Springfield nonprofit picked for $500K federal grant

Local nonprofit Springfield Community Gardens has been selected for a $500,000 federal grant.

The funding through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency goes toward the nonprofit's operations, specifically "for educating and empowering underserved urban and rural Greene County communities through sustainable, organic food production," federal officials said in a news release.

Springfield Community Gardens was one of six organizations in Missouri chosen by the EPA for funding through its Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement and Environmental Justice Government-to-Government programs. The Springfield nonprofit is the only organization in southwest Missouri on the list.

“Environmental justice is at the heart of everything we do,” EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister said in the release. “Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, our efforts across the region are supercharged, delivering federal funds to entities that have the potential to make the greatest impact on our communities.”

Springfield Community Gardens has donated around 2 million pounds of produce to the community with an annual budget of $1.2 million, according to past reporting. The organization has 16 community gardens, three urban farms, a community food forest and a test kitchen, according to its website. The nonprofit’s operations include Amanda Belle's Farm at Cox South in partnership with the health system.