GrowBoston

GrowBoston is offering a total of $50,000 for community gardens, nonprofit gardens that are communally operated, and food forests to purchase tools, equipment, seeds, seedlings, compost, and other garden supplies for communal use. Organizations may apply for up to $2,000 per garden or food forest site. These grants are being made available from the City of Boston Operating Budget. Applicants must be registered 501(c)(3) non profits or a community-based organization partnersing with a fiscal sponsor that is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

This grant opened on Monday, March 16th and will close on Thursday, April 9 at 4 p.m.

Apply for the grant through our WizeHive system here.

Attend a virtual information session to learn more about the grant details on Wednesday, March 25th from 3:30-4:30pm. Register for the zoom meeting here. Please read through the grant beforehand and come with any questions you may have. Note that this information session will be recorded and posted on our website. 

The City of Boston is now using this grants management software for all grant programs. Please see this link for an "Applicant Guide" slide deck which will walk you through the steps of applying, accepting an award, and reporting through this platform.

GrowBoston is excited to announce the 2026 Education Grant Grantees. Take a look at each of the grantees' project write ups below!

The Trustees of Reservations

To pilot a Master Urban Gardener course in Spanish, hire interpreters for garden education events, and host an herbalism workshop series in Haitian Creole and Spanish.

City Sprouts, Inc.

To provide urban agriculture and science education after school and during the summer for middle school students at Orchard Gardens K–8 in Roxbury and Henderson K-12 Inclusion School in Dorchester.

North End Community Health Committee Inc (NEW)

To provide a series of five urban agriculture workshops designed to build knowledge and skills around food growing and healthy eating for Charlestown residents.

The Food Project

To deliver a 6-week summer program for middle schoolers at the Marshall Community Center, focused on gardening, food systems, and community leadership through interactive workshops and hands-on activities in raised-bed gardens.

Neighborhood Grow Plan

To facilitate three in-depth workshops for 75 people designed to strengthen community resilience through hands-on ecological learning, expressive arts, and peer-to-peer teaching.

Eastie Farm

To facilitate a series of 9 workshops for the broader community on topics including garden planning, rainwater as a resource, pollinators, composting, seed saving, and more.

The New Garden Society

To offer a new Winter Horticulture Intensive, a 6-week course on horticultural topics for individuals who are incarcerated.

Sociedad Latina

To provide four bilingual urban agriculture education workshops for youth on the use and maintenance of a brand new greenhouse at the Tobin Community Center.

Heal the Hood

To provide 6 garden education workshops for families at BHA communities in Roxbury and Jamaica Plain, topics including natural growing techniques, nutrition, food preservation, and more.

Haley House

To provide four workshops for Roxbury residents at Thornton Street Farm, topics including sustainable gardening, food preservation, pollinators, and culinary connections.

South Asian Workers Center

To facilitate workshops on seed-saving and container gardening, create a community-managed seed bank, and develop small home or shared gardens.

Boston Food Forest Coalition

To facilitate 25 public educational workshops on topics including vegetable growing, fruit tree planting, permaculture design, herbalism, soil ecology, etc.

The Beekeeping Ordinance, passed by City Council in February 2024, will make Boston beekeeping more accessible than ever.

Boston residents can now keep bees for personal use anywhere in the city.  Previously, beekeeping was regulated with the same requirements as keeping other livestock, which significantly limited the areas in which it was allowed. Residents must register their beehives on their property and pay a one-time registration fee.

Boston’s Inspectional Services Department has established its beekeeping registration process, which is outlined on the Inspectional Services website.

Please reach out to Shani Fletcher, Director of GrowBoston, at shani.fletcher@boston.gov or 617-635-0466, for support regarding the registration process, or if you would like to engage in future beekeeping-related resources and opportunities.

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