Grants to support your school gardens

These grants supporting youth gardening and farm-to-school programs offer opportunities to make a real difference in your students’ lives.

Supporting your school gardens

Education and community development are key to creating positive change. We’re excited to share a list of grants available to teachers and educators in the US and Canada that support your initiatives to strengthen food systems, promote environmental sustainability, and foster social justice.

United States and Canada

Clif Family Foundation Operational Support Grant

For non-profits working to strengthen food systems, enhance equitable community health outcomes, and safeguard our environment and natural resources.

United States and Territories

Nathan Cummings Foundation (NCF)

For non-profit organizations working to advance racial justice, advance economic justice, or advance environmental justice.

United States

USDA: Rural Cooperative Development Grant Program

For non-profits and institutes of higher education developing and operating a Rural Cooperative Development Center to improve the economic condition of rural areas by helping individuals and businesses start, expand or improve rural cooperatives and other mutually-owned businesses.

Regional Centers for Public Health Preparedness and Response (CDC)

For non-profits and institutes of higher education interested in forming a Regional Center for Public Health Preparedness and Response to improve public health preparedness and response, as informed by the needs of the communities involved.

NSF: Sustainable Regional Systems Research Networks

For non-profits, corporations, small businesses, and institutes of higher education conducting innovative and pioneering fundamental research and education of a scale and complexity that would not be possible within a single organization, center, or through the normal collaborative modes of NSF research support.

USDA: Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP)

For non-profits, businesses, government entities, and other corporations working to connect public and private resources to plan and develop local or regional food systems and strengthen local or regional food economy viability and resilience.

USDA: Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) Fiscal Year 2024

For non-profits, businesses, government entities, and other corporations working to develop, coordinate, and expand access to and availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products.

Robin Greenfield Seeds for Schools

For students, parents, teachers, school administrators and community members who want seeds to plant at their schools, community gardens, or in other interesting ways.

Monarch Watch – Free Milkweed

For schools and education non-profits with administrative support and clear, long-term maintenance plans for a garden of 100sqft or larger with three season nectar sources who would like to add milkweed to the garden.

Kids Gardening: Lots of Compassion Grant

For any nonprofit organization, school district, university, government entity, or tax-exempt organization in the United States serving under-resourced communities looking to transform a vacant lot into a public garden space.

Kids Gardening: Gro More Good Grassroots Grant

For any nonprofit organization, school district, university, government entity, or tax-exempt organization in the United States serving at least 15 youth, and planning to use the funds to install new or improve existing youth gardens or greenspaces.

Kara for Cara Foundation Microgrant

For students or on behalf of students who are organizing a service project or programming in their communities.

Herman’s Garden Seed Donation

For non-profits, schools, community gardens, and educational programs, or for community and education organizations who will either freely share the harvest or save seed for others in need.

EcoRise Eco-Audit Grant

For students who have completed one or more Eco-Audits from EcoRise’ Sustainable Intelligence curriculum and are looking for support for a green innovation or initiative.

New York State

Hudson Valley Seed Co Donations

For food or gardening focused non-profits planning to use the requested seeds for planting in a school, community garden, or distributing to gardeners in need.

Connect Kids to Parks Grant

For school districts, schools, municipalities, and certain non-profits seeking reimbursement for student field trips to eligible New York State parks and historic sites.

Agricultural Literacy Grant

For Pre-K through 12th grade teachers in New York State seeking funding for farm field trips, classroom projects, books, chicken coops, and school gardens.

New York City

Resolution A (Reso A)

For New York City schools seeking funding for capital improvements or enhancement projects, including academic technology and innovative construction projects.

HEART Food Justice for All Award

For schools seeking funding to bring teaching tools, topical resources, and on-going staff consultation to K-8 schools, to develop impactful student-led service actions that address issues of food equity, advance local food sovereignty, and support the critical transformation of our food systems.

The City Gardens Club of NYC Grant

For New York City non-profits preserving or upgrading new or old public spaces and gardens, or educating community members about gardening skills and providing gardening materials.

CitizensNYC Community Leaders Grant

For New York City grassroots leaders and local residents working on community-building projects aiming to improve neighborhood life, strengthen local leadership, and scale community partnerships.

CityRack Program

For local groups, businesses, and city agencies in New York City who would like to request a public bike rack to be installed.

New York City and West of Hudson Watershed

Catskills Watershed Corporation

For students and their teachers, or organizations for adult and mixed-age audiences, who want support for projects that emphasize the importance of New York City’s water supply, its aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, and the cultural heritage of the Catskills.

New York City and Boston

Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program

For schools looking to establish and support in-school food pantries for students between Pre-K and college.

Near Westside, Syracuse • Brownsville, Brooklyn • Lower East Side, Manhattan • East Harlem, Manhattan • Clinton County, NY • Niagara Falls, NY

ioby Healthy Neighborhoods Challenge – Crowdfund Matching

For New York State residents who are crowdfunding for a community project that support public health outcomes and creates a culture of health in specific communities.

Boulder, Colorado

NSF/NCAR: Early Career Faculty Innovators Program

For university faculty and their graduate students in social, policy, and behavioral sciences co-developing interdisciplinary research projects aligned to one of NSF NCAR’s strategic priorities.