In 2015 the MWGCM received a bequest of just over $65,000 from the estate of Betty Deane, the widow of Burton Deane, a long-term member of our club. The MWGCM Board of Directors has put in place a plan to make maximum use of the Deane Fund to fund projects that will advance the missions of MWGCM.

The Club is happy to announce that two grants are being awarded for 2021:

  • Lyndale Park Native/Shade Garden Self Guided Tour
  • Plant-Grow-Share program as part of the Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization

Lyndale Park Native/Shade Garden
A Deanne Fund grant has been awarded to Carol Schreier, co-chair of the Native/Shade Gardens at Lyndale Park for the creation of a self-guided walking tour of the two gardens. The tour will be digitalized, open and accessible to garden club members and the public. A home page on the Club web site will direct users to a PDF which can be printed at home and carried to the gardens, and to two formats available on a user’s smart phone. One will be an audio guide and the second will be a PDF. The target date for completion of the self-guided tour is late spring, 2021 . The native/shade garden committee members are involved in plant identification and most importantly, the ongoing care and maintenance of these gardens. Park Board employees will be involved in the creation of the markers for the plantings which number around 120 plantings. This self-guided tour will be a first for any of the many gardens at Lake Harriet.

    Six General Principles guided the development of the Deane Fund grant program:

  1. The money should be devoted to a wide range of horticultural projects which reflect and support the missions of MWGCM.
  2. A maximum annual amount of $6,000 a year may be granted from the Fund.  Up to $3,000/ per year may be awarded to non-MWGCM applicants.
  3. Money should be requested for innovative projects, not ongoing Club activities. Projects or activities already funded through the general budget are not eligible for support unless the applicant(s) presents something new or innovative.
  4. Projects are funded for one calendar year
  5. Applicants must submit a detailed budget.  Expenditures not itemized in the budget may or may not be reimbursable.
  6. Grant recipients must share their experience and things learned from it by writing a summary of the experience for The Garden Spray. 

    The details for the Dean Fund Grant process and the Grant Review Committee can be found here.

    Project Leaders may begin submitting applications July 1, but they must be submitted no later than October 15, 2020. The recipient(s) of Deane grants will be announced in the January Garden Spray or be otherwise notified by January 2nd. 

    If you’re interested in proposing a project, please fill out the Deane Fund Application Form. For a summary of the review process click here.  Start thinking soon about possible projects that would interest you.