Scholarships
The GCFM Horticultural Scholarship
Today’s students will be the leaders of tomorrow, ensuring the preservation of our natural resources of the planet Earth. The Garden Club Federation of Maine, its districts, and local clubs support horticulture-based education with an annual scholarship of $5,000.
The GCFM Scholarship is awarded to college juniors, seniors, or graduate students who are legal residents of the state of Maine, and not related to a GCFM board member. College sophomores are eligible to apply, as they will be entering their junior year the following fall.
Applicants must be majoring in: Horticulture, Floriculture, Landscape Design, Conservation, Forestry, Botany, Agronomy, Plant Pathology, Environmental Concerns, Ecology, Land Management, or other gardening fields. The college or university attended need not be in the state of Maine. The scholarship funds are submitted directly to the college or university in August.
Each June, the scholarship recipient is invited to attend the GCFM Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon at the State Convention.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted electronically to the Scholarship Chair at [email protected] no later than FEBRUARY 1st. Click here for a downloadable form: GCFM Horticulture Scholarship Application Form
NOTE: The GCFM application is NOT a fillable form. Print, fill-out, and scan to submit
electronically.
Applications must include:
- Official Transcript
- Financial Aid Information , signed by your Financial Aid Officer
- Personal letter by applicant (limited to one page)
- List of extra-curricular activities and awards received
- Three letters of recommendation (scholarship ability, personal, work-related), each limited to one page
The winner of the GCFM Horticultural Scholarship is submitted to the National Garden Clubs for consideration for their $4,000 scholarship. The NGC application and documentation should also be submitted with the GCFM application information.
Applicants will be judged on the following:
- Aptitude in the field of horticulture
- Academic record
- Avocational interests and vocational potential
- Character
- Financial need
For more information please contact the GCFM Scholarship Chairman at [email protected].
2026 GCFM Scholarship Recipient
Grace McGuire from Deer Isle is our 2026 Scholarship winner. Grace attends Wheaton College in Massachusetts, where she is majoring in Environmental Science with a minor in Chemistry. Grace has been interested in the environment since elementary school. She participated in the garden club at her elementary school and founded the ECO Club at her high school. While in high school, she worked at an organic farm, an experience that was very impactful for her.
Grace is a member of the Environmentally Conscious Community Oriented (ECCO) House at Wheaton, where she organized events to raise environmental awareness, ran a campus composting program, and will be a Co-President of the house next year. Grace was named an Eliza Wheaton Scholar. She interned at Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center. This summer, she will study abroad in Iceland through a program focused on soil and plant succession after glacial retreat. We are so lucky to have her as our 2026 Scholarship Winner!
GCFM Community College Scholarship
The Mary Lou Marks Smith Scholarship is awarded to a community college student majoring in horticulture, floral design or other gardening related fields who is a legal resident of the State of Maine. The Scholarship, in the amount of $1,000, will be given every other year, in odd-numbered years. It is mailed to the college at the beginning of the second semester.
Application Guidelines
Applications must be submitted electronically to the Scholarship Chair at [email protected] no later than FEBRUARY 1st. Click here for a downloadable form: Mary Lou Marks Smith Scholarship Application Form
