Do you wonder how to make your grant proposal stand out? Join Em Shipman, KidsGardening’s Executive Director and lead fundraiser, as she walks you through how to write a compelling case statement or narrative about your grant program. With this prepared, your youth garden program will be ready to wow funders and raise funds.

Em’s vision is grounded in the principle that children are able to realize their full potential when they have access to healthy food and hands-on, outdoor play, and learning opportunities. She is working to ensure the next generations of young people become the tidal wave of social and environmental change leaders needed to alter our trajectory and heal our planet and people.

Em is a nonprofit executive with nearly 20 years of experience leading transformative programs in food systems, agriculture, and education. She holds a B.A. in Public Policy and Anthropology from Hobart and William Smith College and an M.S. in Nonprofit Management from Marlboro College Graduate School.

For as long as Em can remember she has been committed to growing community. She is a passionate advocate for children and the planet and believes that garden-based learning and hands-on, placed-based education benefit both. Em has also worked as a professional gardener and garden designer and spends all of her free time (and then some) digging in the dirt.

Em chairs her local school forest committee, volunteers for an award-winning Vermont-based children’s science museum, and sits on the School Garden Support Organization’s (SGSO) Governance Board.

Crafting your Narrative for Grant Applications