On September 12th 2012, BRAVO hosted Arlington Community Gardens Go On Tour. We highlighted the great work of tenants and management staff at four residential rental properties embracing community gardens. The tour allowed us to get the word out about community gardening, and specifically about a grant program administered by Virginia Cooperative Extension.
The application deadline for that program was September 21, 2012. BRAVO is encouraged by the Community Health Action Response Team’s (CHART) initiative and the tremendous contribution to the community by Virginia Cooperative Extension.
We will share here the news about the applicants selected to receive the grants
BRAVO is inspired by the wonderful spirit and neighbor-to-neighbor connecting that goes on in community gardening. We are hopeful the grant program will continue.
Below are the grant criteria for the grant from the most recent application period.
Community Gardening Mini-Grants in Arlington
Request for Proposals
Why is BRAVO promoting community gardens? What does gardening have to do with tenants? We explain here.
The Community Health Action Response Team (CHART) of Arlington County announces the availability of mini-grants to create community gardening and nutrition programs at apartment complexes, condominiums, housing shelters and transitional housing sites. This initiative is a continuation of a project started in 2011. The program’s goals are to provide fresh produce to Arlington residents, counteract and prevent obesity, promote health and nutrition, and to encourage physical activity. The CHART is a group of concerned citizens and representatives from various Arlington organizations who are implementing the ACHIEVE (Action Communities for Health, Innovation, and EnVironmental ChangE) grant that Arlington County’s Department of Parks and Recreation received from the National Recreation and Park Association. Mini-grant funds will be coming from this grant.
Mini-grant funds will provide for the purchase of seeds, tools, soil amendments, soil tests, storage sheds, and food and supplies for nutrition classes. Grant recipients will also receive gardening education and assistance in starting the garden from Master Gardener volunteers and nutrition classes from Master Food Volunteers. Both of these volunteer groups are managed by staff from Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE). Grant recipients will also be able to gain information about how to start a community garden by accessing a newly created guide at this site: http://www.arlingtonva.us/portals/topics/file82772.pdf
A maximum of $800 will be awarded to each grant recipient. The term for utilizing grant funds will be October 1, 2012-September 30, 2013. A maximum of three grants will be awarded.
Eligibility
Applicants must be: Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)3 status providing services to Arlingtonians in low-income housing; Houses of worship, or Condominium associations.
Application Requirements
Applications should be limited to five pages, single spaced, 12-point font. Please include a cover sheet (not counted in the five page limit) with the following information: name of organization/condo association/apartment complex, address, phone number, name of contact person, email address, and phone number (if different from main phone number). Please also be sure to address the following when applying for a mini-grant:
1) Organization information
Provide information about your organization’s mission and vision. Include names and brief bios of staff, volunteers, and residents who will lead the project. If a nonprofit, please also include proof of 501(c)3 status.
2) Purpose and Goals
Please describe how your garden and nutrition program will benefit the people you serve and how it will be incorporated into already existing programs for residents.
3) Outcomes
Describe how you will measure the success of your program.
4) Impacts
Describe what you expect the long-term impacts of your program to be and how you will measure them.
5) Sustainability Plan
Applications must include a sustainability plan explaining how the garden will be organized and managed to accommodate success in future years. The sustainability plan should include detailed information demonstrating that the applicant has a dedicated space to place the garden and a group of residents and staff who will work to maintain the garden beyond the initial assistance of VCE staff and volunteers.
6) Budget
Please provide a detailed listing of expected expenses. Funds are available for supplies only and cannot be used to pay salaries.
All grant recipients will be required to submit a final report within 30 days of the end of the grant period. The report should detail program results, include photos of all phases of the garden (planting, growing, harvesting), and account for all grant fund expenditures.
Grant applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on September 21, 2012. Please submit applications electronically to Jennifer Abel at jabel@vt.edu. Award decisions will be announced by October 1, 2012.
And if you want to read about why BRAVO, an organization committed to empowering tenants, is interested in tomatoes and peppers, we’ll tell you.