Lots of Compassion Grant

Lots of Compassion Grant is sponsored by Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day and KidsGardening. This program supports local leaders in transforming vacant lots into gardens to foster compassion in their communities. In 2026, 10 grantees received $20,000 each.

Lots of Compassion Grant - KidsGardening Together, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day and KidsGardening designed the Lots of Compassion Grant program to support local leaders looking to transform vacant lots into gardens to help grow compassion in their community. In 2026, 10 grantees will receive $20,000 each to transform a vacant lot into a garden. A total of $200,000 will be awarded annually.

2026 Lots of Compassion Grant This grant is now closed. Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and KidsGardening share a belief that the garden has the power to do more than grow flowers and herbs. It can grow people, communities, and even kindness, too.

Together, we designed the Lots of Compassion Grant program to support local leaders looking to transform vacant lots into gardens to help grow compassion in their community. About 15% of populated land is deemed vacant or abandoned, which can lead to many negative outcomes for surrounding neighborhoods, including decreases in physical and mental health and diminished feelings of safety & security[1].

Lots of Compassion aims to provide resources to those seeking to transform vacant lots in their neighborhood into gardens for community growth. Through the Lots of Compassion initiative, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day is pledging to provide up to $1 million from Compassion Flower product sales to support community garden transformations over the next five years.

Now in its fourth year, ten grantees will receive $20,000 each to transform a vacant lot into a garden. A total of $200,000 will be awarded. Nonprofit organizations, school districts, universities, religious organizations, or other tax-exempt organizations in the United States and U.S. territories are eligible to apply.

Groups and individuals are also eligible to apply by partnering with a fiscal sponsor that has achieved tax-exempt status. Municipalities, like cities, states, or the federal government, and politically funded organizations are not eligible to apply. Previous Lots of Compassion Grant winners are ineligible.

Provide proof of tax-exempt status or partner with a fiscal sponsor that has achieved this status. Support, work with, or serve under-resourced communities (those most impacted by systemic inequities and situational hardships.) Have fifteen or more people participate in the garden program.

Use the funds to build a garden on a vacant lot. The selection of winners is prioritized based on demonstrated need and program impact.

KidsGardening considers a variety of factors when determining need, including Socioeconomic & Sociodemographic Factors: Does the program exist within or engage a community that has been systematically denied resources, whether physical assets and money or representative leadership and community services? Under-resourced organizations are given priority.

Program Funding and Support: Does a program have access to consistent, substantial monetary support or prior grant funding? Or are pre-existing resources (financial or otherwise) limited? Organizations experiencing the latter are considered higher need.

Organizations experiencing the latter are given priority. Impact: Will grant funding dramatically expand learning opportunities for program participants? Does the intended impact reflect the actual needs of the community?

Organizations working with greater than 50 people will be given priority. Lots of Compassion Award Packages In 2026, 10 grantees will be awarded $20,000 each to transform a vacant lot into a garden. The deadline for application submission was Monday, June 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM PT .

All applications must be submitted online . You can download a copy of the questions as a Word document or PDF file. (See links below.)

We strongly advise saving the questions and then pasting the answers into the online application rather than composing your answers directly into the online form. Many browsers time out after 30 minutes of inactivity (or sometimes sooner), so you may lose your work if it takes longer than your browser's setting to complete or save your entry.

2026 Lots of Compassion Grant Application Word doc 2026 Lots of Compassion Grant Application PDF Solicitud de subvención Lots of Compassion 2026 Documento de Word Solicitud de subvención Lots of Compassion 2026 Archivo PDF Award Notification and Fulfillment Winners will be announced and contacted by email in August 2026. A list of winners will also be posted on mrsmeyers. com and KidsGardening.

org. Award funds will be distributed in two payments, September 2026 and January 2027, based on the grantee’s budget. Grant Recipient Requirements Grantees are required to complete a brief year-end report by June 15, 2027, and each year thereafter until 2028.

These reports help KidsGardening and Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day determine the overall impact of the grant program. You can download a copy of the year-end report as a Word document or PDF file . Winners will receive a link via email to the 13-question online form in May 2027 and each year following.

Year-end reporting requirements include: 5-10 digital images of the garden Photo release forms to accompany pictures of youth and adults A short narrative about the impact of the garden program If you do not feel you will comply with these reporting requirements, please do not apply. Frequently Asked Questions What makes a quality Lots of Compassion Grant application?

The Lots of Compassion Grant is designed to transform vacant lots into gardens to grow compassion in your community. As such, a competitive application will demonstrate a clear picture of how the new garden will grow compassion in your community. Indicators of compassion include, but are not limited to, belonging, community pride, relationship building, kindness, and mindfulness.

We also encourage you to explore our Grant Application Support page for advice on how to craft a standout grant application. What are my chances of winning a Lots of Compassion Grant? The Lots of Compassion Grant is a competitive funding opportunity.

We typically receive 300+ applications each grant cycle. My program has previously been awarded a grant from KidsGardening, am I eligible to apply for and receive a Lots of Compassion Grant? Yes, organizations that have previously been awarded other grants from KidsGardening are welcome to apply and are eligible to be selected.

However, previous Lots of Compassion Grant winners are ineligible. What is your definition of a vacant lot? A vacant lot is defined as a piece of land that is not being used currently.

