This is a sample application containing the questions in the Spring 2021 GrowNYC Mini-Grant.

We suggest you copy the questions and draft

your responses in a Word document or google doc to work on and save your progress. The official application cannot save your progress and
must be completed in one sitting. When you have finished preparing your responses and documents, you will visit 
grownycgrant.paperform.co to fill in and submit the application. 

(SAMPLE) GrowNYC Mini Grant Spring 2021 

Apply for $500-$2000 credits to buy materials for your NYC DOE K-12 school garden and/or outdoor learning space! Applications due before
11:59pm on February 15, 2021. 

GrowNYC mini-grants support the growth and ongoing sustainability of learning gardens and outdoor learning spaces in New York City public
schools. GrowNYC mini-grants are generously supported by the NYC Department of Education. 

Please note the following differences from previous years: 

● Grant funds will be distributed as $500-$2,000 credits to an assigned garden supply center to buy materials/supplies for your space. We will
not be issuing checks to schools or PTAs this year. 

● Priority will be given to schools located in the 27 neighborhoods most significantly impacted by Covid-19. 

● Grant funds will be available to spend at assigned garden centers in March. All funds must be spent by May 15, 2021. 

● This year, schools do not need to register separately with GrowNYC School Gardens (formerly Grow to Learn). All that is needed is the
grant application submission that includes all required documents. 

Eligibility:
THIS IS A SAMPLE APPLICATION. TO SUBMIT APPLICATION, VISIT grownycgrant.paperform.co 

● NYC DOE K-12 Public and Charter schools. 

● Applications must be submitted before 11:59pm on February 15, 2021. ● New grantees or expansion (returning) grantees are
welcome. ● Must be for a school garden project or school outdoor learning space. ● This form cannot be edited after
submission. 
● Please note we can only accept one application per school. Multiple applications will be disqualified. 

● Co-located schools can apply separately. 

For questions about this mini-grant, please contact schoolgardens@grownyc.org. Contacting us well in advance of the deadline is
strongly recommended. 

School and Contact Information 

School name 
Bronx Arts and Science Charter School
School Type (PS, MS, IS, CS, P, JHS) 

Charter School
DOE School Code (school number) 

84X619

Borough 
X

Primary Contact full name 

Necla Kucuk

Primary Contact email 

nkucuk@bronxcharter.org

Primary Contact phone number

THIS IS A SAMPLE APPLICATION. TO SUBMIT APPLICATION, VISIT grownycgrant.paperform.co 

School: (718) 823-1065,

Cell Phone: 201 873 3822

Role of Primary Contact (eg. Teacher, Parent, Principal) 

Assistant Principle of Operation

Has your school previously received a grant from GrowNYC (formerly Grow to Learn)? 

Yes 

No 

Not Sure 

School Address 

Street* 

925 Hutchinson River Parkway,

City/Suburb

Bronx 

State*

NY 

Zip/Post Code*

10465 

Project Proposal 
Is your project a new garden/outdoor learning space or is it expanding on an existing space? 

This is a fresh New project that we are hoping to implement into our curriculum 2021-22 school year.

Expansion project In 1 paragraph, describe the overall vision and goals for the garden/outdoor learning space. (max 1500 characters) Ms.
Zellermayer

(Ex: We want to produce food to distribute to our school families and wider community to combat food insecurity, and introduce nutrition
education to students.)
THIS IS A SAMPLE APPLICATION. TO SUBMIT APPLICATION, VISIT grownycgrant.paperform.co 

The Bronx Arts and Science Charter School’s vision is to create a garden and outdoor space that provides the

scholars with the opportunity to be involved with something meaningful and positive. A green space allows for a

variety of opportunities for scholars for their educational and personal growth. Using the green space will provide

the scholars with real life hands-on experiences that will introduce them to life skills and  gain knowledge that will
be useful for their future. Some skills that would be learned are, how to grow their own food, entrepreneurship,

science skills, and ways that they can help their own community. 

The process would start out in each classroom. Each class will be taught the skills for planting and be given the tools in order for

their plant to be successful. Providing the scholars with the educational background will be useful when incorporating the curriculum in this

real life experience. Scholars will be engaged in planting the seed inside the classroom first. Learning all the necessary skills and steps, then

the plant will be transferred outside. All of the classes will have their own space for the scholars to use. Our goal is to have this project be a

school wide project. Scholars will be involved every step of the way. As the plants grow, scholars will be learning about the plant life cycle,

soil, living and nonliving things, and natural resources. It will be a continuous way of learning that will impact the scholars over the course

of their time at the Bronx Arts and Science Charter School and beyond. 

Another important part of our goal is to have community involvement. Not only will this garden be a source of educational and

personal growth for the scholars, it will also be used to help the community. This can be done by bringing flowers to the community

Hospital. The flowers and plants that will be planted can be brought to the local Hospitals and be gifted to people who are sick and elderly.

