Applications now open for AAF&G's annual grant and scholarship awards
Calling all Washtenaw County nonprofit garden projects! If your organization needs some ‘green’ to help your garden grow, applications are now open for Ann Arbor Farm & Garden’s 2021-22 grant and scholarship cycle.
For 75 years, Ann Arbor Farm & Garden has provided financial support for a wide range of garden projects -- K-12 school gardens, residential community gardens, public gardens, and more – as well as scholarships for college students studying horticulture or a related field. Funds are raised through our annual June Ann Arbor Garden Walk(tm) and other hosted events.
Although the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 Garden Walks certainly impacted the overall amount available for grant and scholarship awards, smaller fundraising events and loyal community support from friends and businesses have enabled us to continue adding to our Foundation coffers. Now it’s time to share the ‘wealth’!
Grant applicants must be a nonprofit or a 501(c)3 organization in Washtenaw County.
Scholarship applicants must be enrolled in a legitimate program related to horticulture at an accredited educational institution, and the application must be signed by the institution’s Financial Aid office.
Please download the appropriate application form here. Applications will be accepted through November 19, 2021. Awards will be announced in February 2022. Questions? Contact AAFG.Foundation@gmail.com.
| aafg2021_22scholarshipapp.pdf |
| aafg2021_22grantapp.pdf |
Prairie restoration project at Superior Township preserve receives $4,700 grant
A plan to transform a mowed field of invasive weeds and grasses at the entrance to the Jack R. Smiley Nature Preserve in Superior Township into a prairie of native forbs and grasses will move forward this year, thanks to a $4,700 grant awarded by Ann Arbor Farm & Garden in February 2021.
The project by the Superior Township Chapter (STC) of the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy (SMLC) will enhance and expand on the chapter’s Native Plant and Insect Garden which was established in 2018. The prairie will encompass approximately 13,000 square feet. Existing kiosks with prairie information will educate visitors about the importance of restoring native plant communities. Explore the Preserve area through this short video.
Cathy Bach, who spoke at our January 2021 Founders Day meeting, is the grant coordinator for STC (and a past AAF&G scholarship recipient!). She notes that the prairie area and native garden are at the main trailhead of the Superior Greenway Nature Trail. This highly visible location encourages visitors and will result in nature education for the whole community.
A plan to transform a mowed field of invasive weeds and grasses at the entrance to the Jack R. Smiley Nature Preserve in Superior Township into a prairie of native forbs and grasses will move forward this year, thanks to a $4,700 grant awarded by Ann Arbor Farm & Garden in February 2021.
The project by the Superior Township Chapter (STC) of the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy (SMLC) will enhance and expand on the chapter’s Native Plant and Insect Garden which was established in 2018. The prairie will encompass approximately 13,000 square feet. Existing kiosks with prairie information will educate visitors about the importance of restoring native plant communities. Explore the Preserve area through this short video.
Cathy Bach, who spoke at our January 2021 Founders Day meeting, is the grant coordinator for STC (and a past AAF&G scholarship recipient!). She notes that the prairie area and native garden are at the main trailhead of the Superior Greenway Nature Trail. This highly visible location encourages visitors and will result in nature education for the whole community.
Why is AAF&G's mission so important?
For more than 70 years, Ann Arbor Farm & Garden has been supporting gardens and green spaces in our community. We’re passionate about gardens and horticultural therapy, and the many, many benefits that accrue from each. Every year we award grants to school gardens, therapeutic gardens, edible gardens, community gardens and more. Why? This is what a sampling of studies and statistics on the many benefits of gardens have to say:
Our efforts DO make a difference!! Thank you!!
- Students (grades 3-5) who participated in a one-year gardening program showed a significant increase in self-understanding and the ability to work in groups.
- Students involved in gardening make greater science achievement gains than non-gardening students. Gardening activities can be integrated into all areas of the school curriculum. Parental involvement increases at schools with garden programs.
- Children who grow their own food are more likely to eat fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Youth interns in community gardens reported increases in maturity, responsibility and interpersonal skills.
- Juvenile offenders who participated in a horticultural training program believed that it sparked their interest in further education, gave them ideas for green careers, and improved their job skills.
- Community gardens foster a sense of community ownership and stewardship, bringing people of varied ages, races, cultures, and social class together and enabling them to work and learn together.
- Community gardens are recognized as an effective crime prevention strategy. Crime rates decrease as an area’s green space increases; community involvement puts more “eyes on the street.”
- Gardens filter rainwater, clean the air, reduce soil erosion and runoff, provide wildlife habitat, and beautify our surroundings.
- Being in natural places fosters recovery from mental fatigue, improves outlook and life satisfaction, helps us to cope with and recover from stress, improves our ability to recover from illness and injury, restores concentration, and improves productivity.
Our efforts DO make a difference!! Thank you!!
Our Commitment to GivingSince 1946, Ann Arbor Farm & Garden has distributed more than $600,000 in charitable grants to a diverse group of local institutions and community projects. Along with beautification and environmental restoration efforts, several of the programs selected in recent years have focused on community vegetable gardens, introducing children to gardening, and those involved in local agriculture. We’ve awarded many grants to local institutions for the creation and restoration of public and specialty gardens, such as the Gaffield Children's Garden at Matthaei Botanical Gardens and the Centennial Shrub Collection at Nichols Arboretum. These green spaces enhance the environment and provide enjoyment for visitors of all ages.
Scholarships Providing critical financial support to students has been part of our mission from the very start. For more than 20 years, we’ve awarded an annual graduate student scholarship at the U-M Biological Station and a scholarship for a student in U-M’s School of Environment and Sustainability (SEAS). We also support the student internship endowment at Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum. For a complete list of AAF&G grant recipients, click here. |
Did you know ....
Shopping on Amazon can help support AAF&G?!?
AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets you enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to the eligible charitable organization of your choice. Sign up with the AmazonSmile program and select "Ann Arbor Farm & Garden" as your charity of choice. Thank you! Past Grant Recipients
 Hoophouse construction,
school garden initiative  Tappan Middle School  
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