Grant Funds Available for Native Plant Installations

Washtenaw County Conservation District now accepting applications for annual School & Community Habitat Grant

The Washtenaw County Conservation District (WCCD) is pleased to announce they are accepting applications for the fifth year of the School & Community Habitat Grant, designed to assist schools and community organizations with accessing native plants and establishing wildlife habitat.  The grant is open to local schools, community groups (including places of worship and HOAs), local government entities, and nonprofit organizations. Eligible projects should focus on native plants and wildlife habitat creation, such as rain gardens, pollinator gardens, food forests, shoreline restoration, etc. The proposed site location must be a public or semi-public space in Washtenaw County. The applicants must demonstrate a benefit to local communities, both natural and human, and a maintenance plan.  Projects of all sizes are encouraged to apply.  However, it’s recommended that projects with funding needs that exceed the scope of this grant demonstrate additional funding sources in their applications or include a list of priorities segmenting the project into smaller stand-alone phases.

Historically, between 4-7 projects are selected each cycle and award amounts have ranged from $100-$2,500 and are provided in the form of plant materials, expert design plans, site prep, and/or installation assistance. The WCCD partners with local consultants to provide technical assistance and grant awardees are determined through a grant selection committee. WCCD is now accepting applications until the Monday, June 13^th, 2025 deadline.  Visit their website to learn more, download the application, and explore past projects: https://www.washtenawcd.org/schg. 

The grant is supported by the WCCD millage funds as well as through the generosity of community member donations. All donations for the grant go directly to plant materials, design services, and support for the grant awardees’ habitat projects. Donations are accepted now via the WCCD store website: https://store.washtenawcd.org/donate.

In 2024 the grant was awarded to the following applicants:

• The Farm at Trinity – “The Native Prairie at The Farm at Trinity”
• Risdon Park, Saline – “Pollinator Garden and Outreach Project”
• Mill Creek Middle School – “Mill Creek Native Landscape Educational Habitat Project”
• Lyndon Township Hall – “Lyndon Township Hall Native Gardens Project”
• Ann Arbor STEAM Northside – “Phoenix Roots”
• EMU Children’s Institute – EMU CI Rain PlayGarden

Additional information will be available online as the projects progress. Please contact Matt DeJonge, WCCD Community Forester, with any questions about the SCHG matt.dejonge@macd.org.