The Garden Club of America Montine M. Freeman Scholarship in Native Plant Studies
Offered by The Garden Club of America
About this scholarship
The Garden Club of America Montine M. Freeman Scholarship in Native Plant Studies funds study and projects that improve understanding, development, and use of underutilized native plants. One or more awards of at least $3,000 support work at an accredited college or university or at a major botanic garden or arboretum. Eligible activities may include native-plant propagation, management of living collections, incorporation of native plants into designed landscapes, and written or photographic documentation of research. Applicants may be undergraduates, graduate students, advanced-degree candidates, or non-degree students above high-school level, but they must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents actively enrolled at a U.S.-based institution. The direct online application requests academic background, honors, employment, leadership, professional plans, and a defined project or program with its duration, supervisor, and host institution. Candidates upload a short essay explaining the work and its connection to their plans, two signed recommendations, and official transcripts; unofficial transcripts may serve only as temporary placeholders. Applications are due February 1, and only one Garden Club of America scholarship, fellowship, or award may be pursued in a year. The committee normally reviews applications in March and notifies applicants shortly afterward.
Eligibility
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Be currently and actively enrolled in a U.S.-based postsecondary or postsecondary certificate program
- Be an undergraduate, graduate student, advanced-degree candidate, or non-degree student above high-school level
- Propose study, research, training, or project work involving underutilized native plants
- Identify a supervising person or institution and the project duration
- Upload the required short essay, two signed recommendation letters, and official transcript
- Apply for only one GCA scholarship, fellowship, or award during the year
- Submit the complete application by February 1, 2027