Through the Whole Foods Market Foundation’s Garden Grant program, schools can turn outdoor spaces into powerful hands-on learning gardens that connect children with food, spark their curiosity, and support classroom curriculum.
The Garden Grant program provides a $3,500 grant to support a new or existing edible educational garden located at a K–12 school in the United States or Canada. To be eligible for the grant, applicants should engage at least ten K–12 children regularly in garden programming.
The foundation prioritizes awarding applicants that serve students in underresourced communities. Applicants should explain or give context to how they serve these students even if they do so just within the context of the garden grant program. As such, the context could apply to the specific students served, low support of the garden, the nutrition landscape of the community (high rates of chronic disease/food desert), and so on.
The website provides a copy of the application questions from the past year to help educators prepare to apply. Interested applicants will also find an eligibility flowchart on the website.
In addition, educators are invited to attend one or both upcoming Garden Grant webinars for details on the process, the application, and the online grant portal. A webinar providing an overview of the Garden Grant will take place on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at 10 a.m. (EST). Another webinar will occur on Monday, February 16, 2026, at 2 p.m. (EST). It will address frequently asked questions about the grant. The audience will also be able to ask questions.
The application window is open until March 1, 2026. All applicants will be notified by August 1, 2026, and grant packages will ship between September and November 2026.