Youth Garden Grant is Open!
Kids and a teacher gather around a raised bed to plant. The Youth Garden Grant logo is in the corner

KidsGardening’s Flagship Garden Grant Program

As the leaves change colors from green to red, orange, and yellow, youth garden programs are preparing their gardens for the coming winter. Some in the south are planting another round of annuals, whereas, in the north, programs are planting cold hardy plants, seeding cover crops, or covering their growing spaces with mulch.

Fall is also our favorite time of year at KidsGardening because it marks the launch of our annual Youth Garden Grant award program! Since 1982, the grant has supported school and youth educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life for youth and their communities. The 2023 Youth Garden Grant is open until December 2, 2022.

This year programs can apply in either English or Spanish! To view this grant opportunity in English, visit our English grant landing page.

Tambien, este año, programas pueden aplicar en íngles or español! Para ver esta oportunidad de subvención en español, visite nuestra página web en español.

LEARN MORE

In early 2023, fifty organizations will be awarded $500 in funding and a collection of gardening supplies for their youth garden program.

The gardening supply package includes ten wildflower seed packs, fifteen vegetable seed packs, ten pairs of youth gloves, one pruner, one looper, one Big Bag Bed, two packages of peat seedling trays, one plant support kit, one hose nozzle, one mushroom growing kit, two Tubtrugs, and two curriculum books.

In addition, five programs will receive a Container Garden Specialty Award from our friends at Crescent Garden, and five programs will receive a Vertical Garden Specialty Award from our friends at Garden Tower Project.

Applicants interested in either of the specialty award packages will have the opportunity to share why their program would like the specialty award package, how it would alleviate the challenges the garden program faces, what benefits they anticipate, and how the youth would use the materials.

Do you wonder what your program could do with the funding and materials? Take a look at some of the stories 2022 grantees shared with us.

(Flint, Michigan) With the seeds, tools, and supplies, we were able to create a garden that benefited a whole community! Mrs. Wylie, the science teacher, said, “My classes were able to take home their plants and vegetables for their families to enjoy," and Mrs. Martin, the Special Education teacher said, "The hands-on learning process in the garden was more beneficial than any book, video, or worksheet could achieve.”
Amber Abbott

Food Bank of Eastern Michigan

(Bath, Pennsylvania) “We did not have a garden a few months ago, and now that we do, we have seen a difference in student engagement and excitement! The other day, when some 5th-grade students were digging holes for native species plants in the pollinator section of our garden, they started screaming in delight as they found tons of worms. When we went inside to wash hands, one student said, "That was fun, I wish we could do this all day!""

Amanda Twombly

George Wolf Elementary School

(​​Wesley Chapel, Florida) “The library already had an existing community garden and garden programming, but this was the first time that we did a program specifically for children with diverse needs. We ran the program three times a week, and we saw our library attendance increase dramatically through our garden programs!”
Maria Johnson

Friends of the New River Library

Last year’s programs reached nearly 13,000 youth in 31 states across the country. We can not wait to see what impact the 2023 grant winners will have. Read more in the 2022 Youth Garden Grant Impact Report. 

We look forward to reading your application! Apply by December 2, 2022, to be considered.

Apply now!