Plant Grants

Vision

An elevated place for species in the global conservation debate and a thriving global community of well-resourced species conservationists.

Mission

Elevate the importance of species in the conservation debate by:

• Providing timely support for grass-roots initiatives which make a real difference to species survival.
• Supporting those whose passion, dedication and knowledge is the key to saving species.
• Assisting the  conservation of species  in their natural habitats.
• Heightening awareness of species conservation.
• Stimulating renewed interest among young people in natural sciences.
• Attracting further contributions to species conservation from across the globe.

Grants

During 2023 the Fund will be trialing a process whereby the Fund awards grants for the conservation of threatened soil species. This is in addition to the usual grants awarded.

The Fund has been established to provide targeted grants to individual species conservation initiatives, recognize leaders in the field and elevate the importance of species in the broader conservation debate. Its focus is global and eligibility for grants will extend to all plant, animal and fungi species conservation efforts, without discrimination on the basis of region or selected species.

The Fund was established to support species conservation work, and so if your project is not about an endangered species it is probably not worth your while submitting an application.

The Fund will use the IUCN Redlist as the primary guide to the conservation status of a given species, although documented variations for sub-species, distinct populations and sub-populations will be taken into account. For those species not assessed through the IUCN Redlist we welcome other methods of assessment and the submission of quantative data to confirm a species status.

The Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust supports education and research in ornamental horticulture through grants to botanical gardens, arboreta, universities, and other charitable organizations strongly-aligned with its funding interests

Funding Interests

The Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust supports education and research in ornamental horticulture, primarily in North America, South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Australia, and New Zealand. The Trust seeks to fund projects that will further ornamental horticulture through organizations pursuing the following activities:

Research: The advancement of research in ornamental horticulture and the publication of the results of such research. Examples include:

• trial/evaluation gardens for horticultural potential of selected plants in a region
• discerning appropriate cultural techniques and best horticultural practices for a specific group of plants
• laboratory freezer for DNA samples

Public Gardens: Assisting in the creation, development, preservation, and maintenance of gardens accessible to the public for educational purposes. Examples include:

• new or revised home demonstration gardens or beds
• resurfacing garden trails for all-weather accessibility or ADA compliance
• damage remediation following a natural disaster

Ornamental Plants: Promotion of the environmentally responsible introduction, cultivation, and distribution of plants which have ornamental horticultural value. Examples include:

• testing potential new ornamentals for invasiveness
• promotion and demonstration of the use of local native ornamentals in local or home landscaping
• collections management software for ornamentals

Publications: Assisting in the publication of books or other works relating to ornamental horticulture. Examples include:

• guide to appropriate ornamentals for local and regional landscaping
• guide to best practices for controlling diseases and pests in ornamentals
• online publication of horticultural inventory for public access

Education: Informal and/or formal educational activities that further ornamental horticulture. Examples include:

• classes and workshops on developing and maintaining home gardens
• garden signage that notes cultural requirements, water- or fire-wise properties, or aesthetic attributes of plants
• horticultural internships
• construction or remodeling of educational facilities

Size, Duration, and Types of Grants

The maximum grant awarded by the Trust is $25,000, however, grants normally do not exceed $20,000. Grants may be approved for full or partial funding of the requested amount.

The grant period during which funds should be used is the calendar year. For example, for grants awarded in November 2023, the grant period will be January 1 to December 31, 2024. It is expected that funds will be spent during this year.

The Trust awards grants for distinct projects, equipment and capital needs, and, under some circumstances for general operating support and salaries. In response to the pandemic, in 2023, the Trust once again will consider requests for general operating support in amounts up to $10,000 from organizations whose activities normally are well-aligned with the Trust’s interests. An application for general operating support may comprise the entire amount requested, or it may supplement a request for project-based funding, however the total request cannot exceed $25,000.

About Us

The mission of Mzuri Wildlife Foundation is to promote wildlife conservation and outdoor sports education worldwide.

