Partial scholarships are available to Vermont residents who wish to do the volunteer track (Track 1).

Scholarship applications accepted from Nov.1-December 31. Applications are reviewed the first week of January and should receive notification before the course registration deadline.

Please provide the following information to beret.halverson@uvm.edu

  1. How much can you contribute up front towards the $ 425-course fee?
  2. Can you meet all of the course requirements? Can you complete all the assignments? Review the program webpage and then write a paragraph explaining your understanding of the Master Gardener course requirements.
  3. Our program provides partial funding only to students that are interested in pursuing Master Gardener Certification (Track 1) and volunteering within their communities, and who have already begun to plan how they will volunteer. After you have communicated with project leaders to determine a good project for you, please provide us with the project name, contact person(s), partner organization(s), what you will teach and how, and the timeline.  You may reach out for help to our volunteer coordinator Cindy Heath –cindy.heath@uvm.edu, or refer to the project list on our website.
  4. We require that all partial scholarship recipients provide us with a 1-page report and 2 photos of your volunteer project by January 31st of the year following the course. These articles will be featured in the spring edition of our statewide newsletter. Are you able to fulfill this request without a reminder? Please explain how you will fulfill this request.

Other Sources of Assistance

AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps engages more than 80,000 Americans in intensive service each year at 21,600 unique sites including nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and community and faith-based groups across the country. Contact the National Service Hotline at: 1-800-942-2677 or submit a question to AmeriCorps via webform. Students use their AmeriCorps education stipend funds to cover the course fee.

  • The student logs into their AmeriCorps account to fill out the form. They select UVM as the Institution, and select Non-Credit Course, and include the Start and End Date.
  • The student contacts master.gardener@uvm.edu to provide their contact information to register for the course, and to ask for UVM to go in and verify their enrollment.
  • Once the student's enrollment has been verified by UVM, the student receives a voucher from AmeriCorps indicating they will cover the course fee.
  • The student provides a copy of the "paper voucher" to master.gardener@uvm.edu to register for the Master Gardener Course

Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC)

VSAC offers Non-Degree Grants, based on financial status. To apply, you must first create a MyVSAC username and password, or call 1-800-642-3177 for an application or questions (be sure to select UVM Vermont Master Gardener Program as the Agency Name). Once the student receives verification they have been awarded a grant, the student must contact the master gardener state office to complete their registration - 802-656-9562.

The Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Vermont Department of Labor

Provides funds to any Vermonter dealing with a disability that affects employment. Visit the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation for more information.

Middlebury Garden Club

Addison County Residents Only - The Middlebury Garden Club is offering one full scholarship to Addison County residents. Visit the Middlebury Garden Club website for the application.

Bennington County

Bennington County Residents Only - The Bennington UVM Extension Master Gardener Chapter is offering two $250.00 scholarships for the 2020 course. Download the application here. If any questions, please contact Dorothy Sundquist @ dotsun53@gmail.com

  • Jessica, 2012 recipient says:

    Receiving the scholarship and taking the EMG course allowed me to begin learning and building a passion for gardening at a younger age, and made it less daunting in a new place. The scholarship allowed me an opportunity for continued learning that I would have delayed otherwise, while also allowing me the opportunity to participate in the educational aspect of the EMG course, and this was a very key priority for me.

    The scholarship was a stepping stone to many things for me: lifelong learning, cultivating a knowledge of gardening in Vermont, fostering an appreciation for growing food, and most of all, the opportunities to share this with others in our state's communities.

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Scholarships