Also, the food that is grown can either be donated to local shelters or sold as a way to fundraise more projects for our school. Having the

community connection is an important aspect of the school's green space. It not only reinforces the overall goal of encouraging scholars to

take part in something constructive, but also shows the importance of community involvement. 

As the scholars participate and are very involved in all of the areas of their garden, they will be engaged as something that is

positive not only for themselves but the community as well. It will provide the scholars with the joy and satisfaction of being able to create

something on their own and see it grow into different stages. Scholars will be able to look forward to seeing the success that they have and

the happiness it will bring not only themselves but the community. Having the garden will give the scholars the chance to learn, using real

life experiences, and gain skills that they can use long term. Being able to create this garden and green space will provide many

opportunities and would be a huge benefit to our school and the local community.

In 1 paragraph, describe the physical attributes of the project. (max 1500 characters) Ms. Velardi

Now a days the whole world is going through very difficult and depressing times due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. With this project

we want to bring happiness and joy into our students’ lives. Also, we want to make sure this outdoor learning space becomes positive

experience for them. Moreover, when we are creating the physical attributes of our garden we want to involve our students as much as

we can by conducting visioning sessions with each class this way our students will have an ownership of the garden. We want them to

know that their ideas matter. We will also make sure to get ideas from our teachers, parents, and community members so our garden is

enjoyable to all of our members. However, to give some ideas, we want to make sure we have an area for outdoor classroom, some

planting beds will be saved for experiments. Also we want to make sure to have an area for outdoor playing, this way our volunteers

can bring their younger children. We want to have colorful resting benches and picnic tables for our students, teachers, volunteers and

visitors to sit and relax but of course our students will choose the colors and pictures that will go on them. We also envision (if doable)

a small fountain to be located in the center of the garden to welcome birds. This will represent joy, peace, calmness, and life. Lastly, a

wooden fence will be placed to protect our plants. which is going to be decorated by our students. The pictures attached below are

some examples we might get influence by.

How will the garden/outdoor learning space benefit your school community? (max 1500 characters) Ms. Powell

(Ex: There is currently no green space on our school property and this project will provide a healthy communal space.) 

We intend to have students grow plants that can then be sold, so the profits can be given to shelters. With this, students will learn how to

give back to the community as well as develop entrepreneurial skills. There is also the idea of having students grow flowers to gift to an

elderly or sick patient in the hospital within the community. This way they learn kindness and how to ensure someone else benefits from

the work they do. In this win-win situation, both the student body and the community outside of the school benefit greatly. 

Below this I will complete all the questions (Mrs. Kucuk)

What does access look like in your garden/outdoor learning space? 

(Ex: Is the entrance accessible to all students and staff? Is the space gated and locked if yes, who has the key? Is there water and tool access in the
space if needed? Will community or family visitors be welcome?) 

This is a google map

image of our garden

space.

What does access look like in your garden/outdoor learning space? 

(Ex: Is the entrance accessible to all students and staff? Is the space gated and locked if yes, who has the key? Is there water and tool access in the
space if needed? Will community or family visitors be welcome?) 

The entrance of our garden is accessible to all of our staff and families. Our garden space is gated but we are going to replace the gate and planning to

make it a little higher and colorful for safety and engagement purposes. There is no gate that can be locked. Also yes we have access to water source

but we do not have any tools yet since we are just planning to create our garden this year. All of our families and community members are welcome

to visit upon notification since we have to consider our students safety and security.

How will your garden/outdoor learning space be used as a teaching resource?

We believe by growing simple vegetables such as tomatoes, papers, cucumbers, school gardens can provide an engaging space for unlimited learning

opportunities. With young children becoming gradually detached from the natural and cultivated world, it is more important than ever to create

gardens as outdoor laboratories. With our garden project we are planning to connect our scholars to plants, soils, ecology, and many other concepts in

a hands-on, experiential leaning environment. We are also planning to help our young minds to uncover where their food comes from and form the

foundation for making healthier food choices. We strongly believe gardens can nurture life skills in young children, including accountability, problem

solving, and critical thinking. Our goal is to appoint our students by providing dynamic environment in which to observe, discover, experiment,

nurture, and learn. As a school community we would like to create living laboratories where lessons are drawn from real-life experiences rather than

textbook examples, and gardens can draw students in as active participants in the learning process since science, math, language arts, health and

many other subjects can be introduced through hands-on experimental activities.

What is the estimated number of students who will be regularly using the garden/outdoor learning space? 

