2026 NHS Community Grants

The Northwest Horticultural Society (NHS) provides grants to community-focused organizations in this region in alignment with its mission to educate and enhance the practice and appreciation of horticulture in the Pacific Northwest.

Organizations Eligible for Grants

Eligible organizations include 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations and organizations sponsored by a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a letter of support from the sponsoring agency. Priority is given to organizations based in Washington state, west of the Cascade Mountains.

Projects Eligible for Grants

The project or program proposed should focus on a specific outcome to be completed within 12 months receipt of the funds; funds must be entirely expended within those 12 months. The project may be a portion of a larger project. Projects requesting staffing dollars may only reimburse staffing for the activities specific to the proposed project’s completion.

NHS Funding Objectives

The NHS Community Grants Committee invites applications for horticulture projects and/or programs that further one or a combination of the following objectives:

Provide education, increase access and/or increase participation in horticulture to a local community.
These projects may focus on natural lands, gardens, community vegetable gardens, or other horticultural space and/or activities.
Implement environmental cleanup and/or restoration in publicly accessible spaces, enhancing horticultural beauty and biodiversity while benefiting the surrounding community.
Serve historically marginalized communities, including Indigenous peoples of the Coast Salish, people of color, and low-income neighborhoods through horticulture experiences and projects.

Selection Criterion

Applications will be evaluated by a committee of NHS board members and volunteers as to how well they fit within the above objective(s). In addition, applications will be assessed on other criteria, including but not limited to:

Extent or reach – people or communities served by the project or program, and how this will be measured.
Impact – how this project or program will make a difference in horticulture and in the community.
Project rationale – gap being filled by this project or program, what opportunity is being realized.
Financials – organization demonstrates need (regardless of organizational budget) and shows why grant funds are necessary and whether the organization has additional funds dedicated to this project.
Practicality – this project or program is achievable within the scope of this grant, timeline, and existing organizational resources.
Past and current performance – this organization has demonstrated the ability or means to achieve this type of program.

Applications

Application packets must be submitted by June 30, 2026. Brevity of the presentation is appreciated, and submission packets should include the following:

The NHS Community Grants application form.
The applicant organization’s mission statement and (if available) vision and values statements.
List the directors and officers of the applicant organization and a structural chart of all parties involved.
Contact information for the person(s) responsible for fiscal management and execution of the proposed project or program, the person(s) responsible for the final report, and the person(s) to whom any correspondence should be addressed.
A brief narrative description and goals for the project/program, along with a discussion of how your project/program achieves one or more of the NHS funding objectives listed above. (You do not need to meet all the objectives.) Additional mention should be made of how your project’s success and outcome will be measured.
The funds requested and the project budget explanation. Please note whether follow-up funding will be required, or if the proposed project/program is a part of a larger project with an extended timeframe. Make note of any matching funds or other funding available to the organization to complete the proposed project.
If the project budget includes funds for staff time, please indicate how this expense contributes to the project’s realization. If existing staff is to undertake the project/program, explain how it is feasible for them to realize the project’s goals and their existing work responsibilities?
Other pertinent information you would like to share with the NHS Community Grants Committee about the project/program and your organization.
The project timeline and schedule, including the projected completion date and the date by which NHS will receive a report on the success of the project.
The applicant organization’s annual report (if available), the most recent financial statement, and most recent IRS Form 990.

For assistance with the application process, please email any requests to grants@northwesthort.org

Completed applications may be emailed or mailed to NHS.

Email: grants@northwesthort.org Please use subject heading: Attention Community Grants Committee

Mail:

Northwest Horticultural Society Attn. Community Grants Committee
University of Washington
Box 354115
Seattle, WA 98195-4115

The NHS Community Grants Committee will review all applications and assess each proposal based on the above-mentioned criteria and how the proposed project or program will support community horticulture in Western Washington and the Pacific Northwest. A report on the award of grants recommended by the Committee will be submitted to the NHS board of directors for final approval in early September 2026. Once the NHS board approves the recipients as recommended by the Committee, applicants will be notified, and the funding will follow soon after.

Feasibility and Timeframe

Projects and programs are not always realized as planned, and circumstances change. When you receive a grant, we expect communication, and a representative of the NHS will be assigned as a liaison between the organizations involved.

If there are any changes or grant funds need to be reallocated for the proposed project or program, please contact NHS. We will follow along with the progress of your project, and at the halfway point of your timeline (or six months), the assigned NHS liaison will review with your organization the feasibility of completing the 12-month timeline. If you find that the project cannot be completed within that timeframe, you will be required to submit a written request for approval to extend the project. If grant funds need to be reallocated to complete the proposed project or program, we request that you submit a reallocation proposal to NHS. NHS Board approval will be required if the reallocation amount exceeds $1000.00.

If funding from the NHS grant is not fully expended upon completion of the project or program as proposed and approved by NHS, or the effort is canceled, any remaining funds shall be returned to the NHS within 30 days.

Final Report

Upon completion of the project, the awardee is to submit a brief written report describing the challenges and successes of the project. Additionally, the report should include a financial summary signed by the project leaders, officers of the organization, or the fiscal sponsor affirming that the grant funds were spent as specified in the grant. This report is due within sixty days of the completion of the project or program. In this report, if the NHS-funded grant project is part of a larger project scheduled for more than a year, include information on the portion supported by the NHS grant and how it affects the outcome. An annual progress report is also needed as a follow-up until the whole project or program is completed.

NHS would also be interested in comments regarding the application and grant process. Send comments to grants@northwesthort.org. Please use the subject heading: Attention Community Grants Committee.