ScottsMiracle-Gro Pledges $1 Million to Restore White House Lawn After UFC Event

Q: With two major funding pledges for the lawn repair, what happens to the UFC's original $700,000 commitment?

It is unclear whether the UFC’s original $700,000 commitment still stands, because the company has not said if it will still pay after ScottsMiracle-Gro pledged $1 million. What is clear is that ScottsMiracle-Gro’s package — cash, product, and technical support — appears large enough to cover or substantially offset the South Lawn restoration that UFC executives had previously estimated at roughly $700,000 to $1 million. That means the immediate funding need for the South Lawn may already be met. The unresolved issue is whether UFC’s money would still be contributed on top of ScottsMiracle-Gro’s pledge, redirected to other damaged areas such as the Ellipse, or simply no longer be needed. The White House has not clarified that point, and the scope of ScottsMiracle-Gro’s donation beyond the South Lawn also remains uncertain. So, as of now, the practical answer is that UFC’s original pledge is in limbo. ScottsMiracle-Gro’s commitment likely covers the main repair bill, but there has been no public confirmation that UFC has withdrawn, reduced, or reassigned its promised contribution.

3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 22

$1 million in cash and product support will go to re-sod and reseed the White House South Lawn after a UFC event on Donald Trump’s 80th birthday left it heavily damaged.
White House officials said ScottsMiracle-Gro offered the donation to the National Park Service and that no taxpayer money would be used, though it remains unclear whether the similarly scarred Ellipse is included.
CREW said the arrangement raises ethics concerns because ScottsMiracle-Gro is a White House-promoted corporate sponsor led by longtime Trump supporter James Hagedorn, while the company also sells Roundup as glyphosate litigation reaches the Supreme Court.
UFC had already budgeted $700,000 for grass replacement, according to Dana White last year, but neither UFC nor the White House said whether the promoter will still cover any repair costs.
The damage has widened criticism of upkeep around the White House complex ahead of the U.S. 250th anniversary, with aerial images showing a large dirt circle on the Ellipse.