Grant Program

The staff and volunteers at the shelter are working to create a public garden of pollinator- friendly flower beds at the entrance. The beds will contain native perennials, shrubs, and some annuals, an informational panel and some outdoor seating. The garden’s design will demonstrate low maintenance, layered gardening and dense- planted sustainable beds. Grant funds will be used for beds construction, dog barriers, and composted materials.

The students at the school in the 8th grade Exploring Agriculture Class would like to expand and refresh the current demonstration garden. The garden offers the school’s students opportunities to study and experience food production and hand-on planting and maintenance. Community members are invited to assist in the garden during summer months. By enlarging the number of beds, more students will be able to participate in science based growing projects. Grant funding will provide materials for construction, soil, mulch, and wildlife deterrents where necessary.

A local non-profit, GardenQuest, provides hands-on farming and culinary STEM-based experiences for all ages. This project supports a local scout badge program for cadette and senior Girl Scouts to learn about urban farming, the food supply chain, and making wise food decisions. The program director plans to enlarge the program to include activities at the Monroe Co. Public Library South West and to high school culinary students. Grant funding will provide garden tools, precision scales, kneeling pads, and buckets.

This garden was installed by Master Gardeners over 10 years ago to assist with the removal of invasive plants on the Courthouse grounds and to encourage visitors to embrace native perennials, shrubs, and trees. The Monroe Co. Master Gardeners Association maintains this garden and places Identification tags for each planting. The volunteers would like to add more spring plantings and an elderberry tree. Grant funds will be used to purchase these plants and ID markers.

This agency is a community food resource center that works to increase access to healthy food. A year-round program provides a food pantry, gardening education, and open harvest for food grown in onsite gardens. Free seeds, soil, compost, pots, plant starts and growing information are offered to all those interested. Started in 1998, the program has served 25,000 clients in its years of service. Seed giveaways are planned for spring and fall to supply their patrons. Grant funding will allow Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard to replenish their seed library for the giveaways.

This local group is described as a group of volunteers committed to supporting local growing, food autonomy, ecological restoration, and public beauty. The non-profit provides free plants and seeds (including trees), planting assistance and demonstrations to neighborhood residents. The trees distributed foster residents’ ability to grow food, increase shade cover and green space, and encourage collective food production in their specific area of northwest downtown Bloomington. Grant funds will be used to purchase native trees at Vallonia State Tree Nursery to be given away this spring.

New Hope for Families was founded 10 years ago to address the needs of homeless families who need emergency shelter. The New Hope Early Learning Center enrolls 48 children and has some outdoor classrooms designed to provide play-based experiences with plants and the outdoors. In past years, the Center has used garden plots in Switchyard Park for their “Plot to Tot” gardening program. They wish to construct some raised beds on the shelter property to increase student and parent involvement in the growing program. A group of local volunteers called the “Hope Builders” will construct 5 raised beds this growing season. Grant funds will provide building materials, garden mix, and plants.