In an effort to green 1,000 communities, the Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation created the GRO1000 Grassroots Grants award program eight years ago. Now in its final year, the grant program is open for applications until February 19.
Grants of up to $1,500 will be awarded to nonprofit organizations dedicated to greening neighborhoods through
community gardens and greenspaces.
The aim of the program, which culminates this year with Scotts Miracle-Gro’s 150
thanniversary, is to award communities helping to bring pollinator habitats, edible gardens and green spaces to neighborhoods across the nation. The program gives priority to greenspaces that significantly benefit youth.
By this spring, the GRO1000 program will have funded the creation or enhancement of 1,000 community greenscapes in every state in the U.S. Since its inception, the GRO1000 program has provided funding assistance to 12.7 million square feet of existing greenspace and 14,400 new garden beds.
Annually, the GRO1000 gardens donate an estimated 560,000 pounds equaling 2.9 million meals of produce. The gardens have also helped connect more than 205,000 youths across America with meaningful encounters and
experiences with nature.
“The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation is dedicated to connecting people with the life-enhancing benefits of gardens, gardening and nature,” says Jim King, president and chairman of
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation. “It’s been a great honor to improve hundreds of neighborhoods and thousands of lives through the development of these community gardens and greenspaces.”
According to King, the mission of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation is to help create healthier communities, empower the next generation and preserve our planet. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that funds non-profit entities that support its core initiatives in the form of grants, endowments and multi-year capital gifts.
In the coming weeks, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation will announce plans for its milestone 1,000th garden dedication and its continued work to support communities through the development of gardens and greenspaces.
The
2018 GRO1000 Grassroots Grants application is available online now. The deadline for application submission is Friday, February 19, 2018. Grants will be awarded based on youth engagement, community impact, harvest donation and sustainability, among other criteria. Winners of the $500 to $1,500 grants will be announced on the first day of spring, March 20, 2018.
Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, The American Gardener, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of 10 books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening, Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story Series, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com. Her backyard is a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.
