The National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Regional Center in partnership with the Au Sable Institute, will provide mini-grants of $1500 to 4 houses of worship in Northern Michigan to create native plant gardens on their property. To qualify for funding, participating houses must be located in Grand Traverse or Kalkaska counties.

The Sacred Grounds program aims to work with houses of worship to advance stewardship practices through grants, support, and education. More information can be found at www.nwf.org/sacredgrounds.

We aim to select a diverse group of houses of worship that reflect the racial, socioeconomic, and faith diversity of the community. Neither plant nor gardening expertise is required to participate in the program. However, it is important to demonstrate the volunteer capacity to help install and maintain the garden.

The 4 houses of worship selected to receive funding and technical support must attend an onboarding workshop to begin the garden planning process and learn about other opportunities to engage their congregation and local community in stewardship practices. Garden installation must be completed by fall 2021. Please review the grant application and submit any questions to Paul Wiemerslage, project manager.

A copy of the grant application can be found by clicking here.

**Applications are due by February 26, 2021. Note, mini-grant recipients will be required to attend a virtual onboarding workshop on Wednesday, March 10, from 6:30-8:00pm. **