Garden Grants Galore!
Jasper Elementary School, Jaspers, IN
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 $3,425,000 in garden grants this year alone, impacting 554,385 kids!
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 with hands-on learning 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.
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 $150,000 will fund 48 garden grants, equipping schools across the country to invest in garden programs and edible education.
Newman’s Own Foundation
Newman’s Own Foundation’s mission is to nourish and transform the lives of children who face adversity. Thanks to the Newman’s Own Foundation's generous donation of $100,000, select Garden Grant recipients in the United States will receive additional funding to further strengthen their garden programs. With a focus on nutrition education and school food as well as indigenous food justice, this collaboration between Whole Foods Market Foundation and Newman’s Own Foundation enables the Garden Grants program to increase its impact and support more Indigenous schools.
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 where their food comes from. 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.