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LATEST STRATEGY: We submitted letters of support for GGRF budget requests
Advocacy Day
Advocacy Day
Help Shape the 2026 Advocacy Day!
Help Shape the 2026 Advocacy Day!
Be a part of making next year's advocacy day for school garden instruction even better. We’re building the 2026 Advocacy Day Planning Committee—and we’d love your voice at the table! Planning kicks off in September 2025.
2025 Advocacy Day Highlights
2025 Advocacy Day Highlights
On April 9, 2025, students, educators, and advocates from across California came together for garden-based education, outdoor learning, and farm-to-school funding. Here's what we accomplished:
🌱 143+ registered advocates (and even more joined in person!)
🏛️ Meetings with 17 Senators + 17 Assemblymembers (and more!)
👧🏽 Students shared what school gardens mean to them
🎤 Powerful press conference with Senators Sasha Renée Pérez & Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh
👏 Thank you to everyone who made it a success!
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Requests
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Requests
Building on the momentum of SB 341, we are pursuing two Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund requests in August 2025.
An immediate $25M budget request for 2025-26
A 1% annual carve out from the 2030-45 Cap-and-Invest reauthorization for environmental literacy programs, with $25M annually towards school garden learning
These requested funds would revive the California Instructional School Garden Program (ISGP), and emphasize the ISGP as a cost-effective strategy for environmental literacy and carbon reduction through food choices, naming the California Department of Food and Agriculture as the ISGP administrator.
Senate Bill 341
Senate Bill 341
SB 341 aimed to restart California's unused Instructional School Garden Program (ISGP) to provide funding for garden-based instruction and maintenance in schools statewide. The bill built tremendous support with 135+ organizations, 5 bipartisan co-authors, and unanimous committee approval.
While stalled in appropriations due to budget constraints, the momentum behind SB 341 has opened doors for new funding pathways, including our current greenhouse gas reduction fund requests.
Resources
Resources
Please access the resources in the buttons below, and linked in the project son this page.
Promising Practice Profiles
Promising Practice Profiles
We are developing 20+ promising practice profiles to serve as case studies to strengthen our case that all California schools can benefit from a school garden program. The profiles showcase varying school district sizes, demographics, and geography.
If you are aware of a long-standing school district garden program that could be showcased, please let us know!
School Garden Data
School Garden Data
We are gathering data on how many California schools have gardens and instructional programs and beyond. This data will inform our request to fund school garden programs statewide.
The Green Schoolyards Analysis provides an overview of the current state of school gardens across California's K–12 school districts, revealing a lack of equitable access. Only 50% of school districts have established school gardens, and even fewer incorporate garden-based education into their curricula.
The findings indicate a pressing need for substantial efforts to ensure that all schools and districts in California can benefit from the educational and environmental advantages of school gardens.
Data Validation: Please complete a data validation form to verify data in your district. More information on data methodologies can be found here.
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Annotated Bibliography
Annotated Bibliography
Explore our Garden Benefit Studies and Annotated Bibliography which offers an extensive collection of curated studies highlighting the multifaceted benefits of garden-based learning. From enhancing academic performance and promoting nutrition to fostering social and emotional growth, resilience, and physical health, this compilation provides invaluable insights for educators and advocates!
If you are aware of additional research that could be showcased, please let us know!
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History of Support and Legislation for Instructional School Gardens
History of Support and Legislation for Instructional School Gardens
We've embarked on an internal learning journey to ensure our proposed legislation harmonizes with the broader outdoor education landscape, reflects best practices, and honors relevant historical efforts. Our history research findings focus on:
1. The history of school garden legislation.
2. The support for instructional school gardens throughout the education system and beyond.
Policy Tracker
Policy Tracker
We are beginning to track relevant, current legislative efforts so we can leverage existing efforts and better understand the landscape. Stay tuned!
If you are aware of relevant legislation, please let us know!
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