Grow Fund Applications Open August 1, 2020
Using the interest generated by our participation in the Cooperative Community Fund, The Food Co-op will offer small grants to qualifying, local nonprofits to help them grow a healthy community.
Our grants are focused on the four pillars of community sharing:
1. Improving food access
2. Sustainable agriculture (both land and sea stewardship)
3. Healthy kids, families and animals
4. Supporting the cooperative model
Past winners are the Chimacum School District (2018) through the Community Wellness Project to build a garden space for nine elementary classes (grades 3-5) to spend time each week preparing, planting, tending, and harvesting fresh food. Success with this project will directly feed the bigger plans of the school district to offer school gardens K-12, connect schools with farmers and other local partners (e.g., 4H, WSU Small Farms), and provide healthy snacks and produce (where possible) in the school cafeterias.
The FOOD BANK FARM AND GARDENS (2019) was granted funds for the Finn Project, a Food Bank garden that grew four long rows in the back acreage of Finnriver Cidery’s orchard and donated about 2,700lbs of fresh, certified Organic produce to the Tri Area Food Bank. With the Food Co-op’s Grow Fund the project continued through the 2020 growing season. The funds helped with seasonal start up costs such as seeds, row cover, soil amendments, irrigation infrastructure, and cover crops as well as to help offset the cost of the time and energy we devote to this project.
The Food Bank & Food Gardens of Jefferson County (2020) received funds to help with the purchase of two freeze dryers. Read the story here.
Nonprofits and cooperatives will have four weeks to complete a simple grant application to be submitted by August 31st. In mid-September, we will convene a team of five, comprised of the following:
1. A co-op staff person who is also a local cultivator
2. A co-op board member who is also on the C3 (Cooperative Connections Committee) committee
3. The general manager
4. The marketing manager
5. A member at large - EMAIL Marketing@FoodCoop.Coop if you are
interested in sitting on this panel.
If you are a non-profit or a co-op in Jefferson County and interested in applying for our GROW FUND, please apply at www.foodcoop.coop/growfund. Applications open August 1–31st.
