After reviewing the applications, Moonflower’s Seeds to Start Grant selection committee is pleased to announce our spring 2024 grant recipient, Utah Foster Care!

Utah Foster Care works to develop innovative strategies to help find, educate, and support Utah foster families. Since its inception in 1999, Utah Foster Care has recruited and trained more than 16,000 families. There are currently 2,100 kids in foster care in Utah and 8 foster families in Grand County. All of Grand County’s foster children (other than those in “kinship care,” or care from relatives) are Native American and placed with nonnative families.

Funds from this grant will go towards a new retention development program implemented at a local level by the Moab office. The program will focus on connecting cultures by hosting monthly dinners for the children and their families. These dinners will provide opportunities for the children and families to learn about and connect with Native foods, culture, and each other.

The funds will be used to purchase traditional indigenous food ingredients for the dinners and to rent the kitchen space at the Youth Garden Project.

We look forward to supporting our local youth in foster care with this program!

Our biannual Seeds to Start grant funds aims to assist non-profit applicants seeking funding for a high-impact project or purchase focused on expanding community food security, promoting environmental justice, and/or directly benefiting underrepresented communities in need. Learn more about the grant program  and read about past projects we’ve funded here.