Water Wise Garden Grant
This grant is now closed. Please check our Grant Opportunities page for open or upcoming grants.
Waterwise Garden Grant
Hunter Industries and KidsGardening are working together to offer the Waterwise Garden Grant to support public and charter schools planning to teach about water conservation, water stewardship, and responsible water management through gardening.
In 2026, twenty-five elementary schools and/or middle schools will be awarded $1,000 – $2,250 in funding and an irrigation supply kit valued at $500.
¡Pueden aplicar a los programas en español!
Eligibility
Any public or charter elementary or middle school (K-8th grades) located in the United States or U.S. territories that works with at least 15 youth is eligible to apply. Applicants must be planning to use the funds to install a new or improve an existing youth garden.
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:
- 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 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 greater than 50 youth will be given priority.
Award Packages
In 2026, twenty-five elementary and/or middle schools (K-8th grades) will be awarded $1,000 in funding and an irrigation supply kit valued at $500. Programs will also have the opportunity to apply for additional funding through the Equity specialty award.
Waterwise Garden Equity 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. The award will provide five programs with an additional $1,250, for a total of $2,250 in funding.
Irrigation Supply Kit: The irrigation supply kit provides enough materials for three 4’ x 8’-raised beds, or an equivalent garden with different dimensions. It includes a timer, pressure regulator adapter, pressure regulator, 100-foot roll of irrigation tubing, 100-foot roll of emitter irrigation tubing, elbows/tees/couplers, end caps, and a tube cutting knife. Descriptions of each component are listed below. An instruction guide will be provided.
If this collection of supplies is not a good fit for your garden’s needs, a custom kit of equal value can be developed with the assistance of a licensed irrigation professional.
- Timer – Connects to the spigot/hose bib to allow you to control the frequency and duration of irrigation. It can also be used to turn the system on manually. This device can be controlled from a smartphone using a free Hunter app. Includes a screen to filter out particles that can clog the system.
- Adapter – An adapter to connect the 17mm drip tubing to your pressure regulator. This will convert from ¾” garden hose thread to 17mm irrigation tubing
- Pressure Regulator – Standard drip systems should be reduced to between 20 to 40 psi, which can occur at the spigot (after the timer). Connects to ¾” garden hose thread.
- A 100-foot roll of standard 17mm blank irrigation tubing – This will be used to create the main header line that the drip lines will attach to. It can also be used as the water supply line.
- A 100-foot roll of standard 17mm in-line emitter irrigation tubing – This will be used to create the runs in the planting beds that deliver water to the plants.
- Elbows, tees, and couplers – The fittings connect to two or three pieces of tubing. They allow you to change direction at a 90º angle and add a piece of tubing to the side using a tee. Couplers let you join two pieces of tubing. The fittings have barbed ends, allowing you to easily push the tubing onto them to create a tight fit.
- End caps – These are used at the end of tubing runs and the end of each line of drip line.
- Hunter HEMT Tool – Blue folding knife to cut tubing.
How to apply
The deadline for application submission is Friday, October 3, 2025, at 11:59 pm PT.
All applications must be submitted online.
You can download a copy of the questions 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 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 Fulfillment
Winners will be announced and contacted by email in November. A list of winners will also be posted on kidsgardeningorg. Checks will be distributed in December, and the irrigation supplies will be delivered in January 2026.
Grant Recipient Requirements
Grant awardees are required to complete a grant-end report by June 15, 2026. These brief reports help KidsGardening and Hunter Industries determine the overall impact of the grant program. Winners will be provided with a link in May 2026 to the 10-question online form to complete.
Grant-end reporting requirements include:
- 5-10 digital images or videos of the garden program
- 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.
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 grants@kidsgardening.org.
About the Grant Sponsor
Developing innovative irrigation solutions that save water and energy is a driving force at Hunter Industries. We offer a complete spectrum of water- and energy-efficient solutions for residential, commercial, golf course, and agricultural irrigation systems in over 120 countries. To promote sustainability, we’re proud to partner with organizations like KidsGardening that encourage the growth of green spaces while seeking ways to responsibly support the environment.
Grant Quick look
This grant is now closed.
Winners will be announced and contacted by email in November. Checks will be distributed in December, and the irrigation supplies will be delivered in January 2026.
Educational Resources
Hunter Industries and KidsGardening are excited to share educational materials, designed for middle school and elementary educators, for helping the next generation of gardeners be waterwise! Resources are available in English and Spanish!
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.