The Grassroots Grants program, now in its seventh year, provides support to not-for-profit organizations to better their neighborhoods through the development of community-based gardens and greenspaces.
The grants are part of the larger GRO1000 Gardens and Green Spaces Program, which is ScottsMiracle-Gro’s commitment to create over 1,000 community-based gardens and green spaces in Canada, the U.S., and Europe by 2018, the company’s 150th anniversary. To date, more than 830 community projects have received GRO1000 funding, including 54 community-based gardens in Canada.
From edible gardens to pollinator habitats, urban farms to sensory gardens, GRO1000 supports all types of community-driven greenspace projects and places priority on programs that heavily involve youth. The benefits that gardens provide to a community and its residents are significant, and even more so for children. Research shows that spending time in a garden helps improve a child’s cognitive ability, develops healthy nutrition habits, and increases positive self-understanding, responsibility and maturity.
