The Northwest Louisiana Master Gardeners are proud to announce the 2024 recipients of NWLAMG
community grants. NWLAMG awards grants to organizations and municipalities that support
beautification and horticultural education within our community. Of particular interest are projects that
make a difference in the community, are sustainable, and involve collaboration among local
organizations.
The NWLA Master Gardeners awarded a total of $17,323. The winners of the Community Grant
Program:
Bill Cockerell Park ‘J.D. Hudson Memorial Garden’ – $1370 – The garden at Bill Cockerell Park was
created in honor of J.D. Hudson who spent hours at the Community Center volunteering his time and
talents supporting local citizens who frequented the center. There has been a garden in place for several
years and this grant will help supply upkeep, transplants, seeds and pavers for additional beds.
Blanchard Town Hall Beautification Project – $3150 – This project will include removal of existing
landscape and will go back with new plants to help beautify the town hall.
Cathedral at St. John Berchman’s Catholic School – $3000 – Every year in the spring, the school has a
butterfly release. This is the culmination of the lower grades study of the life cycle of the butterfly. The
long-term goal is to become an official Monarch butterfly waystation and listed on the national website.
This grant will help them fulfill that goal with added garden space and pollinator plants.
Chamber of Commerce Foundation of Shreveport – $2000 – The Shreveport Chamber took over the old
Memorial Library building in downtown Shreveport and has been working hard to refurbish it. They have
repaired the irrigation and with this grant they will be able to redo the landscape in the front of the
building.
Highland Center – $1500 – This grant will help with phase II of the beautification project by providing a
garden area in the Child Development Center and Nonprofit offices entrances.
J.S. Clark 4-H Garden Growers – $2163 – J. S. Clark will use the grant to establish a school garden where
4-H students can learn about gardening, and plant fruit trees and vegetables. The garden will serve as an
educational resource in grades K-5, providing them with hands-on experience in agriculture, nutrition
and environmental sustainability.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Neighborhood Association – $2640 – The ‘Root and Sprouts’ Project will install
raised beds and purchase native perennials and vegetables to benefit members of the neighborhood,
guests and citizens that frequently visit the MLK Neighborhood Association Center.
Sci-Port Discovery Center – $1500 – Sci-Port’s goal is to create a bird-friendly native plant garden. This
grant will go towards purchasing plants adapted to our local environment and require less water.
The NWLA Master Gardeners launched this program in 2010 as a way to give back to the community
after all the support given each year for the Le Tour des Jardins, Fall Bulb Sale, and Spring Plant Sale.
The mission of the Master Gardeners is to educate the public about gardening and engage our community in horticultural pursuits. Giving these grants allows them to multiply their efforts by aiding and funding projects envisioned, implemented and maintained by other groups. To date, we have donated over $175,000 to the gardening community.
For more information on the Community Grant Program or each individual grantee, please call the
NWLA Master Gardeners at (318)408-0984.