Grant Application and Guidelines
2011 Application Deadline is May 11, 2011
Nourishing North Carolina (NNC) is a partnership between Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and the NC Recreation & Park Association to establish or enhance community gardens in each of North Carolina’s 100 counties by the end of 2013. The North Carolina Community Garden Partners have joined us in the venture to increase access to and consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables to North Carolina’s citizens. Funds will be awarded in each county to implement the project.
General Information/Guidelines:
· Nourishing North Carolina (NNC) will be funding community gardens in each of North Carolina’s 100 counties throughout 2011, 2012 and 2013 with an average of 33 each year.
· Funding up to $3000 is available per county. The funding may be awarded to one garden or may be divided among several gardens based on applications received. A collaborative application to fund more than one garden per county will be given priority over competitive applications within a county.
· Grants will be awarded over the next three years. The first deadline for submitting an application is May 11, 2011. Additional applications will be accepted in 2012 and 2013.
· NNC is looking to fund gardens that have strong collaboration between parks & recreation and the community. Priority will be given to applications where parks & recreation, the health department and cooperative extension are involved. Where this isn’t feasible applications showing other strong support will be considered.
· Priority will be given to gardens that will be sited on parks & recreation property, but where that is not feasible, gardens sited on other public lands will be considered.
· Funding may be requested to establish a new garden or enhance an existing garden.
· Funding may not be used for land acquisition.
· Funding may be used for purchasing supplies, materials, plants, planting material, fencing, etc.
· Produce from NNC funded gardens cannot be sold.
· Gardens located in food deserts or areas that will be providing fresh produce to underserved/at-risk-populations will be given higher consideration. A food desert is any area where healthy, affordable food is difficult to obtain. It is prevalent in rural as well as urban areas and is most prevalent in low-socioeconomic minority communities, and is associated with a variety of diet-related health problems.
Scope:
This is a three year project and participating organizations are expected to report and provide updates on their garden over the duration of the program. NNC grantees that adhere to the reporting schedule will be eligible to receive additional funding for year two and three to assist in the continuation and growth of the garden.
· Gardens initially funded in 2011 are eligible to receive an additional $750 in 2012 & 2013 for a total of $4500 pending success of the garden and reporting of required information. This additional funding will be provided annually. Three years of reporting required.
· Gardens initially funded in 2012 are eligible to receive an additional $750 in 2013 for a total of $3750 pending success of the garden and reporting of required information. This additional funding will be provided annually. Two years of reporting required.
· Gardens initially funded in 2013 will receive the $3000 grant with no additional funding. One year of reporting required.
Requirements
· NNC gardens are required to designate a garden manager as the point of contact and who is responsible for all reporting plus management of the garden team. (The American Gardening Association recommends strongly that any new garden have at least 10 participating members, assuring that, despite attrition, the garden will have adequate support to be well maintained.)
· Participating NNC gardens must have a committed garden team with at least ten team members from sponsoring organizations and community representatives.
· The garden manager is expected to share information about and from Nourishing North Carolina with those that participate in the local garden.
· Applicants must have a written plan with timeline on the steps the team will take to implement their garden project.
· At least 10% of produce must be donated to local food pantries, homeless shelters or food rescue organizations.
· NNC gardens will be provided signage, designating the garden as part of the Nourishing NC network, which is to be erected in the garden area.
· NNC gardens will be expected to register with the NC Community Garden Partners (no charge).
· NNC gardens will be expected to share success stories, photos, etc. that can be used in promotional materials to spotlight the success of their garden.
· NNC gardens are encouraged to plan celebrations and educational outreach events – i.e., the first harvest, the largest tomato, cooking and preserving classes, growing workshops, donations to social support organizations (such as homeless shelter/food pantries, etc.)
· The garden manager is expected to provide NCRPA with 2 weeks notice of such planned events.
Reporting:
NNC grantees will be required to report online regularly about:
· The harvests from their garden.
· The number of individuals that are consuming produce from the garden.
· The number of individuals/work hours spent in the garden.
· The amount of harvest shared with food pantries, homeless shelters, food recovery organizations, etc.
