Overview
The Department invites eligible organizations to apply for funding through the Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grant Program. Funding is available to support the development and expansion of community gardens, school gardens, and urban farms across the state.
Community growing spaces play a critical role in combating food insecurity. Across New York State, there are over one thousand community growing spaces in both rural and urban landscapes, and there is demand to establish more and expand existing sites. Most community growing spaces are in underserved communities and often, the mission to grow one’s own plot is to feed themselves. There is little capital to help maintain these plots. Similarly, coordinators of these spaces are often not-for-profits with limited support to expand and sustain capacity, develop infrastructure, and secure reliable tenancy to the land. This grant program aims to improve food security by making resources available to ensure the viability and sustainability of these community growing spaces.
Apply
Funding will go toward projects that will help promote the expansion and sustainability of these sites by establishing new growing spaces, expanding infrastructure in existing community growing spaces, or building capacity through programming and staff.
Applications for funding must be submitted via the Grants Gateway to be considered for funding. Faxed, mailed, or e-mailed applications will not be accepted.
An informational webinar about the program was held on October 25, 2023. A recording of the meeting is available here.