The Yrkja Fund was established in 1992. The initial capital of the fund consisted of proceeds from the sale of the book Yrkja, published to commemorate the 60th birthday of Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, then president of Iceland. At her request the interest from the fund is used to purchase plants for elementary school children. The response from the schools in Iceland has been very positive, with about half the schools in the country taking part each year. The Icelandic Forestry Association (Skógræktarfélag Íslands) supervises the day to day activities of the Yrkja Fund, in collaboration with the Fund‘s board.