Since 1928 when the Rome Prize Fellowship in Landscape Architecture was established, The Garden Club of America has funded more than 1,300 recipients. The GCA offers 28 merit-based scholarships in 12 areas.
The Catherine H. Beattie Fellowship in Conservation Horticulture
The Katharine M. Grosscup Scholarships in Horticulture
The Loy McCandless Marks Scholarship in Tropical Horticulture
The Corliss Knapp Engle Scholarship in Horticulture
The Garden Club of America Hope Goddard Iselin Fellowship in Public Horticulture
The Garden Club of America Montine M. Freeman Scholarship in Native Plant Studies
The Clara Carter Higgins Summer Environmental Studies Scholarship
The Garden Club of America Awards for Summer Environmental Studies
The Caroline Thorn Kissel Summer Environmental Studies Scholarship
The Mary T. Carothers Summer Environmental Studies Scholarship
The Elizabeth Gardner Norweb Summer Environmental Studies Scholarship
The Garden Club of America contacts universities, arboreta and botanic gardens to encourage them to advertise our scholarships to their students and interns. Twelve of the scholarships are managed by GCA staff and volunteers. Selection committees comprised of the GCA and community volunteers read applications and recommend candidates to be voted on in March each year. For fifteen of the GCA scholarships, the specialized level of knowledge necessary to choose the most compelling research projects requires that we collaborate with the following outside organizations:
These organizations each establish a panel of scientists to recommend award recipients in their respective fields. In addition to scholarships actively managed by the GCA, we collaborate with the American Academy in Rome which annually awards the GCA Rome Prize Fellowship in Landscape Architecture using funds endowed by the GCA.
In 2018, 73 scholars were awarded over $308,400 to support a variety of academic endeavors ranging from summer environmental study and field work, to graduate level research. Their study will take place in institutions across the nation and some will conduct field work across the globe.
GCA Scholars have become leaders in their fields of study. Recently, a selection panel member reviewed a list of past recipients of The GCA Awards in Tropical Botany, which were first awarded in the 1980s. These scholars are now well established in their careers. The selection panel member commented that the names appearing on the list are a “veritable who’s who” of the Systematics and Forest Ecology fields today. The Garden Club of America is deservedly proud of its scholarship program.
Read the 2018 GCA Scholars Report
View and download the GCA Scholarship Flyer
The Garden Club of America offers 28 merit-based scholarships and fellowships in 12 areas related to conservation, ecology, horticulture, and pollinator research. In 2018, more than $308,400 were awarded to 65 scholars.
Follow GCA Scholarships on Twitter for the latest news about pollinators, coastal wetlands, native bird habitats, and much more. Connect to a larger world of horticulture and conservation through the Garden Club of America scholars. Learn more about the GCA Scholarships.