Author: Jim Charlier
Garden Walk Buffalo is more than just America’s largest garden tour – it’s also got its eye on beautifying Buffalo by providing grants to block clubs and community groups toward projects like community gardens, street side planters, historical garden restoration, street pole banners, annuals for baskets and pretty much any garden-related project – limited only to your imagination and sweat equity. See the complete list of recipients below.
Garden Walk Buffalo Marvin Lunenfeld Beautification Grant Applications now available online – but the deadline is coming up quickly – Tuesday, February 21, 2017.
Garden Walk Buffalo, a FREE two-day event, has granted nearly $100,000 since 2005 to block clubs, nonprofits, and community groups like the Elmwood Village Association, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, the International Institute, Evergreen Health Services, Child & Family Services, the Friends of the Japanese Gardens, Buffalo in Bloom, Friends of Sisti Park, Johnson Park Association, the Cottage District Community Association, and dozens more.
Award amounts are based on the overall project cost and the eligible projects that were required to include matching funds from government, private contributions or volunteer sweat equity. These award projects will be highlighted during the coming year’s Garden Walk. Other criteria? Your project has to be in the footprint of Garden Walk Buffalo (within the boundaries of the Niagara River to Main Street and the Canalside to the Scajaquada Expressway) and be able to be seen from the street.
The Marvin Lunenfeld Beautification Grants are named in honor of Garden Walk Buffalo’s founder, Marvin Lunenfeld.
Completed applications are due Tuesday, February 21, 2017 with funding awards announced in the spring. More information, and a link to the application can be found here. The application process is easy and we offer assistance if needed.
Past recipients of the grants can be found here.
Garden Walk is held the last weekend of July each year, in 2017, on Saturday and Sunday, July 29 and 30, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In 2016, more than 400 residences throughout the west side of Buffalo opened their creative urban gardens for tens of thousands of visitors from around the U.S., Canada, and abroad.
Photo: (L-R) Alliance of Sixteenth Street Garden Walk Buffalo poster pole banners; United Voices: Atlantic-West Utica Block Club (Utica Garden); Evergreen Health Victorian Garden.