(Ex: Our entire 1st grade of 300 students, our after-school program of 100 students, etc.)
THIS IS A SAMPLE APPLICATION. TO SUBMIT APPLICATION, VISIT grownycgrant.paperform.com
As of today we have about 200 hundred student population starting from kindergarten to third grade. As a STEM
base school our goal is to implement a curriculum where all of our students get involved with the garden project.

School Committee 
We want your school garden or outdoor learning space to be a sustainable and well maintained resource for your school. A committee is needed
to build, maintain the space, and keep the momentum going for years to come. It is helpful to have a mix of teachers, school administration,
custodial engineers, and parents/guardians on your committee. Please list 3 committee members below. 

Our school committee is created from one administrator, and three volunteered teachers. However, this is just the beginning and we are planning

to involve our PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) to our project. Also we have a huge support group who is going to help us to build our school

garden. These individuals are our school custodian, school security officer and a huge building crew from iLearnSchools.

Our committee members are listed below with their title.

Committee Member 1: 

Name, Email, Role in School ( Assistant Principal) 

Necla Kucuk

Committee Member 2: 

Name, Email, Role in School (Teacher) 

Alyssa Zellermayer

Committee Member 3: 

Name, Email, Role in School (Teacher)

Ashley Velardi 

Committee Member 4: (Special Education Aide)

Shanese Powell

Does your school work with any external organizations to support your garden/outdoor learning space? 

(Ex: FoodCorps, Edible Schoolyard, Harlem Grown, Nature Based) 

Bronx Arts and Science Charter School is part of iLearnSchools organization and they will support us with the process as much as they can. However
we will continue to think outside of the box and search additional opportunities and resources to support our garden project to expend and support
our students education.

How do you plan to maintain the garden or outdoor learning space over the summer and school breaks? 

During summer we will continue to maintain our garden with the help of our volunteers such as school custodian, teachers, community

members, students and their families and administration. Our PTO president/members and school board members are also willing to

contribute to our project and maintenance.

Timeline and Funding 

List any specific steps you will take to carry out this project. Include a project timeline. 

(Ex: February: Submit grant. March: Hold committee meeting. April: Host build day)
THIS IS A SAMPLE APPLICATION. TO SUBMIT APPLICATION, VISIT grownycgrant.paperform.com

January &February :
● Submit Grant Application and Hold a committee meeting for outreach, generating interest within our
community.
● Identify and assign leadership tasks, so no one has an unfair burden.
● Come up with a budget plan to cover necessary expenses.
● Consider fundraising activities for our garden.
● Order the seeds that are needed if possible and plan out the garden for the year. Think about: Including
vegetables, herbs, flowers that attract beneficial insects, crop rotation (record which plant into which spot
will be planted so next year it can be rotated not to wear out the soil)
● Student should be able to use their math and science knowledge to determine number of seeds, plant or
bulbs that they are going use and which one of the seeds need germination ahead of time.
.
March:
● Bring all volunteers together and define our goal.
● Develop garden management plan and start designing the site.
● Organize a community workday in the garden.
● At this stage students can learn about how organisms compete for resources. Students can plants seeds
some very closed to each other and some recommended distance. Then they can record in a few weeks to
see the result.
● Student can also observe the color, texture, materials and capacity to retain water of various garden soils.
● Depending on the age group students can sort and count different types of seeds to be plant.
● Students can also start indoor transplants under grow lights: early March (broccoli, kale, lettuces) late
March (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants).

April & May:

● Finalize garden design, start fund raising and look for other donations opportunities.
● Gather all materials to build the exterior and interior design of the garden.
● Host a built day by following social distancing (maybe a few days to get involve different voluntaries).
● Gather materials for planting, such as seeds, some seeds might be germinated before planting.
● Begin to plant and maintain the garden.
● Hold a committee meeting to discuss needs and roles if anything needs to be updated.
● Students can now learn to use standard tools to measure the length of garden beds, the size of the garden,
the temperature of soil, the weight of a plant, and and of water.
● They work on soil investigation to discuss texture, color, hardness and odor, Describe the size and shape of
raised beds. Discuss mass/weight and volume of water in buckets.
● Within a few trips to the garden they can observe growth, discuss soil nutrients and fertilizer and explore
the lifecycle of a plant.
● Student can explore several types of plants to look for and discuss adaptations, such as dep toots, broad
leaves, insect-pollination, quick growth and more.
● Student can also discuss basic process of photosynthesis and conduct several experiments in the garden to
test the effects of these factors on plants health.

June:
● Summer responsibilities depending on availability of the volunteers.
● Plant a flower border, if possible
● Hold at least one regular, required work day to keep weeds controlled in the garden.
● Students can make a list of the activities that they have done in the garden and discus these whit other
classes to compare their experiences.
● Also students can research about the role of diversity in crops. What are the effects on having a diversity
of crops vs. a monoculture. Discuss positive and negative aspects of the agricultural system.
● They can explore the effects of garden work on the human body and how it is effecting the different
systems of human body.