Mzuri Wildlife Foundation exists to do the most good possible for wildlife throughout the world. The name Mzuri is Swahili, pronounced “mm-`zuree,” for “good.”  We fund grassroots organizations working at the community level to protect wildlife and their habitats. We invest in programs connecting people, especially youth and women, to the natural world through hunting, fishing and other outdoor sports and outdoor education programs. Our goal is to cultivate future generations who will enjoy, appreciate and safeguard the natural environment. 

Mzuri Wildlife Foundation (Mzuri) enables individuals to protect the wildlife they value and the sporting heritage they enjoy. We mobilize the financial and volunteer resources of our supporters to achieve more than any one person. 

Grantmaking Priorities

Wildlife Conservation

Since our founding in 1969, half of the world’s wildlife has disappeared. Partnering with grassroots organizations around the world, we are working to reverse this trend.

We seek out and support high-performing programs where our grant funds can make a pivotal difference to the project’s success. We invest in programs that protect wildlife populations through on-the-ground habitat enhancement and anti-poaching activities, wildlife research, community outreach, and other natural resource preservation efforts. The wildlife protections we support benefit all species of native plants and animals in the region. Healthy habitats support both flora and fauna that, once lost, are lost forever.

Outdoor Sports & Education Programs

We invest in organizations that cultivate and inspire future generations of individuals who will treasure the outdoors and protect these natural resources. Engaging more youth, women and others in outdoor experiences connects them to the natural world and fosters an understating of the importance of wildlife conservation.

The programs we support:

• introduce and engage youth in outdoor sports and conservation activities,
• encourage more women to participate in shooting, fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports,
• offer hands-on learning opportunities that promote environmental stewardship, and
• build an understanding of the value of wildlife resources within individuals and communities.

Mission Statement

The Harris Foundation envisions making the world a better place for the well-being and safety of plants, animals and human beings.

Areas of Support

The William H. and Mattie Wattis Harris Foundation funds organizations that qualify for 501(c)(3) status in five areas:

• The Arts. Youth as participants and/or as audiences.
• Conservation. Forests, rivers, lakes, wetlands, deserts.
• Educational Camps. Primarily youth, except for unique camps.
• Preventative Health. Humans only, and any ages.
• Wildlife and Large Animals. All wildlife. Raptors, Birds. Horses, etc.

The Harris Foundation does fund operating budgets.

Our Vision

Sustainability involves economic viability, environmental sensitivity, and social responsiveness, with emphasis on working with and preserving nature. Innovation involves creativity and new ideas that make this world a better place to live.

The foundation seeks to foster environmental restoration, preservation and education with emphasis on seed moneys that lead to establishing demonstration projects that link rural and urban settings. Projects could orient toward use of resources in sustainable ways, integration of food production, technology, economics, and community development in harmonious ways with the natural world, preservation of wildlife habitat as well as the diversity of wild and domestic plants and animals, and conservation of wilderness and open space. Of interest might be projects designed to restore and maintain biological diversity of flora and fauna or establishment of seed banks, sustainable land use, or appropriate technology for alternative energy resources. Efforts to find space in tight urban areas, bring the countryside to the city in the form of gardens, landscaping, and space are encouraged. Likewise, efforts to provide space and alternative living to urban people in a rural area are welcome.

A particular concern is with sustaining agriculture through organic, biodynamic, permacultural and other processes, training young people to be farmers, and linking farms to communities through community supported agriculture. Another area of need would be support for small alternative presses and periodicals that focus on issues and problems and their resolution and desire to impact broadly on society with their creativity and new ideas.

The foundation sponsors Laguna Wilderness Press that publishes books featuring the work of concerned artists, photographers, and environmentalists. Its books move in two directions: (1) to depict nature and pristine wilderness areas through photography and essay; (2) to focus on changing landscape and the impact of urban growth, technology, and development on natural beauty and resources.

With its interest in LWP and its home base in southern California, the foundation desires to direct attention to environmental groups and concerns in Laguna Beach, especially preservation and restoration of areas under conservation in the open space known as the Laguna Greenbelt or Wilderness and including the Laguna Bluebelt; projects that expand open space in the inner greenbelt, promote community gardening, including in its schools, restore wherever possible the canyon creeks to their natural setting, and help to establish the legacy of a unique place and its traditions of village diverse planning and vision, plein air painting, and historic homes and sites.

