A Planning Workshop for Grant Development

Community Gardens Like Community Parks

April 28, 2015
Facilitated by Judi Adams, MSEd, MFT
Adams & Adams Consulting and Training, Inc.
2928 Lakeview Drive ~ Bullhead City, AZ 86429
619-540-4190 ~ jadams@adams2.org and Judiha@aol.com
1

Brief Overview:
On April 28, 2015, members of the Kingman Community Garden Steering Committee met to
discuss the feasibility of pursuing start up funding from community foundations. They were
joined by Judi Adams, a grant writer who had volunteered to research funding opportunities to
find a match for this project.
Under immediate consideration was a Request for Proposals from the Aetna Foundation which
is due on May 6th. The group reviewed and discussed the requirements. A local church, Praise
Chapel, is serving as the 501(c)3 and questions were raised that will need further research
about the Aetna RFPs requirements for information regarding personnel, financial records, and
tax status pertaining to the non-profit that will host or be the pass through for the community
garden project.
The group decided to move ahead with gathering background information and developing the
project description; benefits, strategies, outcomes, etc. in order to be able to complete requests
for proposals, and agreed to provide demographics needed for the proposal.
Judi took the group through a planning process that identified all that had been accomplished
thus far (page 4), created a shared vision of what the garden would look like when it was fully
operational in one year (page5), conducted a current reality check which looks at strengths,
weaknesses, benefits and threats/challenges of this project (Page 5). Next the group was asked
what they actually intended to accomplish over the next 12 months to bring this community
garden to fruition (Page 6). Finally, they developed an action plan, completed with assignments
and actions for the next 90 days (page 7).
Next steps will include following up with the church to see if they are able/willing to provide the
documentation needed in time to apply for the Aetna grant. In the mean time, the group has
requested that Judi help complete an application for funding from the Kingman Regional
Medical Centers community benefits fund.
The next page contains a summary of the findings from this meeting, formatted to answer RFP
questions. This is followed by documentation of the planning process.
At the end of the meeting, the group expressed satisfaction with the outcomes of the meeting:
We are all on the same page, This helped us get organized, Got a lot done very quickly,
Now were organized!
Steering committee members are:
Tom Carter, Retired, Community Garden Steering Committee
Jen Miles, Businesswoman and City Council Member, CGSC
Jim Winso, Petro Stations Manager, CGSC
Travin Pennington, _______________, CGSC
Ron Tanner, Master Gardener Coordinator for Kingman, CGSC
Denise Neath, Master Gardener, CGSC
Sue West, Master Gardener, CGSC

Prepared by Judi Adams

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS IN PREPARATION FOR WRITING GRANT

PROPOSALS
Mission:
Goal: To improve the Health and Wellbeing of children, families, and individuals living in
Kingman AZ
Need: There are children in our community that dont know what vegetables taste like; there
are people in our community that are hungry, dont get decent meals; we have a large senior
citizen population that are on fixed incomes, living alone, isolated; there are a bunch of
homeless kids living out in the desert without any adults; there are pockets and silos of isolation
in our neighborhoods. People have lost touch with the connection between eating and food
production. Large areas of land lie fallow unused. We have lots of talent and resources in our
community that would blossom if they had the right community project.
Solution: Create the Kingman Community Garden to educate about/and provide citizens with
their own gardening plots in which to grow fruits and vegetables to feed themselves, their
families as well as those who are homeless and hungry in the community.
Outcomes: As a result of the Kingman Community Garden:
Increased availability of healthy fruits and vegetables to all citizens
Increased opportunities for socialization and physical exercise
Reduced waste of water through education and training on smart water conservation
Consumption of healthier food as a result of reduced chemicals in soil preparation and
growth
Community collaboration and cooperation as agencies and organizations come together to
support the development of the garden
Reduction in generational gaps through increased opportunities to work and learn side by
side in garden
Other?
Strategies: (Judi will write narrative)
Provide 80 plots to grow healthy nourishing fruits and vegetables
Engage and educate the community about planting, growing and harvesting healthy crops
Increase community collaboration and cooperation through opportunities at and around the
garden
Partner to reduce hunger and reduce mal-nourishment by providing schools, hospitals and
assisted living programs with surplus food for children, the sick and shut ins
Celebrate the Harvest
Key Actions/time line: (use RFP Template)
Partners: Get names and MOUS (check with Aetna and see what their MOU requirements
consist of then send template to Denise)
Project Staffing Pattern: to be developed
Project Budget: Expenses (Mike is providing to Judi)
Amount Requested, details, and Rational: (Judi will write after she gets info from Mike)

WHATS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED THUS FAR WHAT DO WE HAVE IN PLACE?

