The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Announces Final GRO1000 Community Garden Grant Recipients

To celebrate the first day of spring and the start of the community gardening season, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation today announced it final list of GRO1000 Grassroots Grant recipients, including thirty-four nonprofit organizations nationwide. The organizations awarded will use the funding to improve their neighborhoods through the development or enhancement of community gardens and greenspaces.

Now in its final year, the GRO1000 Grassroots Grants are part of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation’s commitment to bring the life-enhancing benefits of gardens to more people and more communities, particularly to the children and people who need them most. The GRO1000 program will conclude in May, having supported the creation of more than 1,000 community greenspaces, aligning with The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company’s 150th anniversary.

“For the past eight years, we’ve seen firsthand how gardening can positively transform communities, and even more so, people’s lives,” said Foundation President and Board Member Jim King, who also serves as SVP and Chief Communications Officer for ScottsMiracle-Gro. “It’s been our honor to connect more people to the life-enhancing benefits of gardens, and we are committed to continuing this work for years to come.”

“Our garden at the Benton-Franklin Juvenile Justice Center provides at-risk youth the opportunity to grow nutritious food for themselves, and also the local food banks,” said Bill Dixon, Washington State University Extension Master Gardener and 2018 grant recipient. “We are grateful for the support of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation to continue this important work.”

From children’s learning gardens to pollinator habitats, urban farms to healing gardens, GRO1000 has supported nearly one thousand community-based projects in every state in America since 2011. The final GRO1000 project––The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Children’s Garden at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens––will open in May 2018. This interactive, two-acre garden will encourage children to explore their own creativity, build self-confidence, and improve their health and wellbeing while engaging with the natural world around them.

GRO1000 projects have resulted in more than 12.8 million square feet of greenspace revitalized; 15,000 new garden beds; an estimated 560,000 pounds of produce, or 2.9 million meals, donated annually; and helped connect more than 205,000 youth with meaningful, hands-on experiences with nature, according to data collected from previous GRO1000 Grassroots Grants recipients. A full list of this year’s recipients, along with additional program information, can be found at www.GRO1000.com.

About The Scotts Miracle-Gro FoundationThe mission of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation is to inspire, connect and cultivate a community of purpose. The Foundation is deeply rooted in helping create healthier communities, empower the next generation, and preserve our planet. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that funds non-profit entities that support its core initiatives in the form of grants, endowments and multi-year capital gifts. For more information, visit www.scottsmiraclegrofoundation.org.

Contact:Molly JenningsThe Scotts Miracle-Gro Company937-681-7683 (desk)561-350-5734 (mobile)[e-mail]

Kailyn LongoriaFahlgren Mortine646-919-1234 (mobile)[e-mail]