The 2021 Healing the Planet Grant Program, funded by The GIANT Company, aims to build environmental stewardship by connecting people and families to community green spaces, improve community green spaces, support environmental restoration efforts, and support community gardens.
Thank you for your interest in the Healing the Planet Grant Program, sponsored by The GIANT Company. The application process was extremely competitive. We are grateful to have received more than 230 applications for such thoughtful and impactful projects and programs across Pennsylvania and surrounding communities in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. The Review and Selection Committees’ decisions are final. Due to the sheer volume of applications, we cannot give feedback on individual applications and scores. Thank you for all you do to keep your community clean and beautiful.
Learn about the impressive projects that the 2021 Healing the Planet Grant Awardees undertook to improve the environment, communities, and lives of residents in MD, PA, VA, WV. 2021 Final Grant Report now available to download (.pdf).
View Frequently Asked Questions about the grant.
You can download a PDF of the grant program guidelines here.
For grant questions, please contact Heidi Pedicone, Director of Programs for Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful at hpedicone@keeppabeautiful.org or 877-772-3673 x 109.
- City of Taneytown - Memorial Park Waste & Recycling Management
- Downtown Sykesville Connection, Inc. - Little Sykes Railway Park Improvement and Beautification Project
- Washington County Historical Society - Miller House Garden Renovation
- Benton Middle-Senior High School--Science Department - Garden & Greenhouse Grant
- Blair County Conservation District - NatureWorksPark Education and Outreach
- Borough of Quakertown - Quakertown Borough Community Garden
- Capital Area Greenbelt Association - Greenbelt Communication and Education
- Chester Ridley Crum Watersheds Association - Monthly Streams Cleanup at Barry Bridge Park in Chester
- City of Lancaster - Lancaster Compost Co-op Expansion
- Clean Air Council - Cobbs Creek Park and Trail Greening and Beautification
- East Goshen Township Parks and Recreation - Bees are Buzzin'...Education Program
- Friends of Black Moshannon State Park chapter of the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation - Enhancing Recreation and Environmental Education Opportunities at Black Moshannon State Park
- Friends of Codorus State Park (FOCSP) - Landis Woods Education Area Barn Restoration and Teaching Station Construction
- Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania - Girl Scout Tree Promise Initiative - Year 1
- Heritage Conservancy - Creating Community Connections with Croydon Woods Nature Preserve
- Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education - Regenerative Farmscape East - 6 Acre Riparian Buffer
- Indiana County Conservation District - Conservation Education and Community Greenspace
- Lehman Township - Pollinator Gardens
- Middle Smithfield Township - Echo Lake Park Rehabilitation and Beautification
- Our Lady of Hope Parish - Nurturing the Seed of Hope
- Our Town Foundation - State Street Square Development
- Oxford Area Foundation - Glenroy Preserve Pollinator Fields
- Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation - Improving State Park Greenspaces and Restoring the Environment with Trees
- Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education - Schuylkill Center Environmental Education Outdoor Classroom Sites
- Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania - ShipComposts Program Support
- SILO Works - Growing Together Community Garden
- Snyder County - Faylor Lake Shale Pit Road Park Development
- Springfield Township - Mermaid Park Stream & Habitat
- The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University - Community Gardening in Philadelphia
- The Pennsylvania State University - Master Watershed Stewards Protecting Water, Greening Communities
- The Perennial Project - Hope Park Green Outdoor Movie Screen & Community Art Banners
- Warrington Township - Habitat Improvements and Public Education at the Weisel Preserve
- Washingtonville Borough - Washingtonville Park Improvement Project
- Weisenberg Township - Bachelor Road Park Tree Planting
- Wildlands Conservancy, Inc. - Beautification of Northampton County Parks
- Yeadon Borough - Yeadon Community Park - Love, Health, Healing, and Wellness Initiative
- York Fresh Food Farms - Infrastructure Project to Sustain the Church and Court Community Garden
- Blue Ridge Wildlife Center - Native Woodland Garden
- County of Culpeper - The Carver Center Outdoor Classroom and Education and Demonstration Garden
- Farmington Elementary School - Growing Growers at Farmington Elementary
- Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener Association - Keep Winchester and Frederick County Beautiful - A Horticulture Education Project
- Mineral County Parks and Recreation - Larenim Playground
- Healing the Planet social media sample posts (.docx)
- Healing the Planet press release template (.docx)
- The GIANT Company logo (.jpg)
- Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful logo (.jpg)
- If alternative logo file formats are needed, email Stephanie Larson, Communications.
- Grant will open on June 1, 2021. Online submissions only. No applications will be accepted by post or email.
- All grant applications and supplemental information will be accepted until 5:00pm EST on June 30, 2021. No exceptions.
- Grant winners will be announced no later than August 20, 2021. All applicants will be informed of their application outcome at this time. All decisions of the grant committee are final.
- Projects must be completed by July 31, 2022, one year after award.
- A completed final report including photos must be submitted by August 31, 2022.
- Applicants can be any tax-exempt organization including nonprofit organizations, conservation districts, schools, churches, local and county governments, etc. EIN must be provided.
- Based on GIANT store locations, applications must be for projects in the following states and counties. Applicants can reside outside of the target locations but the project MUST be in the below locations. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE.
Maryland: Alleghany, Carroll, Cecil and Washington counties.
Pennsylvania: Adams, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clearfield, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Snyder, Union and York counties.
Virginia: Clarke, Culpeper, Frederick and Warren counties. Also the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro and Winchester.
West Virginia: Berkeley, Jefferson and Mineral counties.
- Eligible projects will connect people and families with community green spaces and could include park improvements, park builds, watershed restoration, recycling infrastructure and related programs, beautification and greening, community gardens, vacant lot restoration, outdoor classrooms and tree plantings.
- Eligible expenses include direct project costs, included but not limited to trees, shrubs, flower bulbs, waste disposal, tire disposal, tools for invasive removal, work gloves, safety vests, trash bags, recycling containers, printing of educational materials, signage, playground and or park infrastructure, gardening tools and equipment, etc. A maximum of 10% staff time can be included.
- Non-Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to, indirect or direct overhead costs, general office supplies, scholarships, financial awards, fundraising events, conferences and seminars.
