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: Wayne
Park & Recreation Agency Name: Grandpa's Children, Inc.
Director’s Name: Dreamweaver
Garden Manager who is responsible for reporting to Nourishing NC
Name: Dreamweaver
Agency (if applicable): Grandpa's Children, Inc.
Phone (include area code): 919-736-9412
Email:
Garden Information:
Name of Park where Nourishing NC Garden will be: N/A
Street Address of Park: 104 South George Street
City: Goldsboro State: N. C. Zip: 27530
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: Land at 104 S. George Street has been donated for a period of five years by the owner for use by Grandpa's Children, Inc., an American Indian 501-c-3 non-profit organization, as a community gardens and farmer's market available to residents of Wayne County at no charge.
Is this a new or existing garden? existing
If existing, how long has it been a working garden? 3 seasons
If this is a garden to be revived, how long has the garden been non-working? N/A
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 garden is located in downtown Goldsboro, which is home to over 50% African American population, many of whom are low-income. Dreamweaver encouraged the Wayne School of Engineering, located in the city of Goldsboro, to incorporate food production in its curriculum. As part of that curriculum, Spring 2010 two classes (approximately 40 high school students) began to plant in garden plots at Plum Tree Market Place. They are now planning for the harvest celebration after their third season. Grandpa's Children, Inc. funded master gardeners to teach gardening and vermiculture classes at the school. Students have met regularly one day a week with Dreamweaver during the growing seasons. In addition to gardening, Dreamweaver teaches students the importance of a healthy diet, free of pesticides and herbicides. A first season student has taken the teachings to heart and has since formed SWARM, a group of students working to change school menus to include healthier foods. They made a presentation to the city council May 2, 2011 and the organizer spoke in Nashville, Tennessee the following week. A film crew is doing a documentary for HBO about her work with SWARM and following her weight loss progress Until Dreamweaver's classes, she was unaware, that the diabetes prevalent in her family could be prevented with proper eating habits. She is now spreading the word.
Funding Needs:
What are the funding needs for this garden? Be specific with how the funding will be used: A tool/equipment shed for housing garden tools and landscaping equipment for the gardens is needed, which also incorporates space for saving heirloom seeds. A green house is also needed for starting plants as well as growing plants year round, that require protection from winter weather.
Amount of funding requested (max $3000): $3000.00
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: Karen Blaedow, horticulture director
Phone: 919-731-1520 Email:
What role will they play? The farmers market is the part of Plum Tree Market Place comprised of local farmers , who grow herbicide and pesticide-free food for sale to members of the community. We provide garden plots and vendor spaces with canopies, tables, and chairs at no charge to Wayne County residents. Vendor spaces are available for related purposes such as vermiculture items, herbs/garden art created by disabled persons, American Indian and local art, natural meats, freshwater prawns, upcycled garden art, and educational purposes. Karen sets up at the market to recruit people to agree to invest 10% of their food budget in local produce. She also organized the group that planted the butterfly/bee garden. SWARM sets up to inform people about healthier school lunch menus and sells natural lotions that they have created. May 13 SWARM has organized a bike tour to visit community gardens in Goldsboro, which will visit Plum Tree Market Place on their last stop.
Health Department Contact Name: Brenda Bass, environmental health
Phone: 919-731-1174 Email:
What role will they play? advisory
Have you made contact with your local Master Gardeners? Yes No
If yes, please list the contact person: Tim Norris
Phone: 919-778-8750 Email:
What role will they play? Tim has taught classes through Grandpa's Children, Inc. at Wayne School of Engineering. He sells and educates visitors about vermiculture supplies at the market. Members of the master gardeners have planted a butterfly/bee garden in the community garden and provided a bee hive for pollination of the produce. A Master Gardener past president has a radio program every Saturday morning, where she promotes Plum Tree Market Place. Dreamweaver is also a master gardener.
Additional Community Partners:
Agency Name: Wayne County Travel and Tourism
Contact Name: Betsy Roseman, director
Phone: 919-734-2241 Email:
What role will they play? promotion of Plum Tree Market Place
Agency Name: Arts Council of Wayne County
Contact Name: Sarah Merritt, director
Phone: 919-736-3300 Email:
What role will they play? The Arts Council has continued to promote Plum Tree Market Place. Fall 2010 we received a grassroots grant from State Arts Council through the Arts Council of Wayne for the seasonal closing festival of the market , which included the seasonal produce vendors, American Indian artists/craftsmen from Woodland Indian tribes throughout North Carolina as well as the work of local Wayne County artists.
Agency Name: City of Goldsboro Water and Sanitation Department
Contact Name: Karen Brashear, director
Phone: 919-735-3329 Email:
What role will they play? Provides bacteria-free mulch for the gardens
Agency Name: Cherry Environmental Farming System
Contact Name: Steve Moore
Phone: 919-218-4642 Email:
What role will they play? CEFS provides plants for the WSOE student garden plots and apprentices who volunteer to help on market days. The produce from the community gardens is strictly for use by the students and their families. The farmers market sells produce from local farmers.
Agency Name: Cherry Environmental Farming System
Contact Name: Shorlette Ammons, Community Foods Systems Outreach Coordinator
Phone: 919-731-3440, 919-288-0192 Email:
What role will they play? Shorlette works with the Wayne County community gardens and Wayne Food Initiative. She worked with SWARM to organize a May 13 bike tour to visit all the community gardens of which Plum Tree Market Place will be the last stop. She also sets up at the market, working with Karen Blaedow to recruit people to agree to spend 10% of their food budget on local food.
Agency Name: Cherry Environmental Farming System
Contact Name: Tes Thraves, Community-based Food Systems Coordinator
Phone: 919-619-8897 Email:
What role will they play? Tes has informed us about this grant. 2010 she sponsored a program for foreign students to visit and work in community gardens, including ours.
She continues to update Grandpa's Children, Inc. about new information and events concerning community gardens.
(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: Soup Kitchen
Contact Person: Doricia Benton
Address: 112 W. Oak Street
City: Goldsboro State: N. C. Zip: 27530
Email: Phone: 919-731-3939, 919-922-2106
Name of Agency/Group:
Contact Person:
Address:
City: State: Zip:
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.