Funding Sources
Figure 1. Funding sources.
Source: Wix (n.d.)
Funding Sources
Funding sources are important for a community garden as community gardens tend towards the not-for-profit. This means it is through grants, donations and other funding models that people establish the garden and it develops into a community. I've written blogs on each of the funding types with suggestions for avenues to further explore should Curtin University give the approval to use the old Curtin Veggie Patch.
Out of the various forms of funding sources, I would settle on a mix of all of them. My first port-of-call would be grants from the government and university. I would start a fundraising campaign with crowdfunding and donations. Once we establish the community garden, an income, however slight, would find generation. During that process, I would also chase up sponsorships from various organisations. Sponsorships may not take the form of outright financial donations but from donated items, especially when it comes to places such as hardware stores and nurseries.
Memberships
Memberships are a source of funding related to the running garden rather than the establishment of it. A basic membership may entitle the member to various resources, depending on the business model. However, a membership may not include their own plot or a right to harvest.