Grants and Scholarships

APPLYING FOR A GRANT

Every year the Kettle Moraine Garden Club is proud to award philanthropic grants for civic projects which are aligned with the mission of our club.  The organizations receiving annual funding for these projects reside in our Lake Country community, SE Wisconsin four-county area, and in our state.   

The following are specific guidelines in order for a project to be considered for funding by the Ways and Means Committee:

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• Is submitted by a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization

• Is aligned with the mission of KMGC:  “Kettle Moraine Garden Club, a member of The Garden Club of America, is dedicated to the love of gardening through education and civic projects in the fields of horticulture, floral design, nature photography, conservation, and environmental renewal.”

• Is NOT an endowment, maintenance, scholarship, or research study.

• Is clearly defined, has a demonstrated need, and presents a unique opportunity to benefit the community-at-large

• Has a defined financial plan for funds; may have other alternative funding as well

• Is to be completed in the following calendar year of the application; we request that KMGC recognition be given by a donor sign placed at a project site (if rules of organization allow).

• Application should contain all required names and project information; organization should provide  specific project details attached to the application

• Application needs to be signed by a KMGC member as a proposer (a KMGC member does not need to be involved with the organization)

• Applications need to be submitted or postmarked by July 31, 2020.

• Application guidelines may be obtained by clicking here.

• Application forms may be obtained by clicking here or from the Ways & Means Committee Co-Chairs.

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2019 GRANTS AWARDED

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Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee-Camp Whitcomb/Mason

Support for a new pavilion to act as "home base" for the new campers.  This pavilion will welcome about 8,500 children annually.  

$10,000

Friends of Boerner Botanical Gardens

 Continued support for the year-round horticultural and environmental education materials for K-12 school students.

$5,000

Friends of Lapham Peak ​

Removal of invasive plants/vegetation and restoration in an area in the park.  Assistance with the butterfly Garden.

$1,350

Waukesha County Land Conservancy

Assistance with the restoration of about 400 acres of imperiled oak ecosystems and development of a conservation educational program for K-12 students

$4,000

Tall Pines Conservancy

Creation and implementation of an educational sign located at the North Lake Conservation area; teaching about the life cycle of the ephemeral pond at that location.

$1,000

Summerstage of Delafield

Assistance with replanting vegetation and trees damaged by weather and people; replacement of some investment plantings and a deteriorating message board.

$4,500

Shorehaven Lutheran Home

Replacement of rodent damaged planting, creation of a rain garden in an existing retention pond, and plants for the border.

$1,800

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University Lake School

Creation of a Youth Garden.  Children will build, plant, manage, harvest, cook, and eat the garden products.  Education will include active participation in the physical work and creating basic costs concepts along with other aspects of the garden.

$6,000

TOTAL GRANT AWARDS: $33,650

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SCHOLARSHIPS

The club also gives out one or more scholarships each year to an undergraduate student studying in a Wisconsin college or university.  The area of interest or major area of study we look for is varied but within the framework of our club's interest, i.e., botany, horticulture, landscape architecture, conservation, and land preservation.  We send out information to the colleges/universities in Wisconsin along with an application and this is passed on to interested students who are studying (majoring) in these areas.  If you know of an interested student, an application will be available in early spring from the Scholarship Committee or by clicking here.  The Scholarship Committee reviews all applications and chooses the winner.

2019-20 Scholarship Winners 

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Ryan Turnmire, UW Whitewater

 Emeline Brady, Beloit College

 Emily Kolbe, UW River Falls

MAJOR GRANTS

In December of 2012, the Kettle Moraine Garden Club awarded $40,000 to the Friends of Lapham Peak for environmental education exhibits and features at the newly restored Hausmann Nature Center located at Lapham Peak State Park in Delafield, Wisconsin.

School children and the public now can learn about conservation, sustainable building, and environmental resource protection at this new center in the park.  The garden club funded installation of permanent exhibits about prairie restoration using native plants, glacial topography, human history, wetland habitat, owls, Nemahbin Springs, a geothermal system display and artifact display. In addition, KMGC funds were used to purchase a telescope, viewing benches, gift shop furnishings, and to create a hands-on interactive children’s nature area.  See more information about the center at this link.

www.laphampeakfriends.org/facilities/hausmann-nature-center/

Garden club members also work in the summer months at the park weeding and maintaining the Butterfly Garden, which is open to the public and accessible from the Homestead parking lot.   The nature center is open Saturday and Sunday, June 1- November 1 from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The KMGC is an IRS Section 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Current tax returns and information are available on request.