You must answer “yes” to each of the following questions in order for your gardening project to be eligible for a Lunenfeld Beautification Grant:

1. Is your project located within the City of Buffalo?

2. Is your project a gardening and beautification project?

3. Is your project visible from the sidewalk?

4. Is your project in a publicly accessible area (not a private yard)?

5. Is your organization or group a registered non-profit 501(c)(3) or sponsored by a registered non-profit?

6. Do you have a water source?

Your application will be reviewed by a committee of volunteers and experienced gardeners. The committee supports projects that are creative, include community participation, and have a positive impact in your neighborhood and on the environment.

Please note, the following items are not eligible for funding. This is not an all-inclusive list so if you have a question about specific items, please contact us.

• Tools

• Signs

• Lighting

• Spring-blooming bulbs

• Grass seed, peat moss, and fertilizer

While we do not provide funding for tools, complimentary one-year memberships to the

Tool Library will be offered to organizations that receive a Lunenfeld Beautification Grant and need access to tools. Click here to learn more about the Tool Library.

Legally, Gardens Buffalo Niagara needs to pass funds through another nonprofit organization, a 501(c)(3), which is why you need a sponsor if your organization is not a nonprofit. Your check will go to that organization and they will forward the funds to you. It’s important that you have a working relationship with them, because they will give you instructions about what they need from you as well. You will reconcile the grant with that sponsor and with us in basically the same way (see Reconciling Your Grant section).

If you have any issues with your sponsor, have trouble completing your project or have questions at any point after being awarded the funds, please contact us–we want to help: grants@gardensbuffaloniagara.com and (716) 247-5004.

Contact Information: You will need to provide names and contact information (phone number/email) for two people in your group. Please make sure they agree to be contacts and have working email and/or phone numbers!

Sponsorship Documentation from a nonprofit: As a nonprofit ourselves, we can give money only to other nonprofits. That means, if you are a nonprofit organization, you will need to submit a copy of your 501(c)(3) exemption letter. Note that this is not the same as a sales tax exemption certificate issued by New York State.

If you are not a nonprofit, you must ask for sponsorship from a 501(c)(3) sponsor, such as Grassroots Gardens, or the Board of Block Clubs, for example. You likely have a community organization in your neighborhood, such as the Black Rock Riverside Alliance or the Parkside Community Association, who can sponsor your project. If you have any difficulty in finding a sponsor, please contact us.

Documentation of Your Project:

A description of your project. Please include as much detail as you can.

A budget for your project, including proposed plant materials, other supplies, and matching funds. Matching funds can be in the form of funds or volunteer labor. Complete one of the forms below and upload it into the appropriate application field. Click here to view a sample budget.

We’re happy to help you with any issues you’re having about the online application! Just email or call us: grants@gardensbuffaloniagara.com and (716) 247-5004.

Your application will be reviewed by a committee of volunteers and experienced gardeners. Gardens Buffalo Niagara supports projects that are creative, include community participation, and have a positive impact in your neighborhood and on the environment.

The committee will score all submitted projects based on several factors, including:

• Is what you are proposing feasible? Is there a plan for maintaining the garden project?

• How long will it last, one season or several years?

• What kind of impact will your project have on your community? Is it a project that is community-driven and intended to bring neighbors together?

• Will your project have a positive impact on the environment? Have you considered water conservation, pollinators and native plants, for example?

Gardening 101

For a beautification project that includes plants–of course your project includes plants!–you need to consider what those plants will need. Annuals need more care than perennials, for instance, plants in pots need more water than plants in the ground. Perennials need more water when they are first planted so that they can get established. You also need to consider what plants can live and thrive in the space you have–does it get a lot of hot sun or very little sun, for instance.

We are also considering the impact that the garden will have on the environment, which includes the plants, of course, but also butterflies, bees, and birds. Buffalo was recently certified as a Habitat City through the National Wildlife Federation, and your project could be part of that by following some fairly simple requirements: https://www.nwf.org/certify

In April, you will be notified about whether your project has been awarded funding. The grant award ceremony is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, April 26 or Sunday, April 27. Click here to receive our free e-newsletter and we’ll send you a heads up about the grant process and other timely gardening info!

