Each year, Try This gives minigrants of up to $3,000 to local teams. Each team creates a project that make it easier for people to get healthy food or be physically active.
Since 2014, Try This has awarded more than
$1,000,000 to over 400 teams in 53 counties.
Where can we get project ideas and inspiration?
Three great ways to get inspired:
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1. The original Try This Website is a treasure chest of ideas and examples. Start with the index page and go from there!
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2. Click the minigrant links below for year-by-year, county-by-county lists of projects teams have already done and to find contacts in your area.
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3. Open the Try This Checklist and go through the checklist for your community. If you have a team, do it with your team. It's fun! You'll identify a lot that's already been done and get many ideas for next steps.
The Putnam Paddling Project started with a Try This minigrant.
Basic Guidelines
To be funded, your project must make it easier for people in your West Virginia community to get healthy food or be physically active.
Try This funds projects that are likely to last and grow in your community - that means no one-day or standalone events, or a project that is supported by only one person or organization.
Try This aims to fund projects that have a collaborative team and reach folks who need it most in an effort to improve health equity. Try This will favor projects meeting minority community needs.
Volunteers help build the West Teays Elementary greenhouse.
What makes a Try This minigrant team great?
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Each project must be carried out by a team. A team is at least three like-minded people from your community who have agreed to work together on your project. It can be anybody. You just need to convince us that you have what you need to get the job done.
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Each team must include people from at least three groups in your community. A group can be a church, school, business, government office, Boy Scout troop, a neighborhood group, or even an individual passionate for change.
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Team members can be any age​, education level, experience level, or ability. Diverse teams tend to have the best outcomes. Try This loves to see projects that include - or are led by - young folks.
Try This Conference attendees
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Your team must include somebody who is new to community teamwork. Try This aims to help build community leadership. Being part of a Try This team is a great starting point for people who have never thought of themselves as community leaders.
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Everyone on the team contributes something specific. One person is the team leader. Maybe another person tills the garden, another organizes the volunteers. Another donates fertilizer, etc.
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The team isn't competing, with the community or each other. Try This projects are best led by folks who aren't motivated by ego. Everyone should be working collaboratively towards the same goal, including community partners, supporting business, etc.
Grow Ohio Valley volunteers
Think you'd like to give it a shot? Jump over to the "How to Apply" page for more details!
A Try This minigrant gives you much more than money.
Your Try This grant gives you a great way to raise even more $$. It gives you a way to leverage. For instance, you can say to the county commission or city council, "Look at this grant we got! Can you match it?" Or to say to a local contractor, "Look what we got. Can you donate use of your bulldozer to level our playground?"
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Try This partners who work with food and healthy activity projects can help you. Try This has many statewide partners who are glad to help local people with their projects. If you let us know what you need, a partner may be able to help.
Hampshire County school garden team
Upshur County Trail volunteers
You’ll improve your community leadership skills. It's a chance to polish skills in grant writing, team-building, leveraging funds, and collaborating with other organizations.
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The Try This team can help you get past roadblocks. Help can be an email away - we are here to brainstorm and problem-solve beside you, not to judge you.
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Your team will help build collaboration among groups in your community. When several groups work as partners on a project, they feel more invested in it and are generally more likely to work together again.
​Your team and project become part of a statewide movement of West Virginians working to knock our state off the top of the worst health lists. By joining forces with Try This and, by extension, our partners and friends across the state, you'll have the chance to meet and brainstorm with all kinds of brilliant folks. And you'll feel great knowing that your project is part of bigger a movement to get WV healthier!
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Try This Conference attendees
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