Sacred Grounds TM is a Garden for Wildlife program of the National Wildlife Federation which encourages faith communities to create wildlife habitat on their properties and educate themselves and their communities about the ecological good that landscaping with native plants can provide.  The Toledo-Lucas County Rain Garden Initiative is pleased to champion natural stormwater management as part of Sacred Grounds Toledo, a local partnership which has worked to pilot Sacred Grounds TM in the Great Lakes and build a network of faith communities willing to serve as educational hubs across the Toledo area. Click here for a new factsheet about the  Sacred Grounds Toledo team!

An interactive map of participating faith communities which includes summaries of their Sacred Grounds projects is available below. Clicking on the box with the arrow at the top of the map will display which watershed each faith community is in. Clicking on the circle icons will display a summary of information for each participating faith community. ​

Sacred Grounds Events and Workshops 
Sacred Grounds Toledo Garden Open House
Thursday, July 22nd, 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM​
Learn ways to garden for wildlife and water quality at your faith community or in your own yard with these stories from first-year gardens. Learn more and RSVP at the button below!

Toledo Mini-Grants Funding Opportunity ​

There are currently no mini-grants available for Sacred Grounds projects. However, the Sacred Grounds Toledo team is available to offer technical expertise and resources to interested faith communities. Click here to learn more about Sacred Grounds Toledo, and here for more information about the National Wildlife Federation program.

Information on Sacred Grounds Toledo Mini-Grants from any subsequent funding will be posted as available. Please note: You may register and certify your faith community as a Sacred Grounds without applying for a mini-grant.
There are currently no mini-grants available for Sacred Grounds projects.
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Additional Resources

​Please find below additional resources to assist faith communities and residents in pursuing Sacred Grounds certification or installing a native plant garden at home.

Sacred Grounds in the News

National Wildlife Federation: Faith, Flora and Friendship (November 10th, 2020)

Toledo Blade: Churches Bless Neighborhoods with Nature's Gifts (October 10th, 2020)

​National Wildlife Federation April-May 2020 Issue: How places of worship are gardening to benefit wildlife (April 1, 2020)

Greater Toledo Community Foundation- Foundation Matters: Sacred Grounds Promotes Community Health (Winter 2020)

NWF Great Lakes Regional Center: Sacred Grounds Promotes Community, Faith and Wildlife in Toledo (September 20, 2018)

Toledo Blade: Faith communities create eco-friendly projects (July 17, 2018)

July 2019 News Letter – Wild Ones – Oak Openings Region Chapter
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Great Lakes Now: Growing Gardens: Churches and mosques create native plant gardens to help with water quality, wildlife and community building (August 6, 2019)