The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Joins with Keep America Beautiful to Announce Martin Luther King Corridor Community Grants for Earth Day

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The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation has partnered with Keep America Beautiful to launch the 2025 Martin Luther King Corridor Community Grants initiative, announced on Earth Day. The program aims to transform underserved areas by creating community gardens and green spaces.

The foundation is contributing $200,000 through 2026 to support projects addressing inner-city heat islands through the planting of trees, shrubs, ground cover, and grass. The grants will also fund community gardens and orchards to combat food insecurity.

Grant applications are open to Keep America Beautiful affiliates, nonprofits, local governments, and community organizations, with winners to be announced by the end of April 2025. The initiative focuses on converting brown spaces into green areas that provide environmental, health, and safety benefits.

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Green spaces address environmental, health and food insecurity issues

MARYSVILLE, Ohio, April 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To help increase the creation of community gardens and green spaces in underserved areas, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation has joined Keep America Beautiful's 2025 Martin Luther King Corridor Community Grants initiative.

The program awards grants to support projects that address inner-city heat islands in underserved communities through the planting of trees, shrubs, ground cover and grass. Grants will also be awarded for community gardens and orchards that mitigate food insecurity. The goal is to convert brown spaces, significantly hotter due to lack of vegetation, into green spaces with environmental, health and safety benefits.

“People want greener, healthier and more beautiful communities, but in underserved areas, resources often are scarce,” said Jennifer Lawson, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “This is why the MLK Corridor Community Grants are so important. They are a vehicle to bring communities and people together, creating special bonds grounded in the creation and enjoyment of natural landscapes.”

Brian Herrington, president of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation, added, “Earth Day is an ideal time to shine a light on the important role green spaces play in our lives. Beyond reducing heat islands and addressing food insecurity, they are a catalyst for environmental and wellness benefits, from helping clean the air to fostering positive social interactions. Earth Day serves as our reminder to support green spaces in communities year round.”

Grant applications were open to Keep America Beautiful affiliates, nonprofits, local governments and other community organizations. Grant winners will be notified by the end of April 2025. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation is contributing $200,000 to be awarded through 2026.

To learn how communities and individuals can do their part to create greener neighborhoods, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation encourages people to join in Keep America Beautiful’s Greatest American Cleanup.

About The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation
The mission of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation is to inspire, connect and cultivate a community of purpose. The Foundation is deeply rooted in helping create healthier communities, empower the next generation, and preserve our planet. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that funds non-profit entities that support its core initiatives in the form of grants, endowments and multi-year capital gifts. For more information, visit www.scottsmiraclegrofoundation.org.

About Keep America Beautiful
A leading national nonprofit, Keep America Beautiful inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. We envision a country in which every community is a clean, green, and beautiful place to live. For more information about Keep America Beautiful, visit www.kab.org

For media inquiries:

Tom Matthews
Chief Communications Officer
tom.matthews@scotts.com
937-844-3864

Leslie McClain
Vice President, Communications
lmcclain@kab.org

FAQ

How much is The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation investing in the MLK Corridor Community Grants program?

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation is contributing $200,000 to be awarded through 2026 for the MLK Corridor Community Grants program.

What types of projects will the MLK Corridor Community Grants support in 2025?

The grants will support projects that address inner-city heat islands through planting trees, shrubs, and grass, as well as community gardens and orchards to address food insecurity in underserved areas.

Who is eligible to apply for the 2025 MLK Corridor Community Grants?

Keep America Beautiful affiliates, nonprofits, local governments, and other community organizations are eligible to apply for the grants.

When will the MLK Corridor Community Grant winners be announced?

Grant winners will be notified by the end of April 2025.

What environmental benefits do the MLK Corridor Community Grant projects provide?

The projects help reduce urban heat islands, clean the air, address food insecurity, and create spaces for positive social interactions in underserved communities.