FAQs

Sow the City is funded through contracts with local authorities, the NHS, schools, housing associations, and businesses. Typically, our contracts involve delivering projects to develop community green spaces, improve green infrastructure, connect people with nature, improve mental and physical health, and provide food education. We also receive some grant funding, e.g., from the National Lottery, and some social investment funding, e.g., from Big Society Capital.

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Social enterprises are businesses that put the interests of people and planet ahead of shareholder gain. Sow the City does not have shareholders, instead, our profits are reinvested into our social and environmental purpose: to create green spaces in urban places. We balance our social mission with the need to achieve financial security.

There are a few way to get involved and help us:

1. You can become a Sow the City volunteer. As a not for profit organisation, volunteers are important for many of our projects. We regularly need help in a variety of ways including constructing or maintaining community gardens and planting fruit and vegetables. These sessions are outdoors, good fun and great exercise. If this sort of hands-on work interests you, we can add you to our pool of volunteers and contact you when we need some help.
2. You can join community growing projects that are part of our Greater Manchester network. See the good to grow map for projects near you.
3. You can sign up to receive our newsletter or follow us on social media to stay up to date with new opportunities.
4. You can put us in touch with organisations and people that you think might support our work.

We have various projects going on in the Greater Manchester area. We may have free courses in your area that are funded by a local authority or housing association. Get in touch with us to find out what is going on in your area. We also have a referrals system here that you can use. You can also pay us to run courses. Please visit our workshops page for more information.

Sign up to our newsletter, follow us on social media. You can donate money to Sow the City. We will invest any donations in disadvantaged communities in the Greater Manchester area (e.g., teaching families in food poverty how to grow their own food).

Yes! We currently have eight members of paid staff, and we also work with various subcontractors when projects need specialist knowledge. This means we need to secure funding or charge for our services.