Don, With funding and all you want to do, the word "KISS" - Keep it Simple Stupid, works fine.
Here's what you do: You get an attorney to create a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation for you called the "North Carolina Friends of Community Gardens." You get a small volunteer board to help corporate donors "save their souls" by donating to your group, and to review the grant requests of individual gardens from whom grant requests will be solicited. You will have an annual report, which documents what the money has done, with nice photos and testimonial stores from the gardens to help solicit more donations. You will also work closely with local food pantries, so that the "rows for the hungry" that are produced and donated to them, are accurately and properly acknowledged.This is key in atracting hunger advocacy based contributions, as well. Funder love stories of "self-sufficeincy" etc. so it shoud be a no-brainer to solicit contributions. Evebest, Adam Hinigiman > Subj: [cg] Questions on grant sources; forming small non-profit > Date: 6/25/04 9:21:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent from the Internet > > > > Hi, everyone, > > Two questions: > > Suddenly, there’s greatly increased interest in > community gardening in Charlotte. Long story, but good > news. The county government’s grant writing support > person suggests the following grant agencies to help > support a community-wide gardening/greening program. > Anybody funded by any of the following? Any comments, > pro, con, informative? > > Ford Foundation > Kellogg Foundation > Knight Foundation > Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation > Rockefeller Foundation > America the Beautiful Fund > Harry Chapin Foundation > Merck Family Foundation > Oracle Corporation > Penniman Family Foundation > > Second, we don’t now have an ‘umbrella’ non-profit > that’s an advocate/coordinating group for community > gardening, community-wide. > > We do have a 12-year-old organization that focuses > exclusively on the 6 inner-city gardens they sponsor > (a choice they made about 5 years ago, because they > were becoming over-extended trying to be the ‘clearing > house’). They are very nice people, but – in spite of > their decision to pull back– they seem uneasy about > working too closely with other groups, and about the > potential of other groups to compete with them for > resources (right now, many decision-makers and funders > still view them as the only community garden group in > town). They are based in a wealthy white church and > view their project as a charitable effort to help poor > black folks. A small, dedicated but closed leadership > pretty much runs things their own way – though the > friendships formed between patrons and gardeners over > the years are deep and genuine, and a few long-time > black gardeners do have considerable influence, if > rarely the final word. So – > > Do we try to get this group to join forces in a common > effort (not likely – it has been tried before and been > a dismal failure - frankly, there’s that different > world view); or, do we try to put together a wider > coalition, then approach them about joining; or do we > ignore them and let them come to us when and if they > feel like it? Do we need to bother with forming an > umbrella group, or is it better for each garden to > stand on its own? How hard is it to start a small > non-profit community garden support network? Is it > better to try to find a ‘sponsor’ (United Way, Sierra > Club…???)? Could we form a ‘local chapter’ of ACGA, > and through that form a non-threatening umbrella group > that could do things like accept grant funding? > > All ideas and opinions welcome. > > Don Boekelheide > Charlotte, NC >
