Saturday, October 9, 2010

School Gardening Grants Available: Youth Garden Grants and Mantis Tiller

Kidsgargening.org, a project of the National Gardening Association, lists several grants available to school garden projects.

Deadline: November 1, 2010

NGA awards Youth Garden Grants to schools and community organizations with child-centered garden programs. In evaluating grant applications, priority will be given to programs that emphasize one or more of these elements:
  • educational focus or curricular/program integration
  • nutrition or plant-to-food connections
  • environmental awareness/education
  • entrepreneurship
  • social aspects of gardening such as leadership development, team building, community support, or service-learning.
Who should apply: Schools, youth groups, community centers, camps, clubs, treatment facilities, and intergenerational groups throughout the United States are eligible. Applicants must plan to garden with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18 years. Previous Youth Garden Grant winners who wish to reapply may do so, but must wait one year (e.g., if you won in 2010, you can apply again in 2012) and have significantly expanded their garden programs. 
For the 2011 grant cycle, 100 grants are available. Packages are as follows:
  • Five (5) programs will receive gift cards valued at $1000 (a $500 gift card* to The Home Depot and a $500 gift card to the Gardening with Kids catalog and educational materials from NGA
  • Ninety-five (95) programs will receive a $500 gift card* to The Home Depot and educational materials from NGA
For more information and to download application info, please visit: 

Deadline: March 1, 2011

Each year, Mantis presents the Mantis Awards to charitable and educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life in their host communities. NGA selects 25 outstanding applicants to receive Mantis tiller/cultivators.

Who should apply: Any nonprofit garden program may apply. In the past, winners have included schools, churches, correctional facilities, parks departments, youth camps, community gardens, and many others. These are groups turning slim resources into bountiful gardens with far-reaching benefits, from increasing their community’s access to fresh nutritious foods to educating the public about the importance of gardening in our nation’s history.
Applicants must:
  • operate a charitable or educational program that is not for profit in the United States
  • not offer the tiller as a prize for fundraising (e.g., auction or raffle)
Award Packages: 25 programs will each receive a Mantis Tiller/Cultivator with border/edger and kickstand, and their choice of gas-powered 2-cycle engine or electric motor. Value: $349.00.

For more information and to download application info, please visit: 
http://www.kidsgardening.org/grants/mantis.asp

Digging Through the Farm to School Resources

 On October 7, 2010, a webinar entitled Digging Through the Farm to School Resources took place.

The USDA Farm to School Team and the National Farm to School Network jointly discussed where to find farm to school related resources, as well as highlighted a sampling of available resources in the areas of: 
  • how to get started; 
  • distribution; 
  • food safety; 
  • procurement; 
  • and nutrition/agriculture education. 
A series of Q&As related to this webinar, as well as a PDF of the presentation,  can be found on the USDA Farm to School page. A recording of the October 7th webinar will be available shortly.

UPDATE from the USDA website:
On October 7, 2010, a webinar entitled Digging Through the Farm to School Resources took place. The USDA Farm to School Team and the National Farm to School Network jointly discussed where to find farm to school related resources, as well as highlighted a sampling of available resources in the areas of: how to get started; distribution; food safety; procurement; and nutrition/agriculture education. We would like to thank the webinar participants for their thoughtful questions and comments. Below you can find links to watch and listen to the webinar, to a webinar handout, as well as follow-up questions and answer from the webinar.
   
Digging Through the Farm to School Resources:
Watch and Listen to Webinar
Presentation Handouts
Webinar Q&As
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Farm to School Resources
Food Safety
Procurement of Local Food Products
Seasonality