Annual grant program opens to increase youth gardening nationwide
Today’s youth spend less time outdoors than any other generation. To combat this, our Foundation, along with national nonprofit KidsGardening, opened its Gro More Good Grassroots Grants, an annual grant program designed to get more kids outside through the development of youth-based garden and greenspace programs. Schools and nonprofit organizations across the country are encouraged to apply.
Our emphasis to support more youth garden programs comes at a critical time, as problems with children’s social, mental and physical health continue to rise. However, decades of community outreach by ScottsMiracle-Gro and KidsGardening, plus NGO and academic research, confirms that gardening and outdoor play has a significant positive effect on children’s lives. Some of these benefits include increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, more physical activity, increased emotional well-being and better academic performance.
The Gro More Good Grassroots Grants will support all types of community-driven garden and greenspace projects that directly engage youth. Grant funding will support the creation of new gardens and also the expansion of existing ones. The 2020 application is available until February 14, 2020 at https://kidsgardening.org/2020-gromoregood-grassroots-grant/. Winners will be announced on the first day of spring, March 20, 2020.
The Grassroots Grants are part of our larger Gro More Good initiative to connect 10 million children to the benefits of gardens and greenspaces over the next five years. As part of Gro More Good, our foundation is partnering with leading not-for-profit organizations, such as KidsGardening, to help overcome some of the pressing challenges facing today’s youth––including childhood obesity, poor nutrition and nature deficit––by improving children’s access to fresh food and increasing their time spent connected to nature.
Learn more about Gro More Good.
