Homesteads for Hope wins $100,000 Kubota Hometown Proud grant

As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the U.S., Kubota Tractor Corporation asked organizations across the country to share how they are working to revitalize underserved communities with new and promising solutions. As a nonprofit, Homesteads for Hope is familiar with how time-consuming applications can be and how rare it is to secure funding this way, but the special needs community has never needed a “win” more than it does right now, so they are dedicated to exploring all options. The Hometown Proud Contest was different from the start. The online form was short and sweet and so were the follow ups with Kubota. Homesteads for Hope was thrilled to learn that out of nearly 900 applications, they were selected as one of the five winners of the Hometown Proud Contest. As a result, they have been awarded a $100K grant to help them forward their mission of providing people of all ages and abilities an inclusive community where they can learn, work, eventually live, and each day grow their unique abilities.

Kubota is calling for the public’s help in selecting a winner for its Community Choice Award grant, which would essentially double the award money. From now until July 25 at 11:59 p.m. CT, the public is invited to visit KubotaHometownProud.com to watch three-minute videos about the top five community projects. Homesteads for Hope supporters are encouraged to vote every day and encourage their family and friends to do the same. They hope to win over the hearts of people across the country, but are counting on the local community to spread the word and get people online to vote for Homesteads for Hope. As a bonus incentive, each vote cast is entered into a separate sweepstakes for a chance to win a Kubota sub-compact tractor or zero turn mower. The community project with the most votes will be announced as the Community Choice Award winner in August 2022.

Homesteads for Hope is a 55-acre community farm located along the Erie Canal in Rochester. While many nonprofits in the special needs community did not survive the pandemic, Homesteads grew over the last few years, and was able to take in some of the people who had nowhere else to go. Their farm currently serves over 600 families and hosts over 3,000 visitors each year. This intentional community breaks down barriers with programs that use “nature’s classroom” to teach people with disabilities important life skills, how to work real jobs, and is a model of true inclusion. Anyone interested in learning more about Homesteads for Hope is encouraged to visit their website, www.homesteadsforhope.org, or Facebook page. Or better yet, visit them in person at 2185 Manitou Road. Stop by their farm market or café or one of their open to the public events, including live music nights every Thursday. They say nothing beats experiencing their mission in action.

Kubota is investing in hometowns across America – where the heart and soul of the country is thriving and in need of on-the-ground support. The 2022 Kubota Hometown Proud grant for Homesteads for Hope will be used to expand their Social Garden Program for those with more challenging needs and mobility-based disabilities, double their 80-plot community garden and the program’s impact, and renovate the estate home with new doors and windows to weatherproof the main program spaces for year-round use.

If awarded the additional Community Choice Grant, Homesteads for Hope will also be able to finish the renovation on their 18th century historic barns to include new siding and electrical upgrades and pour new concrete pathways to increase accessibility. These projects would allow Homesteads to triple the amount of people they serve and provide the momentum needed to start their eagerly anticipated inclusive housing village, which will give 250 to 300 people of all abilities a place to call home.

For more information and for Kubota Hometown Proud Grant Program official rules, visit KubotaHometownProud.com. 

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