Community and School Garden Grants

Foundation Background

The Alleghany Foundation is a private foundation that came about as a result of the sale of a community non-profit hospital to a for-profit hospital. The Alleghany Foundation is a Virginia nonstock corporation exempt from income taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is managed by a Board of Directors, all the members of which are residents of the community. The Foundation’s ongoing purpose is to provide financial support that primarily benefits worthy activities in the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia.

Purpose

The Foundation seeks applications in key focus areas with the goal of building upon the region’s wonderful assets to provide dynamic opportunities for all its residents. Proposals should contribute to the Foundation’s strategic areas of focus for grant, including the VISION 2025 Initiative.

Alleghany Foundation Grants

Strategic Funding Areas of Interest

The Foundation’s priority is to support proposals from organizations that contribute to the following outcomes:

• Economic Transformation – Harness our region’s strengths to develop a vibrant, diverse and higher-wage economy that can compete in the global marketplace.
• Educational Excellence – Seeks to invest with institutions, such as our local public schools and community college to move our school systems forward from “Good to Great.”
• Health and Wellness – Help the residents of the Alleghany Highlands lead healthier lives and access the comprehensive health care they need.
• Community Capacity – Grow local institutions and organizations with the vision, will, wisdom, and skills to work together to build a more prosperous, equitable, just and sustainable community.
• Leadership and Civic Vitality – Develop broad-based inclusive leadership that can sustain a forward-looking agenda for the community.
• VISION 2025 Initiative – A multi-pronged community-led effort for economic revitalization of the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia that is supported in partnerships with The Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, The Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Corporation, and Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, and made up of the following working groups:
  • Real Estate, Utility Development and Marketing to Expand Industry Base
  • Alleghany Highlands Web Store and Small Business Support
  • Corridor Curb Appeal, Gateway and Main Street Enhancement
  • Community Landscaping and Destination Gardens
  • Alleghany Highlands Industrial Heritage and Technology Discovery Center

Community Seed Donations

We donate seeds each year to hundreds of gardens across the United States.

The financial support of Herman Warsh and his wife Maryanne Mott helped to establish our headquarters in Decorah, Iowa: Heritage Farm. To honor their support, we donate seeds to organizations and gardens in need through our Herman's Garden Seed Donation Program.

Disaster Relief Inquiries

If your garden or farm has been impacted by recent hurricanes or natural disasters, we'd like to extend a hand. Our seed donation program is set up to fulfill the needs of community gardens and groups, but we understand that at this time, because of numerous natural disasters, there is a larger need beyond our current program. Our thoughts are with you as you contend with loss and start the long road ahead to rebuild.

What does this program do?

This program provides funding to assist in the development of essential community facilities in rural communities with extreme unemployment and severe economic depression.

An essential community facility is one that provides an essential service to the local community, is needed for the orderly development of the community, serves a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.

How may funds be used?

To construct, enlarge or improve community facilities for health care, public safety and public service. Grants may be made in combination with other financial assistance such as a Community Facilities direct or guaranteed loan, applicant contribution or funding from other sources. Examples of essential community facilities include:

• Health Care: hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes, assisted-living facilities
• Public Facilities: city/town/village halls, courthouses, airport hangers, street improvements
• Community Support Services: child care centers, community centers, fairgrounds, transitional housing
• Public Safety: fire halls, police stations, prisons, jails, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles and equipment
• Educational: museums, libraries, private schools
• Utility: telemedicine, distance learning
• Local Food Systems: community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, food hubs, greenhouses, kitchen appliances
• For a complete list, see Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 3570.7

What kind of funding is available?

• Grants up to 75% of eligible project cost based on need and funding availability
• Applicant must be eligible for grant assistance, which is determined by the population and median household income of the service area
• Grant funds must be available

The foundation seeks to foster environmental restoration, preservation and education with emphasis on seed moneys that lead to establishing demonstration projects that link rural and urban settings.

Projects could orient toward use of resources in sustainable ways, integration of food production, technology, economics, and community development in harmonious ways with the natural world, preservation of wildlife habitat as well as the diversity of wild and domestic plants and animals, and conservation of wilderness and open space.

Of interest might be projects designed to restore and maintain biological diversity of flora and fauna or establishment of seed banks, sustainable land use, or appropriate technology for alternative energy resources.

Efforts to find space in tight urban areas, bring the countryside to the city in the form of gardens, landscaping, and space are encouraged. Likewise, efforts to provide space and alternative living to urban people in a rural area are welcome.

Funding Priorities

A particular concern is with sustaining agriculture through organic, biodynamic, permacultural and other processes, training young people to be farmers, and linking farms to communities through community supported agriculture.

Another area of need would be support for small alternative presses and periodicals that focus on issues and problems and their resolution and desire to impact broadly on society with their creativity and new ideas.

With its interest in Laguna Wilderness Press and its home base in southern California, the foundation desires to direct attention to environmental groups and concerns in Laguna Beach, especially preservation and restoration of areas under conservation in the open space known as the Laguna Greenbelt or Wilderness and including the Laguna Bluebelt; projects that expand open space in the inner greenbelt, promote community gardening, including in its schools, restore wherever possible the canyon creeks to their natural setting, and help to establish the legacy of a unique place and its traditions of village diverse planning and vision, plein air painting, and historic homes and sites. 

