Cultivating Connected Communities Prize Challenge

Cultivatingconnections@acl.hhs.gov

The Administration for Community Living is offering a national prize competition designed to identify and support existing community garden projects interested in extending their outreach to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), people living with paralysis and other physical disabilities, and older adults. Rural and frontier areas are mentioned as having barriers to participating in community activities.

The challenge will take place in 2 phases.

1. Accessibility Change Plan: Submissions that describe a plan for enhancing an existing community garden project which already incorporates sustainability practices such as organic gardening, hydroponics, or aquaponics to extend outreach and increase participation of people with I/DD, people living with paralysis and other physical disabilities, and older adults.
2. Implementation and Rooting in Community: Implementing the proposed changes to community garden projects, refining approaches based on feedback from participants, and collecting participation and impact data.

Projects should seek to:

• Reduce social isolation and strengthen community belonging for people with I/DD, and people living with paralysis and other physical disabilities, and older adults
• Demonstrate a direct impact on affordability, focusing on crops that offer continuous harvests, such as lettuce, beans, and herbs, and costly healthy foods, such as tomatoes, herbs, berries, and others
• Address chronic disease prevention by embedding nutrition education and health-tracking into project governance
• Promote a farm-to-table structure where community members can learn about and grow and cultivate healthy foods for their families
• Use new outreach methods to include individuals with I/DD, individuals living with paralysis and other physical disabilities, and older adults
• Build strong partnerships with aging services organizations, disability organizations, and, where applicable, tribal nations and tribal-serving entities
• Demonstrate community-led approaches using operational models that include community partnerships that can sustain long-term community impact
• Incorporate universal design principles
• Provide a clear commitment to implementing the model during Phase 2

Definitions, FAQs, and resources

Eligible participants:

• Individual citizens and permanent U.S. residents who are 18 or older
• Teams led by U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are 18 or older
• Private entities (like nonprofit organizations and businesses) incorporated in and based in the U.S.

Additional information is available on the eligibility and terms tab.

During Phase 1, a maximum of 50 submissions that best meet the judging criteria will be awarded up to $4,000 each.

During Phase 2, a maximum of 50 prizes, each up to $8,000, will be awarded to teams that demonstrate success in implementing their plan and a commitment to increasing their accessibility features.

Follow the instructions on the how to apply tab.

Applicants are encouraged, but not required, to email an Intent to Apply to Cultivatingconnections@acl.hhs.gov by July 15, 2026. Full submissions should be submitted by email by August 26, 2026.