Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and KidsGardening share a belief that the garden has the power to do more than grow flowers and herbs. It can grow people, communities, and even kindness, too. Together, we designed the Lots of Compassion Grant program to support local leaders looking to transform vacant lots into gardens to help grow compassion in their community.
About 15% of land in urban cities is deemed vacant or abandoned, which can lead to many negative outcomes for surrounding neighborhoods, including decreases in physical and mental health and diminished feelings of safety & security[1]. Lots of Compassion aims to provide resources to those seeking to transform vacant lots in their neighborhood into gardens for community growth.
Through the Lots of Compassion initiative, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day is pledging to provide up to $1 million from Compassion Flower product sales to support community garden transformations over the next five years. Now in its second year, ten grantees will receive $20,000 each to transform a vacant lot into a garden. A total of $200,000 will be awarded in 2024.
Groups and individuals are also eligible to apply by partnering with a fiscal sponsor who has achieved tax-exempt status.