8 organizations IGCs can support on GivingTuesday

Observed on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, the charitable movement of GivingTuesday was established in 2012 as a way build a wave of global generosity to transform communities. So, it makes sense that IGCs would get involved to help further the community-transforming power of gardening.

Small businesses can participate in GivingTuesday by giving a percentage of sales to a nonprofit, serving as a drop-off spot for a goods collection, offering matching grants to local organizations or volunteering together as a team.

A sense of service runs deep in the IGC community, with many businesses engaging in hyper-local, community-enhancing garden initiatives. But for those who have not ventured into the world of charitable giving, this time of year offers ample opportunities to step up. 

It’s important to acknowledge that, unlike a great number of IGC consumers, not everyone has access to gardens and green spaces. To close that gap, there are organizations across the country, building on research about the physical and psychological power of gardening and growing, that are working to ensure everyone can grow their own food, connect with nature and thrive in outdoor spaces.

In honor of GivingTuesday, we offer you eight organizations that are working to expand access to gardening and preserve and protect diverse green spaces. Please consider donating. 

1. Big Green: Big Green has spent the last 12 years helping people grow their own food with garden-based education; scalable, modular garden products and systems; and a community of support and collaboration. It's built a network of more than 700 Learning Gardens in schools across the country and is now advancing home, school and community gardens across the country.
2. KidsGardening: KidsGardening supports educators and caregivers that bring the life-changing benefits of gardening to kids. Its mission is to create opportunities for kids to play, learn and grow through gardening, engaging their natural curiosity and wonder. It supports educators and families with grant funding, original educational resources, inspiration and community to get more kids learning through the garden.
3. One Tree Planted: One Tree Planted is a nonprofit organization focused on global reforestation. Since 2014, it has planted more than 92.7 million trees in more than 80 countries. In 2022, it more than doubled its impact from 2021, with 52.7 million trees.
4. Plant a Seed & See What Grows Foundation: The foundation's vision is to help create a healthier generation through experiences that connect people to the land and provide opportunities to improve communities. Its mission is to strengthen the community’s capacity to help feed children, help the sick, help people who help the sick, help preserve original seed strains, provide opportunities to experience the seed-to-table food cycle and feed the micronutrient deficient.
5. Pollinator Partnership: Pollinator Partnership’s mission is to promote the health of pollinators, critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education and research. Signature initiatives include the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign, National Pollinator Week and the Ecoregional Planting Guides.
6. Seed Savers Exchange: Seed Savers Exchange stewards America’s culturally diverse and endangered garden and food crop legacy for present and future generations. It educates and connects people through collecting, regenerating and sharing heirloom seeds, plants and stories and has been saving and sharing seeds with gardeners since 1975.
7. The Garden Conservancy: The mission of The Garden Conservancy is to preserve, share and celebrate America's gardens and diverse gardening traditions for the education and inspiration of the public. The nonprofit organization was founded in 1989 by renowned plantsman Frank Cabot. The Conservancy has helped more than 100 American gardens survive and prosper and hosts the annual garden-visiting program, Open Days, for hundreds of private gardens across the country to temporarily open to the public.
8. The Nature Conservancy: The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive. Founded in the U.S. through grassroots action in 1951, the environmental organization has more than a million members and more than 400 scientists and impacts conservation in 79 countries and territories (37 by direct conservation impact and 42 through partners).