School community gardens could get a boost this spring from new equipment, water systems or soil preparation — and new technology will help garden planners apply for funds to pay for those needs.

Federal grant funds, secured by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., will provide 40 mini-grants of $1,000 each for gardens that combine community participation and student learning.

Friends of Burlington Gardens executive director Jim Flint said the combination is a new model for garden grants administered by that group. “The rationale is that traditional school gardens struggle during the summer, and community gardens often don’t have an educational component,” Flint said.

Friends of Burlington Gardens will provide ongoing educational assistance and administer the program. The group cooperated with the Vermont Community Foundation to jointly apply for the funds from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

An online application form is available on the website of Friends of Burlington Gardens, www.burlingtongardens.org.

Flint said the gardens could be any of several garden elements: a cultivated plot with beds, rows and paths; a collection of raised beds; or an allotment style garden where families rent space. It should rely on a partnership between school and community members for educational programs and management to ensure that it is well maintained during the school year and through summer months.

This isn’t the first time the group has awarded grants. Since launching the Vermont Community Garden Network in 2005, Friends of Burlington Gardens has helped to awaken the statewide interest in growing healthful foods for school and home use.

Grants often have gone to school gardens and community gardens separately; this year the projects will interweave their objectives.

Between 2006 and 2010, Friends of Burlington Gardens awarded grants of $100-$500 to 208 gardens to support a network of gardens accessible to Vermonters of all ages and backgrounds. Flint said 192 of the projects were successfully completed and reimbursed for expenses.

This year’s grant payments will follow the same process as in previous years. Projects will receive reimbursement after the garden is under way and the items to be funded have been used and reported. The grants could reimburse costs for plowing, compost, water systems, raised bed timbers, garden carts, tool storage containers, informative bulletin boards, basic hand tools and other requisites.

“Reimbursement afterward ensures that there is follow-through and the money is spent as intended,” Flint said.

Flint said he is excited to have new technology that permits online applications, but they should be written carefully.

“A successful mini-grant application takes time to plan and write,” Flint said.

He encourages people to compose their responses first and, if possible, attend one of three workshops to assist them with a successful application. “We expect more applicants than available grants,” he said.

Among the information used to evaluate the applications will be ways the project will implement food education programs, who will provide leadership, how students will be engaged in planning the garden and have the opportunity to eat vegetables grown there, and reasons the project should be selected.

The grants are available to both new and existing garden projects. Costs of seeds, plants and mulch are not eligible for grant reimbursement, so the applicant must be able to pay for those essentials from other sources.

Workshops will be Jan. 29 at Gardener’s Supply Co. in Burlington; Feb. 19 at North Country Junior High School in Derby; and Feb. 26 at Rutland High School. The deadline for submitting grant applications is March 15.