School & Community Habitat Grant

Plant resources & Expert consultation

Teachers, parents, and students working on a native plant garden.

Purpose & WCCD's Mission

Assist schools and community organizations with accessing plants, especially natives, and establishing wildlife habitat. Furnishing spaces with native plants benefits all residents—human and otherwise—by fostering connection to local ecology, enhancing biodiversity, filtering air and water, sequestering carbon, adding beauty, and providing vital ecological services.

The WCCD is a local government agency with the mission to assist residents with and provide leadership in the conservation, management, and wise use of natural resources in Washtenaw County.

Grant Award:

The WCCD staff and/or our partnering contractors, as requested by the awardees and within the award budget, may provide any combination of the following:

Site visit for assessment & consultation
Site design plan & maintenance plan
Site materials, such as native plants, trees, and/or shrubs and planting aids (tree shelters, etc.)
Site installation assistance, including use of the WCCD's tool and equipment lending library and assistance with volunteer outreach

Grant fund availability is dependent on county millage funding as well as donations made to the WCCD for this purpose.

Applications for 2026 are now open.

SCHG Program Overview

School and Community Habitat Grant Application

Please review the SCHG program overview document before filling out the application. Included in it is also the evaluation criteria all projects will be assessed on.

Application deadline is Friday, June 12th 2026

If you have any questions reach out to WCCD's Community Forester Matt DeJonge: matt@washtenawcd.org or call at 734-302-8714

Read the latest Habitat Grant project reports:

December 18, 2025

Mill Creek Middle School Native Landscape Ed. Habitat Project Post-install report

Mill Creek Middle school students and volunteers came together to install native plants in May and June 2024. The project created monarch habitat, provided experiential learning, and expanded environmental education at Mill Creek Middle in Dexter.

Read the News
December 10, 2025

The Farm at Trinity Health: Native Prairie for Community Health and Youth Education Post-install

The Farm at Trinity Health has a Native Demonstration Prairie that is a space for community education about native ecosystems. In this project they expanded these efforts to include more public engagement and native plantings. Multiple establishment methods have been used in the Native Demonstration Prairie. Read this post-install report to learn more.

Read the News
December 5, 2025

Ann Arbor STEAM Native Pollinator Garden Post-install

Ann Arbor STEAM Northside leveraged the School and Community Habitat Grant to develop an incredible project at their school. Utilizing class participation, they applied for and installed a native pollinator garden on school grounds. They were engaged with real problems like erosion, enhanced plant diversity, and put on a showcase of the diverse native plants found in Southeast Michigan.

Read the News

See All

Pre-recorded webinar explaining what the School & Community Habitat Grant is and how to apply for it.

Support Local Habitat Projects

Donations purchase plant materials, installation, or design services for awardees to install wildlife habitat. Grant awards are made based on the amount donated. All donations are tax deductible (receipt via email).

We're looking for partners to match our awardees' for selected projects. Partners have provided services including consultation, design planning, labor & equipment usage, and more.

Grant awards are determined by an evaluation committee of local experts and community members. Contact us if interested to join the committee or nominate someone else.

Donate to the Grant Become A Grant Partner Join the Evaluation Committee