Community gardens and urban farming projects create multiple community benefits simultaneously — improving food security, building community connection, providing education, increasing biodiversity, and greening urban environments. For this reason, they are attractive to a range of funders from local councils to community foundations to gaming trusts. Understanding the grant landscape helps community garden organisers and urban farming projects access the support they need.
Community gardens and urban farming projects vary significantly in scale, model, and purpose:
Community gardens: shared growing spaces where community members grow food together or in individual plots. May include collective harvest areas, fruit trees, and communal facilities (composting, tool storage, seating).
Urban farms: larger-scale food production in urban settings — sometimes commercial in nature, sometimes social enterprise, sometimes purely community-focused.
School gardens: gardens in school grounds that integrate with education — combining food growing with learning about ecology, health, science, and Te Ao Māori concepts of kaitiakitanga.
Māra kai (Māori food gardens): traditional Māori food gardens — often associated with marae — that combine food production with cultural knowledge, connection to whenua, and community practice.
Food forests: perennial food-producing landscapes — trees, shrubs, and ground covers — that require less ongoing labour than annual vegetable gardens and provide long-term food security.
Hydroponics and indoor growing: technology-enabled growing systems in urban settings — sometimes addressing food security in areas without outdoor growing space.
Local and regional councils
Most territorial authorities have some community grant funding that community gardens can access:
- Parks and reserves grants (for gardens on public land)
- Community development grants (for community-building food projects)
- Environmental grants (for biodiversity and sustainability dimensions)
- Sustainability funds (for climate adaptation and food security)
Gaming trusts
Gaming trusts fund community garden projects:
- Infrastructure (raised beds, water supply, fencing, storage sheds)
- Equipment (tools, wheelbarrows, irrigation systems)
- Some operational costs
Key gaming trusts include Pub Charity, Trust Horizon, Lion Foundation, and others depending on the region.
Community foundations
Community foundations often fund community gardens as community-building investments:
- Foundation North has funded community garden projects in Auckland/Northland
- Wellington Community Trust and others have funded food growing projects
- Local community foundations recognise multiple community benefits
Four Winds Foundation
The Four Winds Foundation focuses on children and healthy environments — community garden projects that involve children are well-aligned.
J.R. McKenzie Trust
J.R. McKenzie Trust has funded food security and community projects including some food growing initiatives.
Lotteries Community
Lotteries Grants Board community grants can fund community garden projects — equipment, facilities, and programme costs.
New Zealand Community Trust
NZCT funds community organisations across the country — community gardens with clear community benefit are eligible.
Physical infrastructure:
- Raised garden beds (often essential for accessible gardens and contaminated urban soils)
- Water supply (tanks, taps, irrigation)
- Fencing and security
- Storage sheds and tool storage
- Composting systems
- Seating and communal areas
- Accessibility features (paths, raised beds at wheelchair height)
Equipment:
- Hand tools (spades, forks, rakes, trowels)
- Wheelbarrows and transport equipment
- Seeds and seedlings (initial establishment)
- Irrigation equipment
Education and programming:
- Growing workshops and classes
- School holiday programmes
- Cultural planting and traditional knowledge
- Garden education for children
Coordination:
- Part-time garden coordinator (some funders support staffing, others don't)
- Volunteer coordination
- Community events and working bees
School gardens have a specific funding pathway:
- Ministry of Education: some targeted school environment funding
- Enviroschools: Enviroschools Foundation supports environmental education including gardens
- Healthy Active Learning: government programme supporting school health and food growing
- Council school grants: some councils fund school garden projects
- Parent fundraising: PTAs and school communities fundraise for garden development
Māori food growing has distinctive cultural, historical, and community dimensions:
- Connection to whenua (land) and traditional knowledge
- Rongoā (medicinal plants) alongside food plants
- Community and marae-based food sharing
- Harakeke and other cultural plants alongside food crops
Grants for māra kai should be assessed through funders who understand and value kaupapa Māori approaches. Some gaming trusts and community foundations have experience funding Māori-led food projects.
Strong community garden grant applications:
Tahua's grants management platform supports community development funders investing in food growing, community gardens, and urban food security — with project tracking, community outcome reporting, environmental benefit measurement, and the tools that help funders manage diverse community development portfolios.