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Dig In!

Community Garden Grant for Community Organizations

Through the Dig In! Community Garden Grant, City Green provides funding, in-kind materials, and technical assistance to support community organizations, garden clubs, green teams, and faith-based organizations looking to start and sustain a community garden. 

New Community Garden Grants / First-Time Applicants

New Community Garden Grants support community organizations seeking to start or revitalize a community garden in Passaic County.  This grant is only eligible to groups who have not received a Dig In! Community Garden Grant in the past.

Grant Funding Available​

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Funding up to $3,000 with a 15% in-kind match toward a community garden installation, or a City Green garden installation of up to $3,000 value.​

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Grant Timeline

  • Letter of Inquiry Submission Period: July 9th - October 3rd, 2025

  • Site visit and application invitation period: October 6th - November 14th​, 2025

  • Application deadline: December 5th, 2025

  • Grant award notification: January 15th, 2026

  • Grant delivery: March - May 2026

  • Grant report deadline: November 2026

About the Community Garden Grant Process for First-Time Applicants

  • After submitting a Letter of Inquiry,  City Green will reach out to eligible grantees to schedule a site visit at the proposed garden location starting in October. At the site visit, City Green staff will determine if the location is suitable for a sustainable community garden.

  • Sites deemed suitable for a garden will then receive a grant application due December 5th. 

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Applicants seeking monetary funding

  •  will be required to complete a project budget with their application.

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Applicants seeking a City Green garden installation

  • will collaborate with City Green after they receive their grant award to create a garden design proposal.

  • Once the design proposal is approved by the grantee, City Green will purchase the materials outlined in the approved proposal and install the garden in spring 2026 with participation from the Community Organization. 

Eligibility​

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This program supports municipalities, community organizations, faith-based organizations, garden clubs, high school garden or green teams, youth-serving organizations and community members looking to spearhead a community garden project.

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All projects must be:

  • food-producing gardens

  • located in Passaic county 

  • have a minimum of three adults committed to their project

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Garden sites must:

  • have a level site with at least 6-8 hours of sunlight and water access within 100 feet​​

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Not eligible: 

  • Schools (Pre-K - Middle Schools)

  • Commercial for-profit entities 

  • Private Residences 

Letter of Inquiry Submission Period: July 9th - October 3rd, 2025

Returning Community Garden Grants 

Returning Dig In! Community Garden Grants support active, existing community garden projects that have recieved Dig In! funding in the past.  These grants are intended to help sustain gardens through monetary funding or in-kind materials procured by City Green.

Grants Available​

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Second-time Applicants â€‹â€‹â€‹

Award Options 

 

Up to $1250 in items from the Garden Grant Menu 

​or 

​Up to $1250 in grant funding 

Multi-Year Applicant (3+ years)

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Up to $750 in items from the Garden Grant Menu

or

Up to $750 in grant funding 

Grant Timeline

  • Application period: October 3rd, 2025 - December 4th, 2025

  • Grant award notification: January 15th, 2025

  • Grant delivery: March - May 2026

  • Grant report deadline: November 2026

Grant Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be reviewed and evaluated with special attention to the following categories: 1) Previous Year's Garden report (including photos) 2) Participant testimonials 3) Site need

About the Returning Community Garden Grant Options

  • Second-time applicants can apply for items from the Community Garden Menu of up to $1,250 value or funding up to $1,250 value.

  • Multi-year applicants can apply for menu items of up to $750 value or funding up to $750 value

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  • Applicants selecting monetary funding will need to provide an estimated budget in their grant applications.

  • Applicants selecting items from the Community Garden Menu can select 1 - 4 items in order of most to least desired. City Green will meet with organizations to specify menu requests and once confirmed, will order all items.  Installation of menu items assembly must be completed by the Community Garden group unless otherwise specified.​

Application

Application will re-open on October, 3rd 2025

Questions? Reach out to Miranda Madrazo at mmadrazo@city-green.org or call 973-869-4086.

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