Since 1988, Growing Gardens, located in Boulder CO, has been committed to the mission of “cultivating community through regenerative agriculture”. Their vision is to connect people with their food, and through that connection foster a deeper appreciation of the land and each other.
Regenerative agriculture is an agricultural philosophy that believes in the improvement of soil health as the basis for restoring agriculture to a state that abides with nature and natural principles. In contrast to conventional agriculture, regenerative agriculture does not aim to fight against the biological world (i.e overuse of pesticides, overtilling, harmful grazing practices, etc.).
Ceres is proud to announce that we are under contract with Growing Gardens (GG) to bring them a modern, energy-efficient Ceres greenhouse, to be built in the fall of 2024 (with the aim of being operational by spring 2025).
We specifically wanted to highlight this project because we are both proud to support a local nonprofit that provides so much for our community, and to showcase a case-study for other nonprofits that might also hope to install a new, year-round, efficient greenhouse, but are not sure where to look for funding.
Growing Gardens successfully navigated a very complicated and sometimes convoluted system of grants to achieve something, we believe, that will be quite spectacular.
In June 2024, we were able to speak with Lauren Kelso, Site Director, for GG to better understand what their process for getting funding looked like.
Getting Grants
When Growing Gardens decided they needed a new greenhouse, they were able to acquire the funds through several grant avenues. To begin with they applied for a USDA Urban Agriculture Innovation Production grant (UAIP).
UAIP grants are awarded to help farmers, gardeners, and other stakeholders in urban (and suburban) areas with funds to assist in areas of food access.
After gaining access to these funds, GG was able to more easily gain access to other local grants. According to Kelso, this was the result of showing proficiency and legitimacy. Essentially, people are more likely to fund projects that are already being funded because they have proven that they are worth the financial risk. This, and Growing Gardens’ more than 25 years of functional success, made them ripe for access.
The next grant they received was a Community Development Block Grant through the City of Boulder. For this grant, they needed to show a clear link of support for low income communities. As Growing Gardens is not only committed to educating the public on food production, but also donates crops to over 136,000 Boulder County residents, they were well matched for a block grant.
At this current time, GG is also inquiring about incentives for a GAHT® system through the Department of Energy. The Property Assessed Clean Energy Programs (PACE) offers financial incentives for energy-efficiency and renewable energy improvements. If approved, GG will install a GAHT® system to accompany their greenhouse.
Some additional notes/summary about winning grants
As mentioned above, Kelso assured us that a large component of winning grants has to do with credibility.
Takeaway: it is easier for a well-established organization to win a USDA grant than a startup.
There are, of course, plenty of grants for start-ups that exist. But, for the sort of grants that Growing Gardens was able to gain access to, they had the best chance because of their proven track record of both being a valid and important community asset, and a proven track record of knowing how to handle large amounts of money (grant funders typically do not want to gamble their money away). They want to see that you are successful.
Another thing we learned is that grants typically provide a couple year window to act on the project. This can also afford organizations some time to start applying for additional grants from other sources. Grant providers want to see money coming from multiple sources.
Takeaway: Be able to prove your legitimacy.
Beginning this fall, Ceres and Growing Gardens will break ground on a 30’ x 60’ vented HighYield™ Kit. This greenhouse will incorporate a wet wall, horizontal airflow, dehumidification, a gas heater, polycarbonate glazing, and a SunSense™ controller.
The new Ceres/Growing Gardens Greenhouse Collaboration
GG decided to opt for a Ceres greenhouse, not only because they loved the high quality product that Ceres provides, but also because they value using local businesses when possible.
They hope to use this new greenhouse for their seeds and seedlings program, a place to expand propagation for starts sold in the spring. They might also use the greenhouse to support their regional farms, using seedlings and starts to fill the fields of their donation based gardens.
Ceres is excited to watch the development of this new greenhouse build, and even more importantly, what Growing Gardens is able to provide to the local community through use of their new greenhouse.
We aim to capture this growing process through video and images that we will be sharing once we break ground.
Stay tuned on more updates on Growing Gardens as we literally watch them grow…coming this fall!
Have a greenhouse question? Contact us here. Interested in learning more about funding opportunities check out our financing resources page. Or sign up for our new financial updates newsletter below.
