Funding Kansas Community Gardens: Lessons From a Mini-grant Project

Many Kansans want to grow their own fresh produce, but often lack a place to have a garden. K-State Research & Extension (KSRE) partnered with the Kansas Health Foundation to establish the Kansas Community Garden Grants project in 2011. The objective of this project was to increase Kansans’ access to fresh, healthy produce by expanding the number of community gardens in Kansas. The goal was to establish 60 new gardens over a three-year period. Seed money was made available for groups to receive mini-grants of up to $5,000 to establish new community gardens. In addition to seed funding, the grant provided the opportunity to educate stakeholders via conferences in 2013 and 2014. Community gardeners could learn more about both horticulture and garden management topics. Sessions on garden management, sustainability, and how to develop the garden team gave participants insight on how to cultivate their garden organization into a cohesive group. A website (www.KansasCommunityGardens.org) was developed to provide access to the grant application and educational resources for community gardens. Videos answered “Frequently Asked Questions” about community gardening. Links were provided to KSRE horticulture websites and other community gardening publications and resources. A garden directory tells site visitors where the gardens are located throughout the state. One section includes a listing of all the gardens that have received grants with a short bio and links to any websites or Facebook sites associated with the gardens. An archive of previous conference presentations and handouts allows visitors to access information presented at the conferences. Through the 3-year period 85 gardens (25 over the original goal) received grants worth more than $394,000. The gardens were located in rural, suburban and urban areas of all parts of the state. Both allotment gardens and communal gardens were funded. The wide range of gardens involved in this project put us in contact with a diverse audience. Prior to this project some of the garden participants have had little or no connection with the Cooperative Extension Service. At the end of the third year we were able to report: 1) 85 gardens funded (82 still operating); 2) 875,632 ft² in communal gardens has been added; 3) 1,500,805 ft² in total community garden space is now available; 4) 1,551 allotment garden plots added; 5) 5,253 gardeners/volunteers involved in community garden projects. The gardens have made a significant impact in providing more Kansans with access to fresh, healthy foods.