Granting a Better Tomorrow

Thanks to our many donors who contribute to the Trees Forever endowment, we are providing funds for projects for the first time from Trees Forever Foundation income. Grants of $100 to $1,500 are available with an emphasis on youth and underserved schools and communities. These funds are for projects in the United States, in areas not currently receiving funding from other Trees Forever programs.

Granting a Better Tomorrow grants are for tree-planting and educational projects, including tree planting, seedling giveaways, pollinator (trees & plants) plantings, rain gardens with trees, educational classroom projects, club or church projects, fruit and nut orchards, school memorials, cemetery plantings and disaster recovery projects. If you need help with your project, our staff will be happy to help your group plan and complete a successful long-lasting project.

Simply Organic's Giving History 

Providing consumers the opportunity to use their buying power to support the environmental and social values of organic agriculture has always been part of Simply Organic. Since 2001, we've given back more than $2 million to supporting organic agricultural development and grower communities, including:

• Helping growers in developing countries produce and market certified organic products.
• Building training centers that teach organic agriculture methods and wells that bring fresh water to villages; supporting schools, meal programs and other social projects in grower communities.
• Supporting U.S. organic research and education projects, scholarships in sustainable agriculture, and organic-growing-based social organizations such as urban gardens and community food banks.

The Simply Organic Giving Fund Grant Program

In 2018, we committed to focusing the Simply Organic Giving Fund Grant Program on addressing an issue that’s especially persistent and critical, but that is often overlooked or misunderstood: food insecurity. We’re working to help organizations across the United States and Canada to nourish the millions of food insecure in our communities by supporting organizations that provide access to healthy, organic food options. 

Teaching Gardens

The American Heart Association is calling all schools and educational facilities interested in connecting children to gardens, addressing food access concerns in their neighborhoods, supporting health, nutrition, and environmental stewardship to be a part of our mission by joining our new Teaching Gardens Network.

10 years ago, the American Heart Association teamed up with noted child-nutrition activist and philanthropist, Kelly Meyer, to create the American Heart Association Teaching Gardens program. Over the last decade, the American Heart Association Teaching Gardens program has launched over 500 Teaching Gardens nationwide. 

Teaching Gardens Network Grant Program

The Teaching Gardens Network Grants are made possible by the ongoing commitment of Kelly Meyer, founder of OneSun Fund, and Gail Becker, CEO of Caulipower, who are both dedicated to educating children about nutrition, while appreciating the benefit of eating healthy. 

How you can participate: 

The American Heart Association is seeking schools and educational facilities that are working to connect children to the garden, supporting health, nutrition, and environmental stewardship. Through this grant program, we hope to build strong communities who commit to growing healthy kids. Program elements include building, growing and maintaining a garden, providing a hands-on learning experience, and teaching students about healthy eating and gardening via an interactive cross-curricular, standards-based gardening and nutrition education curriculum.

The Teaching Garden Network Grants are intended to:

• Connect children and families with the food system and healthy foods.
• Educate children and communities about the importance of healthy environmental practices and encouraging them to make changes to improve their health.
• Help to create a sense of responsibility and teamwork by building connections in the community, centered in health, nutrition and the environment.

Grant Award

Grants will be awarded with the value of $2500 to support new or established school garden programs.

Our Beginnings

SeedMoney is a Maine-based 501c nonprofit helping US and global food garden projects to thrive through grants, crowdfunding assistance and free garden planning software.

SeedMoney is the new name for what was formerly called Kitchen Gardeners International (KGI), a nonprofit founded in 2003. Over the past three years, our emphasis has gradually shifted from helping home gardeners towards offering financial and technical support to a wide variety of public food garden projects. These include community gardens, school gardens, food bank gardens, homeless shelter gardens and senior gardens, to name just a few.

SeedMoney Challenge

Each year, SeedMoney offers challenge grants to diverse food garden projects through a 30-day crowdfunding challenge. 

The grants we offer are on a sliding scale. The size of a grant a project can receive depends on how much it is able to raise over the 30-day period compared to other projects participating in the challenge. This year, we will be offering a total of 370 grants ranging from $100 to $1000.

GroMoreGood Grassroots GrantThe GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant, brought to you by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation and KidsGardening, is designed to bring the life-enhancing benefits of gardens to communities across the United States. 160 programs will be awarded in 2023.GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant Award PackagesIn 2023, 160 programs will be awarded $500 to start or expand their youth garden or greenspace. Programs will also have the opportunity to apply for additional funding through the following specialty award categories:

• Plus Specialty Award: Designed to fund new and existing garden programs that have greater funding needs due to, but are not limited to, financial, environmental, safety, health, and regulation challenges. The award will provide five programs an additional $1,000, for a total of $1,500 in funding.

• Pride Specialty Award: Designed to fund new and existing garden programs that serve a majority of LGBTQ+ youth. The award will provide five programs an additional $1,000, for a total of $1,500 in funding.

• Equity Specialty Award: Designed to fund new and existing garden programs led by people of color that serve a majority of youth of color. The award will provide five programs an additional $1,000, for a total of $1,500 in funding.