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DOEE awarded the Chesapeake Bay Trust to implement the District's Urban Agriculture Award Program. This grant provides funding to increase urban agriculture in the District:
Infrastructure and Operations Support for Urban Farms (up to $10,000 per award)
This funding supports the success of urban farms through grant awards to increase infrastructure and operations at District farms. Awarded projects address at least two of the following goals:
- Increase food crop production, processing and/or distribution.
- Improve distribution & access to fresh foods.
- Construct facilities that enable agricultural education experiences.
- Accelerate the business and production capacity for socially disadvantaged farmers; and
- Advance sustainable agricultural efforts in the District.
Grant Application: 2024 grants are closed
2024 Awardees
Congratulations to all the 2024 District Urban Agriculture Award Recipients!
This year the DOEE Office of Urban Agriculture and the Chesapeake Bay Trust awarded eight entities, a total of $69,818. Below are details about each project:
Awardees of Infrastructure and Operations Support for Urban Farms:
- A Heart 4 People Farm, LLC - Ward 5 | $10,000
This project facilitates the development of an urban farm at the Theodore Hagans Cultural Center in partnership with the DC Department of Parks and Recreation. The collaborative community innovation will support crop production operations and distribution of fresh produce to approximately 1,100 senior citizens residing in the Ft. Lincoln neighborhood at no cost.
- Blossom Education Solutions Inc. (aka OurFarm DC) - Ward 7 | $8,710
OurFarm DC is partnering with Run Hope Work and The Covenant House of Greater Washington to source, train, and hire residents from Ward 7 & 8 to be urban farmers. This four-week paid training will support sustainable operations of a hydroponic container farm and creates employment opportunities for the four participants who may otherwise face barriers to work placement. Two individuals from this training will be hired and the other two will receive support to achieve sustainable employment in agriculture or related fields.
- Catholic University of America - Ward 5 | $7,564
This project can effectively expand the operations and crop production at the campus garden to fight food access limitations on campus. The agricultural space is managed by students, staff, and faculty volunteers who gather, grow, and distribute produce through the Cardinal Cupboard, the on-campus free food pantry.
- Common Good City Farm - Ward 1 | $9,936
Common Good City Farm is enhancing greenhouse infrastructure to allow for on-site seedling propagation. This sustainable project will efficiently increase on-site seedling production by 350% for farm use, donation, and sale to community members. A greenhouse also provides space for educational experiences by allowing the farm to better teach and demonstrate greenhouse management and seedling production skills to adult and youth learners.
- Dreaming Out Loud Inc. (DOL) - Ward 7 | $10,000
This project supports the growth and development of the Farm at Kelly Miller and The Farm at Fort Stanton to reduce food access limitations in Ward 7 & 8. Improving crop production efficiency on these farms will increase the amount of food distributed throughout the District. DOL is committed to building community food sovereignty through educational programs, volunteer opportunities, and relationships with other local, socially disadvantaged farmers through farm markets and CSA programs.
- The Nicholson Project - Ward 7 | $8,000
This initiative includes restoration of garden beds, remediation of overgrowth to increase crop production, as well as activation of reclaimed land for a native plant and pollinator garden. The results increase effective operations of the 15-bed organic vegetable, flower & herb garden.
- Three Part Harmony Farm - Ward 5 | $5,608
This funding will improve water use at the farm by increasing rainwater catchment and replacing the current irrigation system to increase the amount of water that each bed receives for maximum yields. This project creates a more sustainable operation that maximizes crop production while combating the results of climate change like inconsistent rainfall and/or drought-like conditions.
- Union Temple Baptist Church - Ward 8 | $10,000
This project restores the current growing space by establishing level ground and replacing the current raised beds. These improvements will provide community members and volunteers, particularly participants with limited mobility, with an increased ability to produce more food.
Program Contacts:
For technical assistance contact Carlton Burns at
[email protected] | (410) 974-2941 x 125
For general questions contact Rosita Musgrove at
[email protected] | (202) 731-0322