Naples Garden Club prides itself on providing educational and innovative horticultural and environmental opportunities to our community. On April 16, the Board of Directors approved the following grants and scholarships totalling $72,225, that will give back to our community and its students.
CREW: $3,500
Our grant will support the launch of a self-guided tour application using the STQRY App platform which is GPS trigged for specific location content through smartphone navigation for an immersive, educational experiences along the CREW Bird Rookery Swamp (BRS) Trail Tour system. This proof of concept/pilot is intended to be the first of ten envisioned tours covering all four of CREW’s trails. Tour stops will provide both audio and visual information and details about the ecosystems of the Watershed District.
FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY’S WATER SCHOOLMARINE SUMMER CAMP: $2,000
This is the Club’s first Single Purpose Project Grant. The purpose of these Grants is to meet more immediate, short-term needs and extend our community outreach. Since 2018 the FGCU’s Water School has offered two one week environmental and marine science Summer Camp sessions in June each year for local Middle School students. These popular sessions fill up quickly and are held at their Vester Marine Field Station on Estero Bay in Bonita Springs. Our grant will support an educational module on the importance of the biology and ecology of area plant species and seagrass beds with a specific focus on mangrove habitat restoration assisted by FGCU professors Dr. Brian Bovard and Dr. Win Everham. This will include a hands-on installation of juvenile mangrove trees in the ecologically sensitive areas in Estero Bay.
ROOKERY BAY NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE: $9,755
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (RBNERR) encompasses 110,000 acres of coastal habitat; 40% of Collier County’s coastline and provides opportunities for both scientific research and education to SW Florida residents with over 30,000 visitors each year. This grant funds the creation of a demonstration bird garden adjacent to their Environmental Learning Center (ELC), and an extension of the existing pollinator garden exhibit. This garden will highlight the critical need for the overall ecological health of habitats due to the increasing urbanization in Collier County and the corresponding need of educating residents on the value of recreating natural landscapes in gardening. Mimicking local habitats, using plants and pollinators, water features, and shelter it will create an eco-friendly, resilient, native, and low-maintenance garden that supports biodiversity and needed habitats for our local bird populations and other wildlife. Signage will encourage visitors to capture photos of birds, with instructions for adding sightings to Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology eBird portal and RBNERR staff will incorporate the garden as part of the “Feeder Watch” component of Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC).
EMPOWERMENT FARM: $5,000
This grant will be used to establish two beehives, a livable and viewable ecosystem, and expand their pollinator learning garden which was made possible through NGC’s 2025 Grant of $10,000. The project builds on over 100+ varieties of edible, medicinal, pollinator and native plants, strengthens their Food Forest and provides additional nature-based educational opportunities for hundreds of visitors of all ages. This reinforces the Farm’s local community commitment to provide closed-loop regenerative agricultural processes and foster understanding of resilient and sustainable food systems.
NAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN: $25,000
Our award partially funds the W.O.N.D.E.R. (Walk, Observe, Navigate, Draw, Explore, and Read) family-friendly self-guided activity packets. Geared towards children aged 4-11, and in keeping with the Club’s mission to provide opportunities for learning about the environment, the W.O.N.D.E.R. program engages and inspires through educational and artistic pursuits. With a population of nearly 420,000 in Collier County (17% which are under the age of 18) and visitation to the Garden by more than 26,000 children annually, the program provides a significant educational impact by providing the opportunity for children to have fun through the skill-building activities with their families while exploring and learning about our natural environment.
FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND SCIENCE SCHOLARSHIPS: $27,000
The Club has a long history of supporting Scholarships for Students since 1954. Since 2010 our investment in FGCU Endowment, Inc has enabled the Club to award annual Environmental Studies and Science Scholarships to FGCU students. Additional funds were approved this year to supplement our annual endowment for the 2026-2027 Academic year to provide three (3) Junior/Senior Undergraduate Scholarships at $3,000 each and 3 (3) Graduate School Scholarships at FEGCU’s Water School and strengthen our long-term partnership.