11-1SG Grow Food Northampton
Grant Round:
2011 February
Grant Program:
Small Grants
Grant Type:
Other Grants
Grant amount requested:
2,500.00
Grant amount awarded:
$0.00
Attachments
Please provide a brief description of the project for which you seek funding.
We seek $2500 to help fund the "kick-off" publication and distribution of a 16-page Newsletter on Community Collaborations that will reach every household and business in Northampton and will spotlight the citizen organization, Grow Food Northampton and its phenomenal success in running a grassroots campaign to create a 120-acre community farm.
Primary Issue Area:
Food
Please break-down/categorize the program expenses:
| Proposed Item | Estimated $ Amount | Would grant funds be used for this item? |
|---|---|---|
| Printing - 15,000 copies of 16 page Full Color 8.5 * 11 inches - 60 # paper (recycled) | $3,877.00 | Yes |
| Postage for 14,377 pieces mailed to every residence and business in Northampton @ .076 each | $1,100.00 | |
| Mailing Services | $900.00 | |
| Design Services | $925.00 | |
| Publishing, Editing Services & Soliciting Business Advertising | $1,200.00 |
Whom does your group need to make this project happen?
Please explain how your group will engage members from your community in this project.
This attractive & informative community-supported newsletter (all color, 100% recycled) will be delivered to every mailing address in the zip codes 01060/61/62: 7,474 homes, 4,905 apartments, 1,998 businesses. The newsletter will provide overview and in-depth articles about the mission, goals and projects of Grow Food Northampton, inviting every member of our community to engage more actively in GFN's ongoing work by volunteering, attending an upcoming event, visiting our website, and/or joining our membership. The cost of publication and distribution will be 50% funded by advertisement from locally-owned businesses.
If your group receives a NEGEF Grow grant, how do you plan to pay for remaining expenses?
| $ Amount | Source |
|---|---|
| $5,000.00 | 4 pages of local business advertising and1 page of Pioneer Valley Local First Editorial Content |
| $502.00 | GFN 2011 Operating Budget--community outreach & publicity |
| $2,500.00 | NEGEF grant |
Please list these materials or services
Please describe what changes will occur in your community and its environment when your group's project is successful.
The publication of this newsletter and distribution to every mailing address in Northampton will help citizens be invigorated by and invested in the ongoing success of Grow Food Northampton. A grassroots citizen non-profit organization, Grow Food Northampton sprang to life nine months ago to save imminently threatened, in-town farmland, and captured the community's imagination by spearheading the vision of and fundraising for a vibrant, organic community farm on the site. Raising over $600,000 from 1300 local donors over the next seven months, Grow Food Northampton is now just weeks away from buying all 120 acres of this land to create the Northampton Community Farm. We will build upon the momentum of the past six months to continue awareness building, activism, and investment in the mission and goals of Grow Food Northampton. We will bring to every household and business in Northampton the "next steps" for Grow Food Northampton, such as the partnering with local hunger relief agencies, the creation of an organic community garden and agricultural education site, the launching of two new CSAs, and the commencement of a farm incubator program at the new Northampton Community Farm. We will offer tangible ways to be involved--including through dues-paying membership, well-managed volunteer work and internships, and food-based and farm-based educational workshops. We will expand buy-in, and inspire the public to help broadly disseminate our success story so that we become a model for other communities who aspire to grow their local food economy and safeguard their natural resource base.
Please list how many people in your community your group expects to actively engage in this project.
25 000
What relevant skills does the group need (but does not currently have access to) to help move the initiative forward?
We believe our group has all requisite skills to publish this high-quality, far-reaching community newsletter.
What relevant skills do current members of the group have to help move the initiative forward?
Written Copy--GFN board members Kyra Anderson and Sarah Buttenweiser are published writers. They will create the written content for the newsletter. Photography--GFN member and photographer, Angela Gregory, will provide photos for the newsletter. Design--GFN board member, Seth Gregory, is a professional graphic designer. After creating all the design work for our successful 2010 capital campaign to buy farmland, Seth will design this community newsletter. Publishing & advertisement solicitation --GFN member, Prakash Laufer, successfully published one year ago a comparable 16-page community newsletter for the citizen organization, Brick House, in Greenfield, MA that was mailed to every household in Greenfield. Hence Prakash has already established the financial viability and outreach success of this mailing. He has identified a printer, the postage requirements, and a mailing service. Moreover, as a resident and long-time small business owner in Northampton, Prakash will use his extensive local business network to seek advertisement that is consistent with the local focus of the newsletter.