Let your garden thrive with KCCG’s Sprout Micro Grants
Kansas City Community Gardens is a not-for-profit organization that assists low-income persons and community organizations in the metropolitan area to produce food from garden plots located in backyards, vacant lots, and at community sites. We provide free technical assistance and support to home and community gardeners, community organizations and non-profits on how to grow and increase access to fresh food.
Through the generous support of our funders, KCCG is offering micro grants to community groups to help support their gardening efforts. The purpose of Sprout Micro Grants is to assist community groups with establishing or expanding their capacity to produce food through gardening. Sprout Micro Grants are for groups serving populations with limited access to affordable, fresh, locally grown food.
Funding will support
Eligibility (Grants are available to:)
- Community groups who have a community garden or are looking to start a community garden in the Kansas City Metro area. Depending on KCCG's current funding sources, 501c3 status or fiscal sponsorship from a 501c3 or non-profit may be required.
- If you do not have sponsorship of a 501c3, please contact the Community Partner Gardens program at cpg@kccg.org or 816-931-3877 and we may be able to work with you to find a sponsor, if required. Your group can also apply for non-profit status from either Kansas or Missouri.
- School-based garden programs are not eligible. KCCG has another program to help school gardens. Please contact the Schoolyard Gardens program at syg@kccg.org or (816) 931-3877.
- If you are growing food to sell please contact Cultivate KC for more information on grants available to farmers.
Application details:
- You may only apply for one project at a time during a grant cycle.
- Only projects recommended on your CPG site visit recommendation form are eligible.
- The total amount of funding awarded to a garden may not exceed $3,000 over the grant cycle.
- The Sprout grant will NOT fund: Salaries, KCCG membership fees, water bills, seeds and plants, greenhouses, gazebos and shade structures, picnic tables, sheds, straw and mulch.
Application Process
- Complete a current KCCG Community Partner Garden application.
- Schedule a CPG site visit, by selecting yes below, note a site visit is required for all applicants. The CPG site visit will be scheduled at a mutually convenient time. We will meet you at your garden site to learn more about the goals of your garden and assess your garden’s needs.
- Once your site visit is completed, we will email you a copy of your CPG site visit recommendation form and a Sprout Micro Grant application. You may only apply for funding for one of the recommendations on this form, per grant deadline.
- Fill out and submit the Sprout Micro Grant on-line application and budget.
- It is recommended (but not required) to upload three letters of reference/support from garden participants (these references may not be relatives of the applicant) to your on-line application. For example: letters of reference/support can be from your neighborhood association, a community gardener or a faith based organization.
Deadlines: Sprout Grant funding cycles vary, but typically fall into the October 1 - March 1 timeframe. Please contact cpg@kccg.org for more information on deadlines and eligibility.
Grant review process:
Your grant will be submitted to and reviewed by a grant review committee. We will notify you, within 5 weeks of the application deadline, with details of the committee’s decision.
If a grant is awarded, you will need to:
- Sign a grant agreement stating that you will use the grant funds as presented in the budget.
- Meet with a CPG Team member at your garden sometime between 4 and 6 months of the grant being awarded. (We also strongly encourage that you use us for additional technical assistance and support during your implementation of the funded project.)
- Complete a report narrative and budget. These forms will be emailed to you after completion of grant agreement.
- Funds must be spent within 12 months of the grant agreement signing. The final report including photos is due within 14 months of the grant agreement signing.
If you apply and your proposal is not funded, you may be eligible to reapply after consultation with a member of KCCG’s Community Partner Garden team.