Amanda, I concur with Adam, very few CG, if any, receive "annual funding" to operate a community garden. Now, Seattle's P-Patch Program does receive funding to operate its successful community gardens program.
Our city/county this year did donate in-kind services, i.e. personnel to operate trucks, tractors, etc in assisting our CG. No annual allotment. Our local Botanical Garden which is also a non-profit received 170K from the city to help operate their operation. They recently hired a new Director, salary, 100K. Our city/county did pay for our security fence, irrigation system, port-a-let and materials to fix our drainage problems. CASA helped pay for the monthly electricity and water bills. Maybe the ideal situation is to have a CG established within a BG. This way, maybe monies can be earmarked via grants and gov't support to its operation. Nah, I must be dreaming. I found out the hard way a few years back when talking to our Exec. Director about United Way funding. She was trying to get more $$ to operate CASA. I asked her if she got the additional funding, how much would be allocated to help the garden? She said "none". I said "wait a minute, how can that be?". She said the monies they receive from UW goes to help pay her salary, staffing and operational costs (i.e. rent, telephone bills, etc.). Since our garden is ran 100 % by volunteers, and by local donations, well "there ya go". What a deal. But you know, at the end of the day, did we help someone live a better life? Did we offer hope to those otherwise forgotten? Are we making a difference in our community? The answer of course is a resounding, "YES". Have a safe and blessed holiday season, Jim Call, CASA Community Garden Volunteer Director ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: "Honigman, Adam" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2002 13:03:02 -0500 >My guess is that most US community gardening groups receive very little, if >anything, in the way of direct city or council funding and more in the way >of in-kind, facility use or resource sharing ( trucks, soil amendment, use >of personnel.) Funding for community gardens during the seventies was part >of the Federal Urban Agriculture program sponsored by Fred Richmond and >others. When these funds dried up during the 80's, much of the support money >for these community gardens became privatized > >In NYC, Green Thumb is under the aegis of the NYC Parks Dept but is funded >by federal Community Development Block Grants. If this budget line dries >up, the largest municipal community garden support organization in the >country could go away. With NYC Parks already critically underfunded ( less >than .4% of the NYC budget and shrinking) I don't see where Green Thumb >funding would come from. New York Restoration, a private not-for-profit >greening group that supports community gardens and other projects, uses >Vista workers, a federally funded program. But this is , again, in-kind, >and not a city budget line. > >Maybe some Canadian cities throw money at community gardens, but I've heard >rumblings of garden program municipal funding cuts in Montreal. > >Good luck, > > -----Original Message----- >From: Amanda Maria Edmonds [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Sent: Monday, December 09, 2002 7:06 PM >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: [cg] county/city funding > > > >I think I've asked a question similar to this before, but I'll give it a try >again, because I didn't get response before... > > >I am trying to find non-profit or government community gardening >organizations who receive regular, annual funding from a city or county >government agency. If this is the case with your org, please tell me! I >really want to hear what percentage of your annual operating budget comes >from that source... I'm trying to show a local government agency that their >peers regularly contribute to-- or even sponsor-- community garden >orgs/programs... and to what extent. > > >Please, share! > >Amanda > > >Amanda Maria Edmonds > >-----===================================================---__ > > >"We must be the change we wish to see in the world." > >"To forget to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves." > > - Mahatma Ghandi > > > ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden
