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Cultivating Connected Communities Prize Challenge

Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

A two-phase national prize competition for existing community garden projects that expand accessibility, healthy eating and social connection for people with disabilities and older adults, including accessibility upgrades, adaptive tools and inclusive programming.

Indicative award
$4k–$8k (total award)Phase 1: up to 50 winners at $4,000 each. Phase 2: up to 50 winners at $8,000 each, open only to Phase 1 winners.
Timing
Periodic callsPeriodic calls · May, Jul, Aug, OctPublished deadline: 2026-08-26 — 12 days awayChallenge launched 20 May 2026; optional intent to apply was 15 July 2026; Phase 1 submissions close 26 August 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET; Phase 1 winners announced 16 October 2026.
Who can apply
Community organisation, Practitioner, Any faculty rank
Eligibility
Private entities must be incorporated in and have their primary place of business in the United States; the team leader or individual entrant must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and at least 18. Federal and HHS employees acting within their employment are excluded. Federal funds may not be used to develop the submission unless consistent with the grant's purposes. Only Phase 1 winners may enter Phase 2.
SSWR clusters
Topics
community gardens · social isolation · food access · accessibility
Apply at
https://acl.gov/cultivating-connections-challenge-details
This entry
Curated by the working group. Written 2026-08-07. The funder link has not yet been machine-checked.

Amounts and dates on this page are indicative and are maintained by people rather than scraped. Funders change ceilings, windows and eligibility without notice; confirm all details at the source above before applying.

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