Youth Garden Grant
Youth Garden Grant
This grant is now closed.
Since 1982, the Youth Garden Grant has supported school and youth educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life for youth and their communities.
In early 2026, up to 50 organizations will be awarded $750 in funding for their youth garden program.
¡Pueden aplicar a los programas en español! Aplica aquí y haga clic en el botón “English (US)” y cámbielo a “Spanish”.
Eligibility
Any organization in the United States or US Territories planning a new or improving an existing garden program that serves at least 15 youth between the ages of 0 and 18 is eligible to apply.
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 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.
Award Packages
The 2026 Youth Garden Grant is made possible by KidsGardening’s generous donor base and sponsorships from our partners.
Up to fifty programs will be awarded $750. All grantees will also receive a hand tool set and shovel from our friends at AMES and a variety of seeds from our friends at High Mowing Organic Seeds.
Ten winners will receive the Bluestone Perennials School Garden Award
The Bluestone Perennials School Garden Award will support ten school garden programs with a $750 grant to kick-start or maintain their garden. This award is sponsored by our friends at Bluestone Perennials.
Five winners will receive the Crescent Garden Container Gardening Award
The Crescent Garden Container Gardening Award will support five youth garden programs with a container gardening package, valued at $1,675. This award is sponsored by our friends at Crescent Garden.
Up to thirty-five winners will receive the Garden Champions Award
The Garden Champions Award will support up to thirty-five youth garden programs with a $750 grant to kick-start or maintain their garden. This award is sponsored by American Meadows, AMES, BB Barns, Coast of Maine, Corona Tools, Garden Tower Project, KidsGardening, SummerWinds Garden Centers, Vita, Woodland Tools, and individual donations.
How to apply
The deadline for application submission is Friday, December 12, 2025, at 11:59 PM PT. All applications must be submitted online.
KidsGardening has streamlined its grant application process and created a Common Application form. To apply for the Youth Garden Grant, use our Common Application form and apply by the deadline.
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 Fulfillment
Winners will be announced and contacted by email in January 2026. A list of winners will also be posted on kidsgardeningorg.kinsta.cloud. Checks will be distributed in February 2026.
Grant Recipient Requirements
Grant awardees are required to complete a brief grant-end report by June 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 May 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.
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.
Grant Sponsors
The 2026 Youth Garden Grant is sponsored by the following partners:
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.