In keeping with its mission to support those who champion conservation in the Adirondack Park, the Adirondack Garden Club offers three grants: the Ellen Lea Paine Memorial Nature Fund, the 1928 AGC Founders Fund, and the Francesca Paine Irwin Conservation Fund.

The window for the 2025 Adirondack Garden Club’s grants application is now open.

Ellen Lea Paine Memorial Nature Fund was established in 2005 to give financial assistance to individuals and not-for-profit organizations, including schools, involved in programs whose purpose is to study, protect and enjoy the natural environment within the Adirondack Park. These requests are considered and distributed by the ELP Committee.

1928 AGC Founders Fund was established in the 1980s to provide grants to nonprofit organizations, including schools, that run programs focused on making a meaningful impact within the Adirondack environment. These fund’s support aims to promote knowledge and appreciation of gardening, protect native plants and birds, encourage civic planting, and support the conservation of natural resources.

Francesca Paine Irwin Conservation Fund was created in 2013 and is used for project-based funding requests that are focused on conservation. These requests are reviewed by the Conservation Committee and forwarded to the Executive Committee for approval and distribution.

All three grants utilize the same grant application form. For an application, visit adirondackgardenclub.com, or write to Adirondack Garden Club, P.O. Box 58, Keene, NY 12942-0058, or email contact@adirondackgardenclub.com. The deadline for grant applications and dispersals of awards are:

• Ellen Lea Paine Memorial Nature Fund, application deadline is April 7, 2025, with funds distributed by May 15, 2025.
• 1928 AGC Founders Fund, application deadline is June 30, 2025, with funds distributed by July 30, 2025.
• Francesca Paine Irwin Conservation Fund, application deadline is: June 30, 2025, with funds distributed by July 30, 2025.

In 2024, the Adirondack Garden Club grants funded a variety of projects:

The Ellen Lea Paine Memorial Nature Fund grants were awarded to:
Eagle Island Camp, for microscopes, nature ID Books and ID cards; Adirondack Land Trust, for their Blue Bird Project on three of ALT’s conserved properties; Lakeside School at Black Kettle Farm, to create a hedgerow to support wildlife.; Saranac Lake Central School, to repair and rehabilitate the Petrova School Garden; Essex County Historical Society, to eradicate invasive plants in the Adirondack History Museum’s Colonial Garden; Creative Kitchen Garden, to support two workshops teaching how to grow, harvest and use native plants in the home landscape; Paul Smith’s VIC, to help re-wild one of the primary access points to the VIC with native plants; and Mountain Lake Services, to create a permanent flower garden with a focus on plants to attract beneficial insects, butterflies and birds.

1928 AGC Founders Fund grants were awarded to:
Ausable River Association (now the Ausable Freshwater Center), to increase AFC’s capacity to collect, process, store and propagate native seeds used in restoration projects in the Ausable River watershed; Adirondack Trail Improvement Society (ATIS), to support trail maintenance on public hiking trails in and around the High Peaks Wilderness area. This grant specifically supported enhancements to the trails on Gothics, designed to prevent erosion and preserve vegetation; ADK Action, to support the planting of native pollinator habitats at the High Peaks North and High Peaks South rest areas along the Adirondack Northway (Interstate 87); and Crown Point Central School, to establish a school garden providing fresh produce for students and their families, while teaching about gardening and healthy eating habits.

The Francesca Paine Irwin Conservation Fund grants were awarded to:
The Adirondack Mountain Club, to establish an alpine-focused teaching herbarium for the Summit Stewardship program; and Champlain Area Trails (CATS) to support the purchase and transaction costs of the Coot Hill Conservation and Trail Project.