Project Types

Projects could orient toward use of resources in sustainable ways, preservation of wildlife habitats, conservation of wilderness, integration of food production, technology, economics, and community development in harmonious ways with the natural world. Also, another area of interest is support for small alternative presses and periodicals that show creativity and new ideas, and focus on issues and problems.

Through our environment fund we want to support projects which can help mitigate the damaging effects that humans are having on the environment and contribute to a positive change both now and in the future. The Tropical Rainforests programme provides support for projects protecting tropical rain forests, principally through avoided deforestation

Background

The world has approximately 4 billion hectares of forest, representing almost 30% of the Earth's landmass, with roughly 56 percent of these forests lying in tropical and subtropical areas. More than 1 billion people rely heavily on forests for their livelihoods, and they are the most biologically-diverse ecosystems on land, home to more than half of all terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects. Forests also play a vital role in global climate regulation through the sequestration and storage of carbon.

But despite increased awareness of their importance, forests are experiencing escalating impact from human activities. Although the precise area is debated, each day at least 32,300 ha of forest disappear from Earth and at least another 32,300 ha of forest are degraded. Across the world’s extant tropical forests it is estimated that 24% are intact, 46% are fragmented and 30% otherwise degraded. It has been calculated that the deforestation of tropical forests is responsible for about 20 percent of current global carbon emissions, making it a major contributor to climate change.

What we will support

TWF will consider both practical local projects, and strategic initiatives.

Local projects

Applications for practical local projects that TWF will consider would typically be working on a specified tropical forest area, defined in hectares.

Applicants will need to demonstrate how their project involves:

• Exposing, addressing and overcoming the local drivers of deforestation
• Management of the specified area
• Methods to measure and monitor the protected area
• Sustainable livelihoods for forest-dependent communities
• Securing land rights or management rights for forest-dependent communities

Click here for examples of local projects we have funded through our Tropical Rainforests programme.

Strategic projects

TWF will consider applications for strategic projects that are working on addressing the drivers of deforestation on a wider or international scale. These could include:

• Working on international or regional forest policy
• Campaigning for improved practices in commerce
• Innovative ways of reducing deforestation e.g. financial systems or solutions based on the value of forest ecosystem services

Click here for examples of strategic projects we have funded through our Tropical Rainforests programme.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awards competitive grants through our programs to protect and conserve our nation's fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. The Foundation works with public and private partners in all 50 states and U.S. territories to solve the most challenging conservation problems.

Background

Acres for America is the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's (NFWF) premier land conservation program and was established to provide urgently needed funding for projects that conserve important large-scale habitats for fish, wildlife, and plants through voluntary land acquisitions and perpetual conservation easements.

In 2005, Acres for America was launched as a partnership between Walmart Stores and NFWF. As a founding partner, Walmart's goal was to offset the footprint of its domestic facilities on at least an acre-by-acre basis – a number then estimated at 100,000 acres – through permanent conservation of important wildlife habitats. The program has now helped to permanently protect over 2 million acres and connect more than 47 million acres of public and private conservation lands across the country.

This Request for Proposals (RFP) will collect pre-proposals from around the nation; from which NFWF will select a small number of applicants to submit a more detailed full proposal. Prior to submitting a pre-proposal, applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the appropriate NFWF regional office (listed in the Applicant Assistance section of this RFP). The purpose is to give the applicant an opportunity to share project concepts and ideas prior to fully preparing and submitting a pre-proposal.

Origin and Mission

Temper of The Times Foundation ~advertising for the environment~ was created in 1997 to promote the use of standard marketing concepts for increasing awareness about wildland conservation and restoration initiatives. Recognizing that organizations working to protect the environment, in general, have limited access to paid media, the Foundation provides funds to underwrite advertising designed to promote the conservation and restoration of native wildlife, plants, and ecosystems in the United States. The Foundation also supports earned media campaigns and other efforts to communicate about conservation and restoration initiatives and actions.

