Garden Club Federation of Maine Scholarships
Scholarship Sponsored by Garden Club Federation of Maine
GCFM Horticulture Scholarship
The Garden Club Federation of Maine (GCFM), its districts, and local clubs support horticulture-based education through an annual scholarship. The $5,000 award is sent directly to the recipient’s college or university in August. Each June, the recipient is invited to attend the GCFM Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon at the State Convention.
Eligibility: Applicants must be legal residents of Maine and may not be related to a GCFM board member. They must be college juniors, seniors, or graduate students; college sophomores may apply if they will enter their junior year the following fall.
Eligible fields: Applicants must major in horticulture, floriculture, landscape design, conservation, forestry, botany, agronomy, plant pathology, environmental concerns, ecology, land management, or another gardening-related field. The college or university may be located outside Maine.
- Annual award: $5,000.
- Funds are sent to the recipient’s college or university in August.
- The recipient is invited to the GCFM Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon in June.
How to Apply
Submit the application electronically to the GCFM Scholarship Chair at [email protected] by the February deadline. The downloadable GCFM Horticulture Scholarship Application Form is not fillable, so applicants must print, complete, and scan it before submitting. Applicants should also submit the National Garden Clubs application and supporting documents with their GCFM materials for consideration for the organization’s $4,000 scholarship.
Application materials:
- Official transcript.
- Financial aid information signed by a financial aid officer.
- Applicant’s personal letter, limited to one page.
- List of extracurricular activities and awards.
- Three one-page letters of recommendation addressing scholarship ability, personal qualities, and work-related experience.
Selection criteria: Applicants are evaluated on their aptitude in horticulture, academic record, avocational interests and vocational potential, character, and financial need.
- Submit the application and supporting materials electronically by the February deadline.
- Print and scan the non-fillable application form.
- Include the National Garden Clubs application and documentation for consideration for its $4,000 scholarship.
For more information, contact the GCFM Scholarship Chair at [email protected].
GCFM Community College Scholarship
The Mary Lou Marks Smith Scholarship supports a Maine resident attending community college. Applicants must be majoring in horticulture, floral design, or another gardening-related field. The $1,000 scholarship is awarded every other year, in odd-numbered years, and is mailed to the college at the beginning of the second semester.
Eligibility: Applicants must be legal residents of Maine and community college students majoring in an eligible field.
Award value and timing: The scholarship is $1,000 and is awarded in odd-numbered years. Payment is mailed to the college at the beginning of the second semester.
- For Maine community college students in eligible fields.
- A $1,000 award offered in odd-numbered years.
- Payment is mailed to the college at the start of the second semester.