MAMGA Community Grants
Supporting Educational Gardening Projects
The Grant Cycle will reopen in SEPTEMBER 2026
MAMGA funds a wide variety of community gardening projects, from hands-on school gardens to neighborhood rain gardens and food-growing spaces that strengthen local food systems.
Across the Dane County area, MAMGA Community Grants help turn ideas into thriving gardens that educate, inspire, and serve the community. It’s never too early to start planning for submitting a grant application.
What are MAMGA Community Grants?
MAMGA Community Grants are awarded to school PTOs, as well as public or nonprofit community gardens.
Who This Guide Is For
This guide is for organizations considering a MAMGA Community Grant and wanting to strengthen their project idea before applying. It is especially helpful for groups that are early in their planning process and interested in building a clear vision, realistic budget, and strong community partnerships.
Thinking about applying?
Successful projects typically have a clear educational purpose, shared leadership, and support beyond MAMGA funding. This guide will help you think through those elements before applications open.
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MAMGA grants are:
Seed funding for sustainable gardening projects
Educational partnerships
Designed to strengthen locally led initiatives
Mamga grants are not:
A source of long-term labor
A substitute for project leadership
Intended to be the sole support for a project
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Projects are most successful when responsibility is shared.
Before applying, ask:
Who will maintain the garden after the grant period?
Who else is contributing time, materials, or expertise?
What happens if one volunteer steps away?
Examples of coalition resources:
PTO volunteers
Community members
Partner nonprofits
Municipal or school support
In-kind donations (soil, plants, tools)
If your project depends on one person, it may need more planning before applying.
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Your MAMGA sponsor is an advisor, not a project lead.
A sponsor can help you:
Refine your project scope
Think through sustainability
Select appropriate plants and practices
A sponsor should not be expected to:
Coordinate volunteers
Perform ongoing labor
Manage or maintain the project
Understanding this early helps set everyone up for success.
All applicants must have a MAMGA sponsor. For convenience, there are separate applications for the applicant and the sponsor. An application is considered complete only when both forms have been submitted.
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Applications submitted earlier in the cycle may be eligible for informal feedback from the Grants Committee or a MAMGA sponsor.
Applying early allows time to:
Clarify expectations
Strengthen sustainability plans
Revise project scope if needed
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Strong applications clearly explain:
Who maintains the project after installation
How the project will be sustained year-to-year
How knowledge or benefits extend beyond one season
Sustainability does not mean permanence—but it does mean intentional planning.
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Successful applications:
Are realistic in scope
Match budget to activities
Clearly explain how funds will be used
Align with MAMGA’s educational mission
If something feels complicated to explain, it may be worth simplifying the project.
Final Thought
MAMGA Community Grants are most successful when they support strong ideas that are already grounded in community capacity. Taking time to plan, build partnerships, and apply early increases the likelihood of funding and long-term impact.
Bryn Scriver, a parent volunteer, assisting students on planting day at Nuestro Mundo Community School's rain garden. Photo courtesy Althea Dotzour
Applications will be accepted online only.
To assist with preparation, we are providing a Word/PDF worksheet for applicants to use when discussing their project with their required MAMGA sponsor. The Word document includes space to draft responses that can then be copied and pasted into the online Google application form.
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Click the buttons below to link to the documents.
Past projects are listed below.
2024 Grant Winner - Orchard Ridge School
Revitalized garden beds then painted in colors of the rainbow.
2025 MAMGA COMMUNITY Grant Recipients
Total awards $4,500
Allied Community Learning Garden. Awarded $500.
Goal: Plant vegetable garden and hold educational events for Allied Drive community. Master gardener, Mary Collet.
Milele Chikasa Anana Elementary School. Awarded $500. Goal: Replace deteriorated wooden raised beds with stock tanks. Master gardener, Anna Biermeier.
Forward Gardens. Awarded $500. Goal: Purchase cover crop seeds and deliver compost to community gardens. Master gardener, Mike Kepler.
Marquette Elementary School. Awarded $500. Goal: Plant unused green space with vegetable garden, perennials, trees, and shrubs. Master gardener, Abbey Sabatino.
Nuestro Mundo/Frank Allis School Garden. Awarded $500. Goal: Purchase tools and materials for school garden; orchard ladder, planting medium, fertilizer, seed potatoes, and flower seeds. Master gardener, Mary Knapp.
Olbrich Botanical Society. Awarded $500. Goal: Woods of wonder: place-based learning & discovery in nature. Contribute to development of interactive outdoor space for children and families. Purchase materials for raised garden beds, plants, and native plant materials. Master gardener, Barbara Park.
Swan Creek Community Garden. Awarded $500. Goal: Develop inviting space for pollinator garden at community garden entrance. Purchase wheelbarrow, metal bench, and shovels. Master gardener, Callie Vasey.
Wisconsin Eye Bank Memorial Garden. Awarded $500. Goal: Develop donor recognition garden using native plants. Master gardener, Randy Harrison.
Wisconsin Heights Community Garden. Awarded $500. Goal: Replace one standard 20’x20’ plot with four accessible raised beds located in close proximity to shed, shelter, and sink. Master gardener, Terri Patwell.
2024 Grant Winner - Walnut Grove Greenway
Raingardens.