National Garden Bureau promotes the health and healing powers of human interaction with plants through a yearly grant program for therapeutic gardens. Sakata Seed America is a leader in breeding vegetable and ornamental seed and vegetative cuttings. They are committed to supporting organizations throughout North America to help people live productive, healthy, and enriched lives. American Meadows says “We Do Good Through Gardening.” Their primary focus is to be great at providing home gardeners with the products and knowledge they need to succeed. They seek to be a trusted gardening partner for creative gardeners —those who are willing to combine new ideas and products with classic favorites. At Ball Horticultural Company, the motto Color The World is not just coloring the world with flowers and plants, but also ensuring that the industry and communities are vibrant and healthy by supporting organizations who promote nature, beauty, education and health.

Program Criteria

Each year, National Garden Bureau’s judging committee selects five Therapeutic Gardens to be the recipients of a Grant that will help the organization expand or perpetuate their initiatives. Those chosen will then compete via a social media voting contest by submitting a one-minute video featuring the gardens’ operations for First place, Second place, and three runners-up financial prizes. They will also be featured on National Garden Bureau’s website for national exposure.

Funding

$7,500 is available and will be divided among the five gardens chosen, with graduated amounts going to the first, second, and third-place contestants, as determined by online voting.

• First place award: $3,000
• Second place award: $1,500
• (Three) Third place awards: $1,000

The grants are co-funded by National Garden Bureau, Sakata Seed America, and American Meadows.

Fruit Trees For Your Community

The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation (FTPF) is an award-winning international nonprofit charity dedicated to planting fruitful trees and plants to alleviate world hunger, combat global warming, strengthen communities, and improve the surrounding air, soil, and water.

FTPF programs strategically donate orchards where the harvest will best serve communities for generations, at places such as community gardens, public schools, city/state parks, low-income neighborhoods, Native American reservations, international hunger relief sites, and animal sanctuaries.

What FTPF Provides

Our orchard donations are available for recipients who pledge to care for their trees and utilize them for a charitable purpose. If selected for an orchard donation, FTPF provides high-quality fruit trees and shrubs, equipment, on-site orchard design expertise and oversight, horticultural workshops, and aftercare training and manuals. We subsidize deer fencing and drip irrigation as needed, and incorporate these installations into the event day.

FTPF also helps coordinate all aspects of the planting, and offers an inspirational, educational experience for volunteers interested in learning more about trees. Free arboricultural workshops are available throughout the day of the planting and, for schools, a fun, age-appropriate curriculum, with our educators, emphasizing the importance of trees for the environment and fruit in the diet is available. 

Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes

Mission

Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes promotes environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration and establishment of native plant communities.

Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Grant Program

The Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education grant program (SFE) advances Wild Ones’ mission to spread awareness of the benefits of using native plants by providing funding for native plants and native seeds for projects that engage youth (preschool to high school) directly in planning, planting and caring for native plant gardens. 

Garden Grant Program

Kids who grow veggies, eat veggies, so school gardens can make a big difference. Through our Garden Grant program, schools and non-profit organizations turn outdoor spaces into powerful hands-on learning gardens that connect kids with food, spark their curiosity and support classroom curriculum.

About the Program

At Whole Kids Foundation, we know that the more kids know and feel connected to their food, the more curious they become about how things grow or taste, and the more willing they are to try new foods. This is why we believe in edible garden learning spaces!

Our Garden Grant program provides a $3,000 monetary grant to support a new or existing edible educational garden located at either a:

• K–12 School
• Non-profit organization (501(c)(3) in the US/Registered Charity in Canada) that serves children in the K-12 grade range

Taronga’s Field Conservation Grants give funding and support to conservation projects that help wildlife, habitats and communities all over the world.

Taronga Field Conservation Grants are open to NGOs, community groups and individuals who have a new or established conservation project that could benefit from funding and expert support. Taronga will support the best in-the-field conservation programs with grants of up to $20,000 from a total of $200,000. 

Since launching Field Conservation Grants in 2008, Taronga has given over $1.1million to 105 projects worldwide, from 72 different organisations. Projects that have benefited from a Taronga Field Conservation Grant have helped to protect and regenerate habitats, stop poaching and trafficking of wildlife and reduce conflict between communities and wildlife living side by side.

