After tallying 4,000 votes cast by public viewing, The Toro Co. revealed the grant recipients in its second annual “Green Spaces Make Great Places” program, which awards funds to communities and nonprofits seeking to improve outdoor environments across the U.S.

The recipient of the most votes and the $7,000 first-place grant is the Wonder Workshop Children’s Museum in Manhattan, Kan. Wonder Workshop is creating a new outdoor garden space to teach kids how to grow healthy foods and give them a safe and fun place to play outdoors.

Unity Chart School, located in Morristown, N.J., took the second-place prize, a $4,000 grant. The school recently relocated to a larger building in a semi-industrial area with a lack of green space. Using funds raised by the parents in the community, the group created a playground and small turf field. It also has plans to transform an additional area to serve as an outdoor classroom for students.

The two remaining finalists, Growing Solutions and the Irmo Arbor Day Commission, each will receive a $2,000 grant.

The Julie+Michael Tracy Foundation and Growing Solutions Farm, located in Chicago, took a barren 1.5-acre city plot and are converting it into a vocational therapeutic garden to help young adults with autism learn life and career skills.

The Irmo Arbor Day Commission is raising funds to complete beautification projects at local schools and other areas around Irmo, S.C. In addition to creating green areas for kids, funds raised by the organization have helped beautify a new veteran’s park and facilitated the planting of crepe myrtles along the railroad tracks that run through the town.

“All of the finalists shared a compelling story in their efforts to help others through education or by improving green spaces,” said Judson McNeil, manager of Toro Giving. “We are thrilled to be able to help further their individual causes and the greater impact on the community.”