Funding and Materials for Schoolyard Habitats

Sources of Funding

Installing and upgrading schoolyard habitats can seem extremely costly, but there are multiple organizations which help with funding for such tasks. The following organizations and businesses provide funding for schoolyard habitats and gardens. 

• Chesapeake Bay Trust
  Provides grants for restoration projects, environmental education, and community engagement and outreach.
• KidsGardening.org
  Provides grants through the National Gardening Association and Home Depot for educational gardens at schools and community centers.
• Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education
  Provides small grants to schools, community centers, nature centers, and other places of learning for stewardship projects.
• Project Learning Tree
  
• Previous grant winning projects have included outdoor classrooms, schoolyard habitats and school gardens.
• Unity Gardens (Anne Arundel County only)
  Provides grants up to $1,000 for community greening projects.
• United States Environmental Protection Agency
  Provides grants for environmental education projects that promote awareness and stewardship.

Native Plants

It is important that your schoolyard habitat consist of plants native to your area; and it is equally important that the sources of your plants are knowledgeable.  The following websites provide information on reputable locations to acquire native plants, or offer native plants for purchase.

• Bring Back the Monarchs Campaign from Monarch Watch
  Free source of milkweed for large scale (over 2 acre) native restoration projects​
• Native Plant Directory from PlantNative
  Website with searchable directory of organizations, nurseries, etc. that sell native plants
• Native Plant Sources from the Maryland Native Plant Society
  Website with a list of organizations, nurseries, and garden centers that sell native plants
• State Tree Nursery of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources
  A source for native tree species