Garden Grants Galore!

Sep 1

Our Gardens are Growing

It’s a big year for garden grants! Not only have we increased the value of our garden grant by $500—making each grant worth a total of $3,500— we’re also proud to award 950 schools with transformational funding. All together, that’s $3,325,000 in garden grants this year alone!

As kids, we all heard adults warn us not to play with our food. But what if we actually encouraged children to explore their food starting in the garden? When kids have the opportunity to learn about where their food comes from we see more curiosity, enthusiasm for trying new foods, and knowledge surrounding healthy choices. In fact, research from the University of Texas at Austin shows that students who participate in gardening, nutrition, and cooking classes eat more vegetables per day than they did before the programs. Plus, edible gardens support a wide range of classroom curriculums including science, nutrition, math, and art.

WK, Garden Grant, Hillel Torah North Suburban Day School, Skokie, IL, 2023, 2-2.jpg

WK, Garden Grant, Waccamaw Intermediate, Pawleys Island, SC, 2023, 3 (1)-2.jpg

WK, Garden Grant, School 21, Paterson, NJ, 2024, 2-2.jpg

WK, Garden Grant, Rain Lily Montessori School, FERNANDINA BEACH, FL, 2024, 4.jpg

Rooted in Collaboration

Building connections is central to our mission. Through partnerships with organizations like Amazon Fresh and Newman’s Own Foundation, we ampifly impactful programs that help children develop healthier relationships with food. By joining forces with supporters who share our vision, we're able to expand our reach and make a greater difference in children's health and wellbeing.

Amazon Fresh

Amazon Fresh is working to make more high-quality and affordable food accessible, inspiring families to make meals together, and ultimately getting kids excited about fresh fruits, vegetables, and nutritious foods. For the second year, our friends at Amazon Fresh are supporting the expansion of Whole Foods Market's Garden Grant program. Their support of $168,000 will fund 48 garden grants, equipping schools across the country to invest in garden programs and edible education.

Newman’s Own Foundation

Thanks to Newman’s Own Foundation’s generous donation of $100,000, select Garden Grant recipients will receive additional funding to further strengthen their garden programs. This supplementary funding will provide select schools with an extra $1,000 to $1,500 on top of their existing $3,500 Garden Grant. We're pleased to share that no additional application process is required – eligible schools will automatically receive this bonus funding alongside their original grant award.

By the end of 2025, we’ll have awarded 9,729 garden grants since the Garden Grant Program’s creation in 2011! These gardens do so much more than grow fresh produce. They cultivate curiosity, expand knowledge of our food system, build healthy habits, inspire a new generation of healthy food advocates, and create lasting connections between children and real food. We’ve seen firsthand the incredible effects of school gardens and the innovative ways they can be seamlessly incorporated into existing school curriculum. From increased student engagement to improved nutrition awareness, we see every garden that we’ve help establish as an investment in healthier futures. With the ongoing support of our partners and donors, we look forward to nurturing more of these vital learning spaces where children can discover the joy and importance of fresh, nutritious food.

Complement your garden grant success with a bee grant! Applications open September 2025.

Lottie Dungan