Projects are selected by a panel of reviewers from across the organisation, with each project being reviewed by 6 panel members and scores averaged out and calculated to determine conservation efficiency (CE), assessing conservation outcome and project costs. Projects are ranked and the highest scoring projects are selected for funding. 

Taronga is for the wild. As a not-for-profit, Taronga has an absolute commitment to the conservation and securing a shared future for wildlife and people. Taronga Field Conservation Grants are one more way Taronga is working to achieve that vision.

Monarch Watch is a nonprofit educational outreach program based at the University of Kansas that focuses on the monarch butterfly, its habitat, and its spectacular fall migration.

Free Milkweeds for Restoration Projects

Free milkweeds are available for habitat restoration projects in the Eastern and Western breeding range of the monarch butterfly. Monarch Watch and our partner nurseries have distributed over 730,000 free milkweeds for monarch butterfly habitat restoration since the program began in 2015. Thank you to our funding sources and everyone who has worked so hard to plant and care for these milkweeds!

This program focuses on distributing free milkweed plugs for large-scale habitat restoration projects throughout the breeding range of the eastern monarch butterfly population (east of the Rocky Mountains) and the western population in California. The focus is on the main migration routes.

Schools and Educational Non-Profits who demonstrate the following will be given priority for free milkweeds:

• Educational goals of garden clearly described
• A clear, long-term maintenance plan for the garden space
• Adequate space (at least 100 square feet) and light ( at least 6 hours per day)
• Spring/Summer/Fall nectar sources existing or to be added in addition to milkweed
• Administrative support
• – Provide a letter of support from your school or organization that landscape crews will not pull the plants or re-purpose the space in the foreseeable future.
• Commit to a follow-up survey in the Fall for photo submissions and garden evaluations.

Land and Climate Grant Program

Across the country, communities and ecosystems are experiencing climate change and grappling with its unknowns. How much will temperatures rise and how quickly? How will these changes impact the forests, streams, and wildlife we protect?

Despite this uncertainty, scientists agree: land protection is, and will remain, a key strategy for ensuring that natural systems — and the plants, animals, and people that depend upon them — can continue to thrive.

Since 2012, OSI has been helping land trusts and other groups that protect and steward land develop effective approaches to conserving land in a rapidly changing climate. Working alongside our capital grants program that funds the acquisition of land that is resilient and stores and sequesters carbon, OSI has supported the development of over 70 climate-aligned conservation plans and offered workshops, webinars, and trainings to over 6,000 participants.

OSI’s Catalyst Program currently focuses on addressing the following climate issues: habitat resilience, forest carbon storage and sequestration, and community resilience to climate impacts such as flooding. We support conservation groups and communities by offering planning grants and technical assistance, authoring guidance documents, and hosting workshops.

Land and Climate Catalyst Planning Grants

Through a collaboration between Open Space Institute and Land Trust Alliance, $300,000 is available in the 2023 grant round to help land trusts, other not-for-profit organizations, and state and federally recognized Tribes integrate climate science into strategic land protection plans or forest stewardship plans.

Land trusts may also apply for climate-informed land conservation planning or communications technical support from the Land Trust Alliance.

2023 Grant Program

Open Space Institute and the Land Trust Alliance are pleased to announce the 2023 Land and Climate Grant Program. The program aims to support and build the capacity of land trusts and other groups that conserve and steward land to integrate climate change into land protection and management decisions.

The program will support the development of climate-informed land conservation, stewardship, policy, or communications plans that address one or more of the following issues: habitat resilience, carbon mitigation, renewable energy siting or community adaptation to climate impacts such as stronger storms, flooding, drought, fire or extreme heat.

Projects should achieve one or more of the following deliverables:

Land Protection Plans

Incorporate climate science into new or existing strategic conservation plans that target land protection for climate adaptation or mitigation.

Management Plans

Incorporate climate science into land stewardship or management plans to address adaptation or mitigation strategies.

Communications Plans

Develop a comprehensive climate communication strategy that promotes the adaptation and mitigation goals of the organization and its conservation or stewardship plans

Renewable Energy Siting Plans

Develop a plan, decision matrix or policies to guide organizational engagement with renewable energy siting on conservation lands and/or in service areas.

