People’s Garden Community Garden Grants- **Deadline Extended Until 4/10

Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District seeks organizations in urban, suburban, or rural areas to install community gardens or high tunnels and maintain them for the duration of the project. This project is funded by an agreement between the RI State Conservation Committee (RISCC) and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS).

A maximum of $10,000 is available to fund each proposed project; funding can be spent on items such as tools, soil, seed, fertilizer, soil additives, irrigation materials, garden materials, lumber, high tunnels, pollinator plants, etc. Although funding cannot be used to maintain existing gardens, it may be used to expand or create new garden beds at a site where other gardens already exist.

Proposals from new applicants will be evaluated on a first come-first served basis from January 31, 2024 through April 1, 2024. The District has a total of $63,000 of funding and will be seeking to fund projects with a max of $10,000 per project. Projects under $3,000 will not be considered. An extension was granted for this year’s awardees to complete projects by Tuesday, September 16, 2025.

Sara Churgin, ERICD District Manager said, “This is the fifth round of projects we are working on under the People’s Garden Initiative. Community gardens provide nutritious, healthy food to our communities and also bring people together in a special way. We would love to see these gardens impact a diverse range of our community and we encourage everyone to apply.”

For more information or to apply; visit our People’s Garden program page here or contact Sara Churgin, ERICD District Manager at schurgin.ericd@gmail.com or 401.225.6033.