Applications for the 2026 Leadership Institute will
open before the end of 2025.

What?

Every year, the School Garden Support Organization Leadership Institute provides an opportunity for school garden professionals from across the country to collaborate, learn from one another, and develop resources to share with a national audience. In this way, we all become able to better support school gardens in our regions, and also advance the national school garden movement.

School Garden Leaders at the 2020 Leadership Institute!

Who Attends SGSO Leadership Institutes

The 2026 cohort will be comprised of up to 20 teams of two. Teams may be individuals from the same organization or individuals from different organizations collaborating on supporting multiple school gardens in their region or district.

For 2026, we are particularly seeking teams of two from organizations that:

  • Support 6 or more school gardens in their district or region

  • Will be implementing training for garden-based educators in the 2026-2027 school year

  • Are willing to administer a pre-designed school garden program assessment survey to their partner or district school sites with the purpose of building long-term program capacity through enhancing their student experiences, physical garden sites, fundraising, and/or community involvement.

When & Where?

The 2026 Leadership Institute is tentatively schedule for June 22-27, 2026.

The 2026 Leadership Institute is planned to take place at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

  • 40 minute drive from San Jose Airport (SJC)

  • 1 hour 15 minute drive from San Francisco Airport (SFO). 

UCSC Conference Services provides lodging in campus apartments and three meals are provided in dining halls.

Tentative Fee Schedule

Fees include lodging, all meals (minus one dinner on your own), and transportation from SJC or SFO airport to conference center and back to SJC or SFO.

$0 - Fee for individuals from organizations with annual budgets of $0-$250K
$200 - Fee for individuals from organizations with annual budgets of $251K-$500K
$350 - Fee for individuals from organizations with annual budgets of $501K-$750K
$500 - Fee for individuals from organizations with annual budgets of $751K-$1M
$650 - Fee for individuals from organizations with annual budgets over $1M

 
 

Why?

School gardens have tremendous lifelong benefits for children. Research has shown that when children participate in a school garden program, they show marked improvement in nutrtion; social emotional skills; environmental attitudes; scientific achievement; and attitudes toward learning (www.lifelab.org/resources/school-garden-impacts).

But school garden programs need support in order to unlock their full potential. Without well-trained educators, strong curriculum, and supportive networks, garden programs often become underutilized or even forgotten. With support, however, they thrive, become institutionalized into school cultures, and inspire children for decades.

Regional School Garden Support Organizations have emerged as a key determinant in the success and sustainability of school garden programs across the country. This Institute is designed to provide SGSO leaders with the inspiration and information they need to effectively support school garden programs in their regions, and to share best practices with other SGSOs nationally.

Questions? Contact Kelsey Cerdas kelsey@lifelab.org

 

Join the School Garden Support Organization Network E-list to to receive future institute announcements and updates on upcoming events or join the SGSO Network Google Group to be part of a national dialogue of school garden support organizations.

JOIN SGSO NETWORK HERE
 
 
 

Hosted by Life Lab and Whole Kids, a project of Whole Foods Market Foundation, in partnership with the SGSO Network.