Over $11 Million Invested in Youth Gardens Nationwide in 2024
Two adults and seven kids outside, holding produce and smiling

The youth garden movement has grown steadily over the past decade as more educators, caregivers, and families become excited about garden-based learning opportunities for children.

The Youth Garden Grantmakers Community of Practice—*a network of organizations that fund youth garden programs at the local, regional, and national levels—gathered data on grants awarded to youth gardens in 2024. This was the second time we collected data, and you can see the 2022 survey results.

We found that in 2024, more than $11 million was awarded to you­th gardens in the form of about 1,500 grants. These grants helped more than 670,000 youth engage in a garden space.

Download 2024 Survey Results

Meeting the Need

While the total funding may seem substantial, it falls far short of meeting the national demand. With more than 70 million children in the U.S., the need for garden-based learning opportunities continues to outpace available resources. In fact, members of the Grantmakers Community of Practice consistently identify limited funding as one of the greatest challenges facing youth garden programs.

Four mini-graphics that read, $11 million in funding, 1517 grants distributed, $3,000 mediam size of each grant, More than 670,000 kids impacted.

Grant Amounts

Dollar-wise, grants for youth gardens aren't huge; the survey found that the median size of grants for youth gardens is just $3,000. Yet this amount of funding has an outsized impact. On average, one youth garden impacts the lives of approximately 100 children annually. This is an investment of just $30 per child.

Funding Sources

Grants were supported by a diverse mix of funding sources, including foundations, corporations, and federal, state, and local government agencies.

How grantmakers are funded, with a bar graph

Innovative Approaches

Some grantmakers leveraged creative strategies, such as allocating proceeds from state specialty license plates or using revenue from consulting work to fund youth garden programs.

Grantee Types

93% of grantmakers provided funding to schools.

Additional recipients included school districts, nonprofits, preschools, child care centers, Head Start programs, libraries, YMCAs, private homes, and other community-based locations.

Types of programs funded by grandmakers, with a bar graph

Geographic Reach

Youth garden grants were awarded in all 50 states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia in 2024.

A map of the United States in shades of orange

Thank you to the organizations that completed the survey and those who helped us with outreach about the national survey. While fourteen organizations completed this survey, we know there is more data that can be added to the findings. If you are a grantmaker and want to share your data, please add it here! We will update the survey results as new submissions are received.

Organizations That Completed the Survey

 

  • American Heart Association
  • Captain Planet Foundation
  • DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education
  • Farm Fresh Rhode Island
  • Florida Agriculture in the Classroom
  • Grow Pittsburgh
  • KidsGardening
  • Let's Go Compost
  • Maine School Garden Network
  • South Carolina Department of Education- SC Farm to School Program
  • Sprouts Farmers Market
  • The ENvironmental Center
  • Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets
  • Whole Kids, a pillar of Whole Foods Market Foundation

*The group consists of the following members: American Heart Association, Captain Planet Foundation, California Department of Food and Agriculture, DC Office of Superintendent, Earth Charter Indiana, KidsGardening, Numi Foundation, Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, and Whole Kids.