On the hunt for a grant?

Are you thinking about your goals for 2017? Need additional funding to achieve them? Now might be the time to go hunting for a grant.

A grant can be a great way to give your kitchen garden program a boost. Whether you want to upgrade your kitchen area, build new garden beds or purchase additional equipment – grants and awards can give you valuable funding to grow your kitchen garden program.

The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation is constantly on the lookout for grants and awards suitable for kitchen garden schools and centres delivering pleasurable food education.  

As a not-for-profit organisation, we don’t have the financial capacity to provide grants to kitchen garden programs (much as we would love to) so we’ve put together a helpful online resource – Grants, funding-opportunities and awards – that points schools and centres towards hidden pockets of funding.

The list compiles Australia-wide grants, such as the Junior Landcare Grants, and grants that are unique to each state and territory, like South Australia’s Rain Garden 500. We’ve focused on funding linked to kitchen garden–related goals such as sustainability, positive food habits and the natural environment.

The list includes awards that can attract a prize or offer some recognition for the hard work being carried out in your kitchen garden program.

The Foundation’s list of grants is just a start. Many local businesses and local councils also provide community grants that are worth investigating. But remember to check the fine print, some community grants specifically exclude schools or are only available to not-for-profit organisations.

Applying for grants can be hard work so it is worth doing your homework, and making sure you have a reasonable chance of being considered for the grant, before investing the time. Carefully read the criteria and be honest about whether your school, centre or project really makes the grade. If you’re not clear on elements of the criteria, be sure to contact the grant administrator and ask lots of questions. Good luck!

The Foundation’s grants resource is only available to Kitchen Garden Program Schools and Kitchen Garden Classroom members. Not a member? Join the Kitchen Garden Classroom and enjoy access to the list of grants, plus hundreds of other resources.

If you know of any grants or awards that should be added to this list, please get in touch with the Support Team. You can also keep any eye on the News section on the Foundation’s public website. Scroll down and click on the Grants and Awards tab for news of upcoming grants and inspiring stories of schools that have recently won awards.