· Success stories and special events affiliated with their garden.
Questions about the Nourishing North Carolina project should be directed to:
Michelle Wells
Program Director
NC Recreation & Park Association
883 Washington St, Raleigh, NC 27605
919-832-5868
This program is a partnership between
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and
the North Carolina Recreation & Park Association
In cooperation with the NC Community Garden Partners
Nourishing North Carolina Application
This application should be submitted to Michelle Wells at the NC Recreation & Park Association by 5pm on May 11, 2011. Please type your information in the form below, save the file to your system, and send as an email attachment to . You will receive confirmation of your application being received. Note: There are 2 additional attachments noted below that are required for your application to be considered complete.
Location/Agency
County: Gaston County
Park & Recreation Agency Name: Gaston County Parks & Recreation
Director’s Name: Cathy Hart
Garden Manager who is responsible for reporting to Nourishing NC
Name: Ellen Fenters
Agency (if applicable): Gaston County Senior Center
Phone (include area code): 704-922-2170
Email:
Garden Information:
Name of Park where Nourishing NC Garden will be: Dallas Park
Street Address of Park: 1303 Dallas Cherryville Highway
City: Dallas State: NC Zip: 28034
If your garden will not be located on park property, please give name/location of requested site and a brief description of why it is not being located on park property:
Is this a new or existing garden? New
If existing, how long has it been a working garden?
If this is a garden to be revived, how long has the garden been non-working?
Does this garden location have access to water? Yes No
Please tell us about the population this garden will serve. Does this garden target one or more of the potentially underserved/at-risk-populations?
The Gaston Senior Center and the NC Cooperative Extension Service, both located in the adjacent Citizens Resource Center will use the garden to conduct classes and activities. Cooperative Extension will use the garden for Master Gardener trainings in the spring, 4-H summer camps, and training for teacher’s involved in Extension’s Harvesting Healthy Youth school gardening program.
The garden will serve as a site for educational tours to over 400 fifth graders during Conservation Days and to over 5000 guests during Cotton Ginning Days
Funding Needs:
What are the funding needs for this garden? Be specific with how the funding will be used: Lumber and supplies to build raised beds, mesh fencing, soil, compost, seeds, plants, herbs, watering cans, and hoses.
Amount of funding requested (max $3000): $3000
Community Partners: List community partners and the role they will play in supporting the NNC garden. (Information will be verified with the contacts listed below)
Cooperative Extension Contact Name: David Fogarty
Phone: 704-922-2130 Email:
What role will they play? Preperation and Maintenance
Health Department Contact Name: LaVerne Partlow
Phone: 704-862-6134 Email:
What role will they play? Preperation and Maintenance
Have you made contact with your local Master Gardeners? Yes No
If yes, please list the contact person: Mark Blevins
Phone: 704-922-2124 Email:
What role will they play? Preperation and Maintenance
Additional Community Partners:
Agency Name: Historic Preservation
Contact Name: Lucy Peneger
Phone: 704-864-7542 Email:
What role will they play? Maintenance
Agency Name: Gaston Natural Resources
Contact Name: Dean Parker
Phone: 704-922-2154 Email:
What role will they play? Mintenance
Agency Name: Forestry Service
Contact Name: Reid Goodman
Phone: 704-922-0719 Email:
What role will they play? Week-end maintenance
Agency Name: Gaston County Beekeepers Association
Contact Name: Shannon Propst
Phone: 704-922-2110 Email:
What role will they play? Install and manage an active beehive on the site of the Historic Gardens for pollination and education purposes.
Agency Name:
Contact Name:
Phone: Email:
What role will they play?
Agency Name:
Contact Name:
Phone: Email:
What role will they play?
(If additional space is needed to list community partners, please check here and list on a separate page.
