Checks for
Community gardening

Support for local small-scale community gardens!

Through this support, it is possible to establish small-scale community gardens where a group of people collaborates to grow plants, vegetables, or flowers on a shared area. The aim is to increase interest in gardening, strengthen knowledge about gardening in an arctic climate, and encourage more people to try the concept of community gardening/the way to organize. The community gardens should be designed to be easy to participate in, regardless of previous experience, age, or conditions. The project should contribute to increased social cohesion, safer and more vibrant places, and practical learning.

Feel free to draw inspiration from the guides below!

Guide to community gardening
Organizational tips for community gardens
Sustainability tips


We have the opportunity to prioritize about 12 applications during 2026 and 2027, and will strive for as good geographical distribution as possible within the leader area. Application rounds will be applied, and important dates and deadlines will be communicated here on this page and on our Facebook.

What can you apply for support for?

Support can be applied for expenses needed to create a small-scale community garden, e.g.:

  • Preparatory measures such as soil samples, land preparations, etc.

  • Raised beds

  • Soil

  • Fertilizer

  • Tools and equipment
  • Rental of machines, tractor including driver, etc.
  • Signs
  • Seating
  • Storage for tools
  • Seeds (not plants)

The effort can advantageously be divided over two growing seasons with preparation in phase 1 and cultivation in phase 2.
Support cannot be applied for personnel costs, as a counter-performance to the support, the work is expected to be done voluntarily. 

 

Conditions for the support:

• The goal of the effort should be to create a community garden of a non-commercial nature in the leader area (i.e., within the municipalities of Gällivare, Jokkmokk, and/or Överkalix).
• The project budget is a maximum of 30,000 SEK and does not include expenses for personnel or investments.
• The end date is no later than 2027-12-31.
• The applicant and implementer is an organization that conducts non-profit activities and has not previously been granted a check for community gardening.
• If the applicant organization does not own the land itself, the project must be able to show a user agreement for the land for at least 3 years after the project has started.
• The project idea should be locally anchored.
• It should be possible for more people to join the gardening.
• The project can demonstrate that no one is excluded from the gardening on unreasonable grounds.
• The application contains a reasonable description of the activities to be carried out, as well as what personnel and financial resources are available. Possibly, statutes, annual reports, and minutes from the annual meeting may need to be presented. 
• The budget contains reasonable price information.

Something else to think about!

• You may not begin the project until you have received a decision on your application.
• You cannot apply for support for regular operations or for activities that can be carried out even without the support.
• You cannot apply for support as co-financing for a larger project.
• The organization must be able to cover 50% of the costs until the project is completed.
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Important dates!

  • June 16, 2026 – Deadline for complete application before the upcoming decision meeting. A complete application means that all questions are answered in the application, a correct budget is established, and it is signed by an authorized signatory.
  • June 24, 2026 – Decision meeting. A maximum of 3 applications will be processed at the meeting. In the case of more applications, they will be prioritized in the order they were received complete at the leader office. 
  • August 5, 2026 – Deadline for complete application before the upcoming decision meeting. A complete application means that all questions are answered in the application, a correct budget is established, and it is signed by an authorized signatory.
  • August 11, 2026 – Decision meeting. A maximum of 3 applications will be processed at the meeting. In the case of more applications, they will be prioritized in the order they were received complete at the leader office. 

 

How do we proceed?

If you are unsure whether your idea can be implemented with this support, please contact Nina at the leader office first.

After that, you fill out an application form and a budget. You email these to the leader office. If any additions or clarifications need to be made to the application, you will receive feedback about it.

When your application is complete (i.e. all questions in the application are answered, a correct budget is attached and the application is signed), it will be queued for the decision-making group.

Download the application form

If you have any questions, please contact: 

Nina Eriksson Fyrsjö
070-610 21 57
nina@leaderpolaris.se