Cultivating Connected Communities Prize Challenge

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is conducting the Cultivating Connected Communities Prize Challenge, a national competition that supports community garden projects working to expand accessibility, healthy eating, and community connection for people with disabilities and older adults. Potential activities may include accessibility upgrades, adaptive gardening tools, and inclusive programming enhancements that help reduce social isolation, support well-being, and improve access to fresh foods.

Phase 1 Winners

ACL is pleased to announce the 70 Phase 1 winners of the Cultivating Connected Communities Prize Challenge. Each winning team submitted an Accessibility Change Plan to make their community garden more accessible and inclusive to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, people with paralysis and other physical disabilities, and older adults.

Each winner will receive $4,000 and advance to Phase 2, where teams will put their plans into action.

Phase 1 Winners List

Garden and/or Organization	State
30th Street Senior Center Garden, On Lok Day Services	CA
Ability Garden at Legacy Park, Trellis Horticultural Therapy Alliance	GA
Aquaponic Farm of Renaissance Charter School at Crown Point, AQUIS Intelligent Aquaponics, LLC	FL
Berwick Community Garden, Inc.	ME
Butler County Health Garden	NE
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington – St. Martin de Porres Senior Center Garden	VA
Center for Self Reliance Garden	CO
Chestnut Park Community Garden, Neighborhood Companions, Inc.	MD
CIL Gardens, Center for Independent Living Jacksonville	FL
Community Farm and Garden, Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians	SC
Community Gardens of Tucson	AZ
CP Unlimited in partnership with Smile Farms	NY
Cuernavaca Community Garden, Fruitful Commons	TX
Discovery Garden, Community Food Initiatives (CFI)	OH
Down to Basics Community Garden, Morgan’s Farm Market	NY
Freeman Family Farm and Greenhouse, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine	PA
Galvez Garden, NOLA Artist Incubator	LA
Garden at Sunnyside Village, Rooted & Rising, Inclusion Revolution	FL
Gold Circle Gardens, The Tech Village	OK
Good & Plenty Garden	IL
Growing Hope	MI
Growing Together, Salem Council on Aging	MA
Harrison Community Garden, Udac and Duluth Community Garden Program	MN
Healing By Growing	CT
Home Ec	MI
HOPE TO THRIVE Garden	NC
Hoʻōla ʻĀina Pilipili, Accessible School and Community Garden, Melody Halzel	HI
J. Robert Jamerson Memorial Library Garden	VA
Jubilee Community Garden + Pantry, Restoring God's Family	TX
Lanakila Pacific Garden	HI
Lancaster Community Garden, Fairfield County Health Department	OH
Leroy Moss Multipurpose Community Center and Pollinator Garden, Able South Carolina and City of Columbia	SC
Lexington Manor Passive Park Community Garden, St. Mary’s Community Development Corporation	MD
Liberty Garden	IN
Live Well Grand Cities Garden	ND
Master Gardener Demonstration Garden, University of Maryland Extension – Frederick County	MD
Northeast Earth Coalition Community Garden at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Oratory	NJ
OCCOA Community Garden, Oceana County Council on Aging	MI
Orenda House Serenity Garden, Orenda Veterans Project, Inc.	CA
Our Community Garden, Sunnyside Master Gardeners Association of Southern Indiana, Inc.	IN
Papai's Garden	NY
Philadelphia Senior Center Garden on the Avenue of the Arts Branch	PA
Randall Park Neighborhood Farm, Wheat Ridge Parks and Recreation	CO
Randall’s Island Park Alliance Garden	NY
Ridgeville Farms Clubhouse Garden, Food Conscious	OH
RISE Cowley’s Growing Wellness, Crops, Futures	KS
Rocky Mountain Gardens	MT
Roots to Resilience Community Wellness Garden, Timeless Traditions Foundation (TTF)	VA
Sangamon County Public Health Community Garden, County of Sangamon	IL
Scottie’s Community Sensory Garden, AccessAbility	SC
Seeds of Living Education Garden	NY
Shawnee Community Garden, Lincoln University Cooperative Extension	MO
Special Woodlands Living Discovery Garden, South Asians' International Volunteer Association (SAIVA)	TX
Sprout Community Farm on the Lafitte Greenway	LA
Stephen Eaton Community Garden, Avesta Housing	ME
Stone Soup Gardens, Life Enrichment Advancing People (LEAP)	ME
Sunshine Accessible Garden, Caney Valley Agape Network, Inc. (CVAN)	KS
The Center for Healthy Living Garden	TX
The Root 66 Garden	CA
The Wright Place for Us	OH
Thrive Center for Independent Living Garden	PA
THRIVE Community Garden, STARability Foundation	FL
Tom Toliver Community Garden at Rebecca Street, Appalachian Center for Independent Living (ACIL) and Westside Together	WV
Town of Prince’s Lakes Community Garden	IN
University of Georgia Extension Paulding County Master Gardener Volunteers Garden	GA
Variety Garden – the Children’s Charity of the Delaware Valley	PA
Wasatch Community Gardens	UT
Wassaja Oidag Garden: A Place of Healing and Community, Wassaja Carlos Montezuma Center for Native American Health, University of Arizona	AZ
West Mont Community Garden, West Mont	MT
West Point Community Garden, Blue Mountain Coalition for Youth and Families	CA

Key Dates

Key dates for the challenge are provided below. Click the Challenge Details button for additional background, eligibility, and application information.