AuSable Forks Elementary used their Adirondack Garden Club grant to purchase a series of books having to do with different aspects of gardening. Pictured from left are kindergarteners from Ms. Barber’s class and Mrs. Richard’s class: Evana Adams, Milo Blaney and Kaelyn Mussaw. (Provided photo — Caroline Douglas)

KEENE — The window for the Adirondack Garden Club’s 2023 grant applications is now open.

The Adirondack Garden Club offers three grants:

¯ 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. The maximum amount per Ellen Lea Paine Memorial Nature Fund grant is $1,500.

¯ The 1928 AGC Founders Fund was established in the 1980s to give grants to not-for-profit organizations, including schools, involved in programs whose purpose is to create an impact in a specific area within the Adirondack environment. These requests are reviewed by the Executive Committee for approval and distribution.

¯ The 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 Liz Jaques, P.O. Box 58, Keene, NY 12942-0058, or email contact@adirondackgardenclub.com. The deadline for grant applications is April 1, with grants to be awarded no later than June 1.

In 2022, the Adirondack Garden Club grants funded projects such as an educational edible garden (Creative Kitchen Garden), assistance in the purchase of battery-powered equipment (Adirondack Land Trust), production of an informational guide for people to notice, identify and report the diversity of species that live around Moody Pond (Friends of Moody Pond) and the purchase of a collection of books by Rebecca Pettiford concerning composting, flowers, fruits, harvesting, planting and vegetables (Au Sable Forks Elementary School), among others. A list of previous grant awardees is available on the website.

The Adirondack Garden Club was founded in 1928. The club’s mission is to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening, to aid in the protection of native plants and birds, and to encourage civic planting, and the conservation of our natural resources. Its purpose is the conservation of the plants, shrubs and trees native to the Adirondack region, and the making of both wild and cultivated gardens characteristic of the environment in which they are placed, the furthering of the cultivation of gardens throughout the Adirondack area, and the promotion of civic conservation and beautification. The Adirondack Garden Club is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization. More information is available on the club’s website.