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: Orange
Park & Recreation Agency Name: Orange County Parks and Recreation
Director’s Name: Lori Taft
Garden Manager who is responsible for reporting to Nourishing NC
Name: Diana Montgomery
Agency (if applicable): Orange County Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardeners
Phone (include area code): 919.644.6483
Email:
Garden Information:
Name of Park where Nourishing NC Garden will be: adjacent to Fairview Park
Street Address of Park: 195 Torain St.
City: Hillsborough State: NC Zip: 27278
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: The garden (Tulip Tree Community Garden) is located adjacent to Fairview Park, which Orange County Parks and Recreation Dept opened in April 2011. The garden is located on Orange County Habitat for Humanity property on Tulip Tree Rd. adjacent to # 428. The garden is approximately 1600 feet north of the central part of Fairview Park and a project to connect the two by a foot path is being planned.
Is this a new or existing garden? Tulip Tree Community Garden was created in spring 2009 as a collaborative project between Habitat for Humantiy, the Orange County Master Gardeners, and Fairview Community members. Interest in the garden started strong, but diminished over the course of its first two years. The garden has been unused since summer 2010 and is in need of repairs and enhancements.
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? 1 year
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 Fairview community is a low-income residential community located within the town limits of Hillsborough, although a major highway (US 70) separates it from the town. The closest grocery store is located 2 - 3 miles away. Walking is not feasible and currently there is no public transportation in Fairview, but starting on June 6th there will be a new bus line that will serve the community. The Fairview population is predominantly African-American with a growing number of young Hispanic families. Like many communities, Fairview faces a number of challenges and in particular it battles issues related to drugs, crime, recreation, and education. The opening of a new police substation in 2002 improved the situation but vacant and neglected properties are still a problem and and lack of transportation impacts education, after-school activities, child care, employment, recreation, and access to health care. At the same time, Fairview is a community with some important strengths including a strong sense of community spirit. The Fairview Community Watch Group is an active group of residents who have contributed to neighborhood improvements. The opening in April 2011 of Fairview Park with its baseball/softball field, lighted basketball courts, hiking trails, horseshoe pits, picnic shelter, playground, lighted tennis courts, volleyball court and lighted ¼ mile walking track was a long-awaited event that brought new resources to the community and provides an inviting environment for community events and recreation.
Funding Needs:
What are the funding needs for this garden? Be specific with how the funding will be used: Nourishing NC funds will provide critical start-up funds for a program that will be continued and expanded in the future with multi-agency collaborations. Additional funds will be sought from the community and other grant applications to fully fund garden-based programs described in this application.
Immediate funding needs include repairs to existing structures (refurbishing existing raised beds, reparing the garden fence); completion of the watering system; and enhancement of the site with a shelter and picnic tables to make it more inviting and usable for garden-based programs.
The requested $3,000 will be used for the following:
* Shelter: $1,000 - Provides the site for classes, community gatherings, and activities
* Solar-powered water pump: $1,000 - Currently, a roof-top collection system feeds water to above-ground cisterns. A solar-powered water pump will complete the irrigation system using green-technology that will serve both educational and functional purposes.
* Picnic tables: $400 - Materials to construct 4 tables for classes, community gatherings, and activities.
* Publicity, food, materials: $600 - Partial cost of publicity, refreshments, and educational supplies for community workdays and fall garden planting/harvest days.
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: Carl A. Matyac, County Extension Director
Phone: 919-245-2050 Email:
What role will they play? Coordinate the work of Master Gardeners as well as CES nutrition specialists
Health Department Contact Name: Deborah L. Hamlin-Aggrey
Phone: (919) 968-2022 ext. 291 Email:
What role will they play? Will provide nutrition and health educators for specific classes
Have you made contact with your local Master Gardeners? Yes No
If yes, please list the contact person: Pascale Mittendorf
Phone: 919-732-9426 Email:
What role will they play? Function as educators and advisors as they assist teachers, parents and children in all the different phases of building and maintaining a garden, from seeding, planting to harvesting. Will co-manage the organization and implementation of garden workdays and events.
Additional Community Partners:
Agency Name: Habitat for Humanity, Orange County
Contact Name: Alex Bidot
Phone: 919-932-7077x233 Email:
What role will they play? Will be the link between the Fairview Community and the residents involved in the garden, will maintain communications with the Fairview Community Watch Group and the Habitat Homeowners Association about what is happening with the garden as well as recruting new people to be part of the Garden Team. Will serve as a liaison with Orange County Schools' Hands for Habitat program.
Agency Name: Orange County Schools
Contact Name: Patricia Harris, Career and Technical Education and K-12 Arts Director
Phone: 919-245-4003 ext 1 Email:
What role will they play? Will coordinate the Hands for Habitat program which is a partnership between Habitat for Humanity and the Orange County Schools. Hands for Habitat teaches students in high school construction classes green-building techniques by actually building a Habitat home in Fairview and engages students in grades K - 12 in Habitat-based curriculum and program support. The Tulip Tree Community Garden opens doors for additional learning and service opportunities, including high school horticulture classes and garden-based science lessons.
Agency Name: Fairview Community Watch
Contact Name: Alice Currie
Phone: 919-732-9706 Email:
What role will they play? Will participate in the planning and implementation of garden revitatlization, food distribution, and garden-based programs. Will assist in reaching out to Fairview residents and provide input on planning relevant, meaningful, and engaging activities and events for Fairview residents.
Agency Name: Hillsborough Presbyterian Church
Contact Name: Bob Brizendine
Phone: 919-732-3131 Email:
What role will they play? Will provide financial support for garden-based programs and promote volunteer opportunities at the garden within the church.
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: Neighbor House of Hillsborough, Inc.
Contact Person: Rev. Ronnie Torain
Address: P.O Box 1496
City: Hillsborough State: NC Zip: 27278
Email: Phone: 919-357-4885