Congratulations! We will have a celebration of recognition for awardees in the spring during which we will ask members of your group to present a brief overview of your organization and your gardening beautification project.

Grant checks will be distributed to your organization (or your sponsoring organization) and you can begin your project as soon as the weather permits! Lunenfeld Beautification Grant signs, East Side Garden Walk signs and Garden Walk Buffalo signs will be distributed at the spring celebration as well.

At some point before July 15, a member of the Lunenfeld Grants Committee will stop by your project site to take photos of your progress. You will be asked to post a Lunenfeld Beautification Grant sign at your project site, as well as an East Side Garden Walk or Garden Walk Buffalo sign if your project is on either of those garden walks.

Your project must be completed by July 15. (See Important Deadlines & Dates below.)

You will need to know the exact name of your sponsoring organization.

Ask your sponsoring organization for a tax exempt form (ST-121) so that you can purchase your materials without paying sales tax. This form is not the same as the one granting nonprofit status and has a different number on it.

You will need to provide a tax exempt form from the sponsoring organization at the time of purchase in order to be exempt from sales tax.

PLEASE NOTE: If you accidentally pay sales tax on materials to be used for your funded project, you cannot be reimbursed for those funds. You can, however, take your receipt back to the store with the tax exempt form and be reimbursed for the sales tax.

We understand these things happen, but receipts are entirely necessary. If you have paid for all of your items with a credit card, a store can often find your receipt.

The Lunenfeld Beautification Grant funds come with obligations, so it’s important to do your best to meet them. If you foresee a problem meeting the July 15 completion deadline, please contact us as soon as possible to let us know about the challenges you’re facing. Failure to meet the July 15 completion deadline without prior communication with Gardens Buffalo Niagara may result in denial of a grant in the future. Your reconciliation materials should reflect what you have not completed. (See Important Dates & Deadlines below.)

Sometimes project organizers get lucky and find materials on sale or are able to source materials at prices that weren’t advertised when you submitted your application. You may certainly use the extra funds for this year’s garden project, but you are not allowed to use the funds for any of the ineligible items listed above. If you are not sure if the items you would like to purchase are eligible, please contact us. If you do purchase additional materials and adjust your project, those changes must be documented in your reconciliation materials (including photos).

Please contact us if you won’t be sticking to your originally submitted budget or the project will be very different from the one you applied for. You must document the changes to the project that you described in your application when you reconcile your grant.

By September 15, you will need to provide Gardens Buffalo Niagara with the following proof of the project’s completion:

• Financial accounting documents, including details about your required matching funds/sweat equity contribution

• Copies of receipts (screenshots or digital images)

• Digital photos of the completed project (before and after photos are especially appreciated)

• These documents and materials must be submitted electronically with the Lunenfeld Beautification Grant Reconciliation Form (same kind of form as the application). Reconciliation documents and materials not submitted through the Reconciliation Form are not accepted.

If you have any difficulty completing this form or otherwise reconciling your grant, contact us at grants@gardensbuffaloniagara.com or (716) 247-5004. You can access the reconciliation form here.

PLEASE NOTE: If your organization does NOT submit the reconciliation form by September 15, 2025, you will be ineligible for the 2026 Lunenfeld Beautification Grant. No exceptions will be made.

March 15: Applications deadline (Late and/or incomplete projects will not be considered.)

Tentatively Saturday, April 26 or Sunday, April 27: Presentation of Awards (a representative from your organization must attend to accept the award)

May 15: Registration deadline for the East Side Garden Walk and Garden Walk Buffalo (grant recipients are required to register for the East Side Garden Walk or Garden Walk Buffalo if the project falls within either footprint)

July 15: Project completion deadline

September 15: Reconciliation deadline