2026 Lots of Compassion Grantees
Congratulations to the 2026 Lots of Compassion Grantees!
Together, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and KidsGardening congratulate the new Lots of Compassion grant program recipients!
In 2026, the following 10 grantees will each receive $20,000 to transform a vacant lot into a garden and help grow compassion in their communities. A total of $200,000 will be awarded.
Brilliant Detroit (Pontiac, MI)
Brilliant Detroit is a neighborhood-powered model ensuring children 0-8 are school-ready, healthy, and supported. They do this by transforming houses into community hubs where children and families have what they need to thrive.
Founded in 2016, Brilliant Detroit launched with a bold vision: to ensure families with children 0–8 have everything they need—right in their neighborhoods. Partnering with 200+ local and national organizations, they co-create free, high-quality programs that advance a two-generation approach to poverty alleviation. Since launching, they have served 32,000+ children and caregivers across 18 Detroit neighborhoods and one in Pontiac, improving education, health, and stability.
Corazón Latino (Fajardo, Puerto Rico)
Corazón Latino is a national nonprofit organization that generates social, environmental, and conservation initiatives fostering natural resource stewardship. They mobilize the passion, love, unity, and solidarity of individuals, communities, organizations, and government entities to advance the common good, guided by a One Health approach that recognizes the health of people, animals, and ecosystems as interconnected. They work across the United States and Puerto Rico, where their partnerships with the U.S. Forest Service at El Yunque National Forest and the Puerto Rico Department of Education have brought environmental education, citizen science, and community stewardship to thousands of families.
GRE Foundation (St Louis, MO)
The GRE Foundation transforms vacant and underused St. Louis spaces into places where youth, families, and neighbors can learn, grow food, serve, and belong. Through gardens, youth programs, and community partnerships, they help residents facing barriers to fresh food, safe green space, and hands-on learning build practical skills, care for their surroundings, and take pride in the places they call home.
Green Neighbors Network (Kingston, PA)
Green Neighbors Network is a community-driven nonprofit dedicated to transforming vacant lots and underutilized spaces into vibrant, sustainable environments that promote food access, environmental stewardship, and community connection. Through initiatives like The Garden in Kingston, they provide hands-on education in gardening, pollinator support, and sustainability for youth and families. They partner with local organizations, schools, and volunteers to create inclusive spaces that foster learning, wellness, and civic pride while addressing food insecurity and environmental impact at the neighborhood level.
Greenville Multicultural Church (Greenville, SC)
Greenville Multicultural Church is a multicultural community seeking abundant life for all. Their mission is to bring glory to God and offer hope to their community by gathering together in worship to connect with God and others; offer refuge to those seeking rest, safety, and healing; provide opportunities for spiritual growth and leadership development; and partner to provide practical resources for those in their community to learn and find support.
Keep Chadron Beautiful (Chadron, NE)
Keep Chadron Beautiful is dedicated to promoting environmental stewardship, sustainable practices, and community pride through education, recycling, and beautification projects. They strive to enhance the vibrancy of their area and engage residents in creating a cleaner, greener community.
McGinley Square Community Board (Jersey City, NJ)
MSCB is a community organization open to all whose mission is to improve the neighborhood while working with local government. Their primary goals have been to save the Migrant Center Community Garden — which served refugees, migrants, immigrants, families, students, and everyone — for 20 years. They seek to restore the garden as a source of fresh produce in a food desert, a community meet-and-greet space, an urban wildlife habitat, and a learning space.
Origins Roots & Wings Foundation (Missoula, MT)
Origins Roots & Wings Foundation is the nonprofit extension of Origins Education, a nature-based preschool rooted in the Central Missoula neighborhood for fifteen years. The Foundation exists to expand access to nature-based learning, outdoor environments, and contemplative community space for children and families who might not otherwise have it. They believe that connection to the living world is a fundamental right, not a privilege, and that gardens have the power to heal, restore, and grow compassion across difference. Their work centers children, families, and communities who are underserved by traditional educational and community systems.
Sustainable Marin Schools (Novato, CA)
The mission of Sustainable Marin Schools is to empower Marin County K-12 public schools to advance climate action and resilience by building a framework for sustainability, environmental literacy, and equity across the education system, from the student body to the Office of Education. Since 2022, they have diverted 480,000+ pounds of waste from landfills, invested $600,000+ in campus greening, and trained 5,500+ students in composting.
Sustainability means a commitment to equity and action. In their family gardens, they foster resilience, bring together intergenerational communities, and provide green space to those who need it most, all while supporting the climate leaders of tomorrow.
Unity Gardens, Inc. (Kingsford Heights, IN)
Unity Gardens connects their community to fresh food, nature, and each other. They accomplish this by supporting dozens of free pick gardens that anyone can access, alongside events and community programming. They improve health holistically. They provide access to fresh produce, increased physical activity, and nutritional education to improve physical health. They create third spaces where people can meet their neighbors and bring their kids to combat the loneliness epidemic and build resilient social networks. Lastly, they grow entirely naturally, without the use of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, or tillage, improving their ecosystem health alongside human health.
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.
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