August 2026. A list of winners will also be posted on mrsmeyers.com and kidsgardeningorg.kinsta.cloud.
Award funds will be distributed in two payments, September 2026 and January 2027, based on the grantee’s budget.
Grant Recipient Requirements
Grantees are required to complete a brief year-end report by June 15, 2027, and each year thereafter until 2028. These reports help KidsGardening and Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day determine the overall impact of the grant program. You can download a copy of the year-end report as a Word document or PDF file.
Winners will receive a link via email to the 13-question online form in May 2027 and each year following.
Year-end reporting requirements include:
- 5-10 digital images of the garden
- Photo release forms to accompany pictures of youth and adults
- A short narrative about the impact of the garden program
If you do not feel you will comply with these reporting requirements, please do not apply.
Grant Application Technical Support
If you have any questions that were not addressed in the above Frequently Asked Questions section, please contact KidsGardening Grant Program Director Sarah Lane at grants@kidsgardening.org.
Data sources
[1] AO Bowman, MA Pagano Terra Incognita: Vacant Land and Urban Strategies (Georgetown Univ Press, Washington, DC, 2010).
C Nickerson, R Ebel, A Borchers, F Carriazo, Major uses of land in the United States, 2007 (USDA Economic Research Service, Washington, DC), EIB-89. (2011).
About the Grant Sponsor
Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day was inspired by Thelma A. Meyer, a real-life Iowa homemaker and mother of nine, who cherished her backyard garden and believed in a better way to care for her home. Inspired by the down-to-earth values of her mother, her daughter launched Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day products, which not only smell delightful but work hard and clean like the dickens. Mrs. Meyer’s garden-inspired line offers a variety of products for home, body and pet care; including lotions, soaps, surface cleaners, room sprays, candles, laundry items, and pet products. Products are made with essential oils, and other thoughtfully chosen ingredients that are powerful against dirt and grime while being a pleasure to use. Garden-inspired scents add a little spring to your step while you care for your home. We all have to clean-let’s make the very best of it.
Find the latest products and scents from Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day at mrsmeyers.com and check us out on Instagram and Facebook @mrsmeyerscleanday, X @MrsMeyersClean and YouTube at Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day.
Grant Quick Details
This grant is now closed.
Grant Application Support
Grant writing tips and how to navigate our online grant application platform
Other Grant Opportunities
We encourage you to join the Kids Garden Community to explore a current library of funding opportunities that might work for your garden program and to discuss fundraising strategies with a community of program leaders.
Grant Winners
Meet our amazing grant winners, listed by award.