Loy McCandless Marks Scholarship in Tropical horticulture and landscape architectureThis scholarship promotes the study of tropical horticulture and landscape architecture in an international setting for graduate or undergraduate students.
Two or more awards of $5,000 each will be granted by the Garden Club of America (GCA) in collaboration with National Tropical Botanical Garden annually.
Applications must be received by January 15, next time in 2025.
Read more about the Loy McCandless Marks Scholarship in Tropical horticulture and landscape architecture at the Garden Club of America website.
The fellowship is open to U.S. Citizens and permanent residents who are enrolled as undergraduate or postgraduate students in a U.S.-based institution. Due to IRS restrictions, GCA is unable to fund awards for international applicants. Scholarship funds the international study of tropical horticulture or landscape architecture. This does not mean that the scholar’s study needs to take place in a tropical climate i.e. the scholar could study in temperate regions as long as the destination is international. Travel must commence within 12 months of the award.
The application deadline is January 15 preceding the proposed period of study. Awardees will be notified no later than March 31.
PLEASE NOTE: ONLY ONE GCA SCHOLARSHIP, FELLOWSHIP OR AWARD MAY BE APPLIED FOR ANNUALLY.
1) A 1-page description of your research endeavors and how the scholarship will support these endeavors.
2) A proposed itinerary along with any potential or confirmed collaborating institutions for your international study of tropical horticulture or architecture. The itinerary needs to take into account that travel must begin within 12 months of being awarded the scholarship i.e. award notification in March of a given year would require travel commencing no later than February of the following year.
3) A 1-page budget for the travel and study proposed. If additional funds are needed beyond the Marks Scholarship funding, please include an explanation of how you are planning to fund the additional expenses.
4) A 1-page CV including your contact information, degrees, dates of enrollment, and institutions (colleges and universities), and other relevant information such as work experiences of community service.
5) School transcripts, (Colleges and universities, highschool transcripts not needed)
6) Two letters of recommendation. They should include comments on your academic progress and achievement, personal qualities, and eligibility for the program you have selected. The references should be familiar with your proposed international study and itinerary and speak to your capability to achieve the proposed study. Electronic copies of the letters of recommendation must be signed by the individual writing the letter, and either attached to the submitted application or sent to scholarships@ntbg.org directly from their email.
The proposal should be submitted to National Tropical Botanical Garden to scholarships@ntbg.org as one pdf by January 15.
Selection is made by a review committee at National Tropical Botanical Garden representing the fields of tropical horticulture, botany, and landscape architecture. The selection is reviewed and approved by the GCA Scholarship Committee.
Recipients of the award will be contacted by the GCA Scholarship Committee and detailed instructions on awardee requirements will be outlined at that time. Awardees will be asked to submit a formal, short report to the GCA by September 1 of the year they receive funding. The Garden Club of America and the National Tropical Botanical Garden shall receive acknowledgement for their assistance in any publication or report resulting from this Scholarship. @gcascholarships and @ntbg should be included in social media postings to allow reposting.
Executive assistant Katie Magoun: scholarships@ntbg.org