July:
● Hold a meeting to overview needs for the following year.
● Hold a regular, required work day to control the weeds.
● Celebrate the garden with a community party or potluck if it is permissible due to pandemic if not organize
an event following social distancing with small number of participants.
● Garden is a great place for summer school kids to connect with learning. They can get involved with
harvesting, keep on top of weeds, watering the garden during cooler hours (morning and evening), start
fall seeds in flats.
August and September:
● Organize outreach events that involves community.
● Implement the garden curriculum into all subject area and inform the teachers during teacher orientation.
● Get all of our group together and define our goals for the new school 2021-2022 year.
● Remove weeds and hold a regular work day.
● Plant fall vegetables.
● Hold a Harvest event and recognize outstanding volunteers.
● Students should be introduced fruit, seed stage of the lifecycle in its prime state.
● Have students identify the plants, parts of the plants.
● Students should be given responsibilities in the garden to show why is working together is beneficial.

October:
● Continue outreach, generating interest and develop garden management plan for the new year.
● Organize a fall clean-up, repair and store tools date.
● Students should start observing seasonal changes in plants in the garden, and observe invertebrates that
feed upon plants and help plants.
● Students also will learn about plants needs and observe/explore different things that are solids, liquids and
gases.
● Teach students about composting.
● Begin to harvest cool season crops.

November & December:

● Send thank you notes to all contributors and volunteers.
● Start drafting a list of supplies, materials and other resources needed and begin to build a budget.
● Prepare a final report that contains summary of activities, recommendations and priorities for the coming
year.
● Have a meeting to evaluate the garden, suggest changes and improvements, choose next year’s priorities,
and get organized for next season.
● Organize a community workday (parents, teachers, students) to clean the garden, plant cover crops and
bulbs.
● Seeds can be order from seed catalogues such as:
www.seedsavers.org
www. gurneys.com; 513 354 1491
www. selectseeds.com; 800 684 0395

● Student should be involved and learn about how many bulbs, seeds or plants they need for their garden
bed to conned this real world activity to Math. They can also learn about different seasons and think about
how different seasons effect vegetable grow in the garden.
● Students should also can learn about community gardens and what activities take place there.
● Early November students can plant cool season crops such as garlic, daffodils, tulips and hyacinths.
● Garden committee can prepare the beds for winter: Plant more cover crop or add compost on top of beds
for the winter, mulch for the remaining areas.

How will you sustain the garden or outdoor learning space financially in the future? 

We will continue to fundraise and do outreach events and also look for more grant opportunities. We will reach out to local businesses for
support. We will try to make profit out of our garden so we can also teach our students about budgeting and circulation of money.

Are there any other actual or pending funding sources for this project? If you are not awarded a GrowNYC mini-grant, how will you bring
this project to life? 

There are no pending funding sources for this project since this is a new project. We would like to implement this project into our curriculum to
improve and support our staff, student and families social emotional well-being. Due to Covid-19 pandemic all humanity got effected but especially
the children. We would like to create a new fresh connection with them as their school, bring something positive in their lives and improve their
relationship with the real world. We are very passionate about this project and bringing into an action. Therefore, we will try our best to make this
happen regardless of we get the funding or not.
Materials 
What materials do you need for your school garden/outdoor learning space? (Check off all that apply) 

Lumber 

Plants 

Soil 

Compost 

Mulch 

Tents 

Benches 

Other: _____________________________________________________ 

Required Documents 
1. Upload a map/design of your proposed project. 

Hand-drawn or computer generated. 

2. Upload a detailed spreadsheet budget for your proposed project. 

Use excel or an organized table. Research price of items and add all items accurately. View a sample budget. 

3. Upload a letter of approval of the project from your school Principal or Assistant Principal. It must be on official school letterhead
with a handwritten signature or E-signature. 

Feel free to use this template. 

4. Upload a picture of your existing or proposed space (optional)

THIS IS A SAMPLE APPLICATION. TO SUBMIT APPLICATION, VISIT grownycgrant.paperform.co 

Before submitting, please note: 

● Your submission is final and cannot be modified or re-submitted 

● Failure to include required documents or submitting incomplete information will disqualify your application. 

● All grant recipients are required to attend a virtual grant orientation in March 2021. 

● All grant recipients are required to complete a Midway Report and Final Report on their project (These requirements will be detailed if and
when your grant is funded). 

● Incomplete grant reporting may disqualify your school from participating in future grant applications with GrowNYC. 

● Only one grant application per school. Multiple/duplicate applications will be disqualified. (Co-located schools can apply separately.) 
ONCE YOU HAVE PREPARED ALL RESPONSES AND DOCUMENTS, VISIT grownycgrant.paperform.co TO APPLY.