MAMGA Grants
MAMGA supports local gardening activities in several ways:
Bryn Scriver, a parent volunteer, assisting students on planting day at Nuestro Mundo Community School's rain garden. Photo courtesy Althea Dotzour
By providing Partner Grants to the Dane County Extension Teaching Garden and the University Display Gardens at the West Madison Agricultural Research Station
By providing support for shared projects with Allen Centennial Gardens, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, and the University of Wisconsin Arboretum
Through MAMGA Grants to schools, public or non-profit community gardens.
If you are interested in applying for a MAMGA Grant, please complete and submit the form below. Click the buttons to download the application in either format. Applications must be submitted no later than March 1, 2025 via email.
Past projects are listed below.
MAMGA Community Garden Grant winners in 2024
Total Awards: $4,626
St John Lutheran School: Stock tanks for raised vegetable beds, garden soil mix, compost ($500)
Chavez School: Native plants, water & sound features, stepping stones ($500)
Elvehjem Elementary School: Potting soil, compost, annual seeds, and hose ($500).
Sugar River Gardeners’ Edible Gardens: Brochure boxes, labeling sticks, composted manure, netting, mulch, and tomato cages ($420)
Generations Park: Native plants ($500)
Walnut Grove Greenways: Rain garden ($475)
Sun Prairie Community Garden: Bare root rhubarb plants ($231)
Orchard Ridge School: Lumber for Aldo Leopold benches and garden soil mix for revitalizing garden beds and developing new beds ($500)
Smith’s Crossing Community Garden: Replace side boards and replenish soil for raised vegetable beds. ($500)
Madison Area Food Pantry Gardens: Vegetable washing system: Stock tank, power washer and sprayer, cold water pressure washer hose ($500)
MAMGA Community Garden Grant Winners in 2023
Total Awards: $3,980
Allen Centennial Garden
Goal: Create an acidic soil bed for fruit crops like blueberries and cranberries to teach students and the public how to care for these challenging plants. Funds are requested for purchase of a soil trough for the bed, soil amendments and educational signs. ($250)
Brooklyn Elementary School Garden
Goal: Control weeds in school garden through mulching. Requested 50 bags of mulch. ($200)
Caneel Corner Conservancy
Goal: Continue project of converting Caneel Corner into a conservancy. Funds will be used to purchase native plants and shrubs and a bee pollinator box. ($400)
Madison Area Food Pantry Gardens
Goal: Support propagation and production of mixed annual vegetables, which are donated to local food pantries. Funds will be used to purchase trellising materials, potting soil, and seeds of specific culturally relevant crops such as lemongrass, bitter melon, and okra. ($500)
Rosemary Garfoot Public Library, Cross Plains
Goal: Increase visibility and educational value of children’s garden through sculptures, signs, and plant labels. ($400)
Marlborough Park Community Garden
Goal: Introduce gardeners and park user to small fruits (currants, grapes, and thornless blackberries) that grow locally but are less commonly grown. Provide signage for new plants. Funds are requested for shrubs, vines, and signs. ($300)
Mt Horeb Area Community Garden
Goal: Maintain fertile, balanced, and productive soil in community garden. Efforts to produce compost on site have been minimally successful. Funds are requested for compost. ($480)
Owen Conservation Park
Goal: Improve habitat for bumblebees that forage and nest in Owen Conservation Park (OCP) through planting of spring ephemerals. OCP is home to the rusty patched bumblebee, which was listed as endangered in 2017. Spring nectar sources need to be established to improve survival of queen bumblebees. Funds are requested for bare root plants and a backpack sprayer for watering. ($500)
Smith’s Crossing Community Garden
Goal: Reinforce food pantry garden against pests by installing chicken wire and gate; add soil to raised beds. Funds are requested for supplies. ($470)
Warwick Way Gardens
Goal: Replace spruce trees (which are shading pollinator garden) with native shrubs. Shrubs will provide nectar and pollen for insect pollinators plus seeds and berries for birds. Plant wildflowers, enrich soil with compost, and install signage. Funds are requested for stump grinder rental, shrubs, wildflower plants, compost, and signage. ($480)
MAMGA Community Garden Grant Winners in 2022:
Total Awards: $1,760
Sun Prairie Community Garden Organization (SPCGO) Soil Improvement Project,
Goal: Improve fertility and friability of soil by providing fertilizer packets to interested gardeners before planting in the spring. Soil will be tested at the end of the growing season. Compost will then be added to all plots. ($500)
Olbrich Gardens native plant project: Native Plants, Natural Wonders
Goal: Olbrich Gardens is dedicated to the creation, conservation, and interpretation of sustainable gardens. The Horticulture Team will highlight specific native plants throughout the outdoor gardens. The overall goal is to achieve a plant composition of at least 70% native plants within Olbrich’s collection. ($500)
Mt. Horeb Area Community Garden Infrastructure Improvement Project. Location: Howard Himsel Park
Goal: Enhance MHACG infrastructure and improve the garden experience by (1) installing indoor and outdoor bulletin boards, (2) installing hanging rails for tools and hoses, and (3) providing mulching straw to gardeners. The indoor bulletin board will have a task sign-up sheet to inform volunteers of needs and improve volunteer–garden manager communication. The outdoor board will post the latest garden news, events, and educational messages. ($500)
Caneel Corner Conservancy Neighborhood Improvement Project. Location: corner of High Rd and Caneel Trail in Middleton Ridge Neighborhood.
Goal: To convert an unsightly and weedy corner to a conservancy with native plants to be enjoyed by the entire neighborhood. The request is for compost and three red twig dogwood trees. ($260)