Let me start with a whole-hearted THANK-YOU to all of the incredible neighbors and businesses of Ballard who have stepped up and pledged to volunteer time, professional services, food, cash, and so much more in support of our median planter project on 14th Ave NW. Thanks to your generous pledges, we were able to successfully submit our application for a Dept. of Neighborhoods Small and Simple Matching Grant!

We received 45 responses from our online survey which totaled to over $8,500 in pledges! Swansons Nursery then added $1,000 in wholesale cost for plants. Our planter steward program is going to receive top-notch educational training pledged by Cass Turnball at PlantAmnesty. Our volunteers won’t go hungry thanks to a $500 pledge in food from the Ballard Market, and thanks to Nervous Nellie’s Espresso for offering us free meeting space and helping us maintain our buzz throughout this project! We’re also looking forward to collaborating with our local East Ballard schools, St. Alphonsus and Ballard High on some very cool art and planting projects.

Thanks also goes out to the folks who work for the city who helped us put together what we hope is a very strong application. Thank-you Rob Mattson, Darren Morgan, Laurie Ames and Jennifer Britton!

Last, but not least, a very personal thank-you goes out to Shannon Dunn and Stephanie Shelton who co-authored the grant application with me. We worked really hard on this grant together, but working with you two has made every moment a lot of fun. I wouldn’t be doing this stuff if it wasn’t fun!

Here are links to our completed grant application forms:

Application Question Responses
Work Plan and Budget

Stay tuned for status on our grant and opportunites to cash in those pledges!