Project Management:
We have a 501(C)3 Praise Chapel has agreed to let the Community Garden
operate under its non-profit status
We have an acre of land that has been cleared
Finances: We have a checking account: DIG It Kingman Community Gardens
We have $3000 cash on hand
Weve registered the Trade Mark with the State
We have businesses that said they will donate
A steering committee to nurture and guide the project

Project Support:
A data base of 126 people who want to participate in this project
We have community support: Kingman Regional Medical Center and the Food
Bank
The Citys Clean City Commission supports us as does Parks and Recreation
We have support from local churches
Service clubs: Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions
Board of realtors
The Garden Club
University of Arizona
All the schools on are on board or will be in support of this project. Kingman
Academy is on board.
Weve surveyed the neighbors and they are supportive of the garden location

Project Strategies:
We have a community engagement strategy
We are committed to using conservation techniques

OUR VISION: THIS IS WHAT THE COMMUNITY GARDEN

COULD LOOK LIKE 12 MONTHS FROM NOW
Garden will be in full bloom:
The property will be fenced with gates and irrigation
There will be volunteer monitors that will take care of the day to day operations of the
garden
There will be shovels and rakes for people to share, stored in sheds
There will be mulch and compost
We will be using water conservation techniques and practicing healthy soil maintenance
Twenty to thirty plots will be producing maybe more. We can hold up to 80 plots on
the single acre
Community will be excited and participating
People will be excited about the garden and want to be involved:
There will be a waiting list
Youth will be volunteering - The high school will have a plot
The garden club will have a plot
Churches will want plots
Seniors will have plots; some folks will come to volunteer and work in the garden even
though they dont have their own plots.
Some folks will share plots
We will be partnering to reduce hunger:
Plant a Row for the Hungry certain rows will be designated to grow food that will be
donated for distribution to the Kingmans hungry through different organizations, i.e.
Food Bank, churches, etc.
Surplus foods from individual plots will be donated as well
We will have education programs for all levels and all ages:
How, when and where to plant different plants and vegetables - We will be connecting
people back to the soil by teaching where food comes from
How to amend the soil healthy growing techniques
How to save water through proper irrigation techniques
Teaching sustainability by growing your own fruits and vegetables
And more!
The Garden will be a place of enjoyment:
There will be seats, benches and tables
There will be a water feature
People will come and sit and enjoy the garden, socialize, and volunteer even if they
dont have a plot of their own
There will be opportunities for people to donate to the support of the garden:
Stepping stones with names engraved
Wish lists
Sponsorships
Celebrate the Harvest
Celebrate the first harvest from the Garden
The community comes together for the first annual Harvest event

CURRENT REALITY CHECK

These are the strengths we have as a group that

will help us achieve our vision
We have a shared vision
Deep roots in the community
We are a diverse well-round group
We know a lot
Strong leadership
We have a bevy of workers that want to help
We can tap into resources in the community

Like every group we have some weaknesses

that could get in the way our success
Communication keeping everyone informed and
up to speed so we are all on the same page and
know whats going on
We havent worked together like this before
Can be strong willed, emotional, even bossy,

These are the benefits of achieving our vision

These are some of the concerns and challenges that

we need to keep in mind once the garden is up and
running
Liabilities and exposures
Weather conditions
We could have vandals, thefts there will be
security costs
The community could lose interest
Gardeners could disagree with rules about what
can and cant be planted, following irrigation and
soil abatement expectations

We will be serving our community loving our

community
Kids will get vegetables - there are kids in our
community who never eat vegetables
The community will be united, coming together
for a common cause
Educating people how to garden in Kingman
Promoting healthy life styles through nutrition,
exercise, socializing
Teaching people how to be more self sustaining
People will be able to save money
All ages will be working together
This first garden will expand to others until we
have community gardens all over Kingman
People will use the park more that is next door
to the garden

PLANNED ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Given our accomplishments to date, our vision for the future of our garden, and our
current reality, this is what we intend to accomplish over the next 12 months:

Prepare the land and open the plots to the community

Determine operational costs and prepare a budget
Acquire financing and resources
Engage the community
Develop the education plan
Develop a volunteer staffing plan
Have a Harvest!

ACTION PLAN: Planned Accomplishes, Leadership, Key Actions

Planned
Accomplishments

Lead -makes
sure gets
done

Prepare the land

Open plots
Determine
operational costs
and prepare a
budget
Acquire financing
and resources

Mike and Ron

Engage the
community

Denise

Develop the
education plan

Ron

Develop a
volunteer staffing
plan

Sue

Have a Harvest!

All

Mike

Tom

May July
Key steps over the next 90 days (May July)

August
October

1. Till, irrigate, fence the land

2. Open 20-30 plots in May
1. Determine costs for water meter, irrigation, mulch and
supplies
2. Create itemized list for one year
3. (estimated $10,000 for startup)

Open more
plots
Review costs
Adjust budget

1. Develop needs supply list

2. Go to supply stores and get in kind donations, equipment,
etc.
3. Develop and implement donation plan (stepping stones
etc)
4. Develop grant proposals
1. Approach community for donations - compost and mulch
2. Make presentations to different community groups
3. Keep folks in data base informed and up to date

Align funding
plan with
budget
realities

1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.

Courses are
up and
running

Determine courses
recruit educators
prepare training materials (booklets and materials)
Locate sites for courses (library, etc.)
Develop Monitoring Plan: duties, hours, requirements
Create master calendar/monitoring schedule for garden
Work with Denise to get the word out the community to
recruit volunteers
4. Have monitors ready to work when garden opens in May

November January

February
April
2016

Launch
Friends of
the Garden