Submit this additional page as an attachment with your emailed application)
Produce Partner(s): The agency, organization, homeless shelter, food pantry, food rescue organization, etc. that our garden will donate at least 10% of our produce to:
Name of Agency/Group: Shelter of Gaston County
Contact Person: Cathy Cloninger
Address: 330 North Marietta Street
City: Gastonia State: NC Zip: 28052
Email: Phone: 704-810-6492
Name of Agency/Group: Flint Groves Baptist Church
Contact Person: Beverly Shaw
Address: 2017 East Ozark Avenue
City: Gastonia State: NC Zip: 28054
Email: Phone:
Name of Agency/Group:
Contact Person:
Address:
City: State: Zip:
Email: Phone:
Garden Team: Please list at least ten individuals who will have an active role in garden work and who make up the garden team; list their organizational affiliation if applicable and the role they will play.
1. Name: Ellen Fenters Organization (if applicable): Gaston County Senior Center
Their role: Preperation, planting, and maintenance
2. Name: Doris Graham Organization (if applicable): Gaston County Senior Center
Their role: Preperation, planting, and maintenance
3. Name: Elaine Bouldin Organization (if applicable): Gaston County Senior Center
Their role: Preperation, planting, and maintenance
4. Name: Jamie Wilkinson Organization (if applicable): Gaston County Parks & Recreation
Their role: Preparation, planting, and maintenance
5. Name: Lois Stewart Organization (if applicable):
Their role: Maintenance
6. Name: Linda Benfield Organization (if applicable):
Their role: Maintenance
7. Name: Betty Surratt Organization (if applicable):
Their role: Maintenance
8. Name: Huston Shepphard Organization (if applicable):
Their role: Maintenance
9. Name: Pris Britton Organization (if applicable):
Their role: Mainetenance
10. Name: Bee Muse Organization (if applicable):
Their role: Maintenance
Narrative: For questions with character limits, MS Word can provide you this information by using the Word Count function
Please provide a brief narrative of your community garden project and needs: Include strategy and evidence that your approach can be effective in achieving the goals of the Nourishing NC project. You can find the goals online at www.ncrpa.net/NourishingNC
Max of 2000 characters including spaces:
• Initial development
o A 9000 sq ft. area surrounding the heritage village barn will be fenced in by adding mesh fencing to an existing split rail fence.
o A 1500 sq ft area in front of the barn will be tilled and improved to plant a variety of garden and traditional crops
o Adequate walkways around and through the garden will allow maintenance and observation by participants
o A water source is located within reach of a hose.
o Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners will assist with the initial design and planting of the garden
• Maintenance
o The Garden Manager will coordinate on-going maintenance and volunteer work-days in partnership with Parks & Recreation, Cooperative Extension and the Health Department. Volunteer groups will include 4-H groups, Master Gardener Volunteers, Parks & Recreation Senior Volunteers, Fitness & Nutrition Volunteers, church and school groups.
The needs for our community garden are lumber and supplies to build raised beds, soil, compost, seeds, plants, herbs, gardening tools, hoses and watering cans.
The Community Garden Project will support the development of participants to encourage increased access to and consumption of fruits and vegetables and to assist in becoming more physically active. The community garden will provide fresh healthy produce, as well as opportunities for building community activity by donating to The Shelter of Gaston County and to local church’s food pantries.
How do you plan to create a garden that will have a long and vibrant role in the community? Max of 2000 characters including spaces
We plan on placing our community garden in a historic village at Dallas Park that includes a 19th century barn, house, store, chapel, and blacksmith shop. We also have an operational 1900 single stand Continental Cotton Gin on site.
We plan on planting flowers, vegetables, herbs and some fruits. To go along with the traditional planting we want to plant some more historic crops to help tie into our village. We want this to be a demonstration garden to allow us to open it to the public for display and to hold classes to teach students how cotton, peanuts, and tobacco were grown during this time. We hold a huge annual festival in October that will allow us to showcase our garden as well as our historic village.
Does your agency have any other community gardens? If yes, tell us about the location of these gardens, the age of the gardens and who is utilizing them.
No
Required Attachments: Send these two attachments with your application.
- In one document, include a visual representation of the garden: plot description, either a drawn site plan or photographs along with measurements and compass orientation (N/S/E/W).
- A written plan with timeline on the steps the team will take to implement their garden project
Fiscal Agent: Please list the name and address of the agency that should receive the funds and will be responsible for paying the bills