Examples include, but are not limited to, unmaintained areas filled with weeds, areas not cared for, and areas that are not welcoming. What if we have already started on our vacant lot transformation? Vacant lot transformation projects that began after January 1, 2026, are eligible to apply for this grant funding opportunity.

Are we required to provide documentation of our tax-exempt status? Yes. You must upload verification documents of your tax-exempt status during the application process.

501(c)(3) organizations - Submit your IRS Determination Letter. EIN letters and W-9s are not accepted. Schools - Submit a letter on school district letterhead, signed by a school district official, stating that the school in question falls under the school district's jurisdiction.

W-9s are not accepted. For other tax-exempt organizations, such as universities and religious organizations - Provide a letter on official letterhead stating that you are designated as an automatically tax-exempt organization and thus exempt from needing a 501(c)(3) documentation to claim nonprofit status with the US government. You may also submit an IRS Determination Letter.

W-9s are not accepted. Fiscal Sponsorship - Submit your sponsor's IRS Determination Letter and a signed contract detailing the fiscal sponsorship relationship between your organizations. EIN letters and W-9s are not accepted.

What else should we prepare to submit with our application? We require you to submit proof of vacant land use rights/ownership, a video of the lot, and photos. Optionally, you can submit a scale map or sketch of the space and a letter of support or commitment from a community partner.

Proof of Vacant Land Use Rights / Ownership (Required). Attach a letter of commitment from the land owner or proof of land ownership. Examples of proof of land ownership include, but are not limited to, a land deed, tax bill, etc. Video (Required).

Please attach 1 video quickly showing the vacant lot space (1-minute maximum). Photos (Required). Please attach 3-5 photos of the vacant lot or provide a link to the files below.

Survey or Scale Map of the Vacant Lot (Optional). Attach a survey or scale map of the vacant lot. If you do not currently have this information, search for the address of your lot on Google Earth , Google Maps , or request the digital land records or parcel map information from your city; this is often available on your city's website.

Letters of Support (Optional). Attach a one-page letter of support for your project written by a community partner or another organization involved in the project demonstrating their support for your program. How do I know if I’ve successfully submitted my application?

You will receive a confirmation email from JotForm following the submission of your application. Occasionally these emails end up flagged as Spam, so we recommend checking your Spam box. What if I have started my application but still need to finish it?

Will it be reviewed? No, applications that are started but not submitted will not be considered for the award. What if I need to update my submitted application?

To edit your submission, click the “Edit Submission” link at the top of the confirmation email sent from [email protected] . If you can not find the confirmation email, please complete a new application. We will only review the last application submitted by an organization.

What if I submit more than one application for the same organization? The last application submitted will be evaluated. What can we use the $20,000 in funding on?

You may spend the grant funds on labor, machinery, raised bed materials, soil, plants, seeds, compost materials, tools, fencing, greenhouse or hydro/aquaponic materials, curriculum, watering supplies, observation tools, garden decor, cooking supplies, personnel stipends/salaries, and programming. This is not an exhaustive list but merely an example of how the funds can be used.

A maximum of 10% of the total budget can be used to cover indirect costs or administrative fees. How do you select grant winners? We have a team of grant readers that evaluates applications and supporting materials for about a month.

A single application typically goes through three rounds of evaluation before being selected as a winner. In the initial round, a single reader will review an application, using a standardized scoring rubric, judging it on assorted criteria including but not limited to demonstrated need, program sustainability and impact, and clear fit with grant objectives.

High-quality applicants are then selected to undergo a second round of evaluations. In this phase of the review process, each grant selection committee member reads all second-round applications before meeting to engage in group deliberation and finalist selection. I didn't receive an email in August.

Does this mean my organization wasn’t awarded a grant? We send a notification email about the winner selection to the primary contact listed on your application. Emails are sent to both the grantees and those that were not selected for this year's grant.

Grant Application Technical Support If you have any questions that were not addressed in the above Frequently Asked Questions section, please contact KidsGardening Grant Program Director Sarah Lane at [email protected] . [1] AO Bowman, MA Pagano Terra Incognita: Vacant Land and Urban Strategies (Georgetown Univ Press, Washington, DC, 2010).

C Nickerson, R Ebel, A Borchers, F Carriazo, Major uses of land in the United States, 2007 (USDA Economic Research Service, Washington, DC), EIB-89. (2011). Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day was inspired by Thelma A.

Meyer, a real-life Iowa homemaker and mother of nine, who cherished her backyard garden and believed in a better way to care for her home. Inspired by the down-to-earth values of her mother, her daughter launched Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day products, which not only smell delightful but work hard and clean like the dickens.

Mrs. Meyer’s garden-inspired line offers a variety of products for home, body and pet care; including lotions, soaps, surface cleaners, room sprays, candles, laundry items, and pet products. Products are made with essential oils, and other thoughtfully chosen ingredients that are powerful against dirt and grime while being a pleasure to use. Garden-inspired scents add a little spring to your step while you care for your home.

We all have to clean-let's make the very best of it. Find the latest products and scents from Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day at mrsmeyers. com and check us out on Instagram and Facebook @mrsmeyerscleanday, X @MrsMeyersClean and YouTube at Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day.

This grant is now closed. Award Announcement: August 2026 Grant Application Support Grant writing tips and how to navigate our online grant application platform Additional grant opportunities from other organizations Meet our amazing grant winners, listed by award