The program encourages proposals that address the inequitable burdens of climate change and environmental racism on Black, Indigenous and People of Color and low-income communities.

Plant America Community Project Grants

Plant America Community Project Grants help enhance and beautify our public areas and community gardens. Project grants to NGC member clubs help educate adults and children about the joys of gardening and create a pride throughout the community. Grants may be used for physical landscaping or environmental projects, or for horticultural or educational opportunities for the community.

Grants have been awarded to NGC member clubs since 2017. More than 250 grants have been awarded, totaling more than $225,000. 

Through Plant America Grants, up to $2,000.00 is made available to be used for direct expenses of projects. Projects submitted for receiving a grant may be a joint venture with another organization/s.

The scope of these projects in communities may include:

• Beautification and/or restoration
• Community gardens
• School gardens/classrooms
• Landscaping for Habitat for Humanity Homes
• Landscaping of Blue Star or Gold Star Memorial Markers
• Implementation of environmental practices
• A horticulture or environmental educational event for the public

What We Do

Gardening improves kids’ lives, their communities, and the planet.

Since 1982, we have been supporting a community of educators and caregivers to bring the life-changing benefits of gardening to kids through our grant programs, contests, curriculum, and educational activities.

KidsGardening’s Flagship Garden Grant Program

As the leaves change colors from green to red, orange, and yellow, youth garden programs are preparing their gardens for the coming winter. Some in the south are planting another round of annuals, whereas, in the north, programs are planting cold hardy plants, seeding cover crops, or covering their growing spaces with mulch.

Fall is also our favorite time of year at KidsGardening because it marks the launch of our annual Youth Garden Grant award program! Since 1982, the grant has supported school and youth educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life for youth and their communities.

The gardening supply package includes ten wildflower seed packs, fifteen vegetable seed packs, ten pairs of youth gloves, one pruner, one looper, one Big Bag Bed, two packages of peat seedling trays, one plant support kit, one hose nozzle, one mushroom growing kit, two Tubtrugs, and two curriculum books.

In addition, five programs will receive a Container Garden Specialty Award from our friends at Crescent Garden, and five programs will receive a Vertical Garden Specialty Award from our friends at Garden Tower Project.

Applicants interested in either of the specialty award packages will have the opportunity to share why their program would like the specialty award package, how it would alleviate the challenges the garden program faces, what benefits they anticipate, and how the youth would use the materials.  Please read Award Packages for complete informations.

Funding Priorities

The selection of winners is prioritized based on demonstrated need and program impact. KidsGardening considers a variety of factors when determining needs, including:

Socioeconomic & Sociodemographic Factors:

• Does the program exist within or engage a community that has systematically been denied resources, whether physical assets and money or representative leadership and community services?

Program Funding and Support

• Does a program have access to consistent, substantial monetary support or prior grant funding? Are pre-existing resources (financial or otherwise) limited? Programs experiencing the latter are considered higher need.

Impact

• Will grant funding dramatically expand learning opportunities for program participants? Does the intended impact reflect the actual needs of the community?

Our Grants

RAF provides grants to organizations whose work promotes our vision of a world where the inherent value of people, plants, animals and the planet are honored and stewarded in a way that regenerates both human and natural communities.

Our Grantmaking Process

Much of RAF’s grantmaking is conducted with participatory grantmaking processes, including our farm bill advocacy support and Restorying Regenerative Agriculture. RAF has one annual distribution of its general grantmaking, conducted by invitation only, in the summer.

RAF was created as an intermediary funder for multiple reasons:

• To provide pooled funds and other tools to support collaborative funding into regenerative agriculture from across multiple sectors. Regenerative agriculture may not be the central focus of foundations that prioritize grantmaking in climate, public health, racial equity, and rural economic development, but regenerative agriculture is an important vehicle for advancing all of the goals.

• To encourage funders to see their work as part of an ambitious, transformational vision for agricultural systems. Agriculture is inherently a risk-averse sector dependent on annual cycles, and consequently change tends to be slow and incremental. Yet for many reasons, our ecosystems and our communities need systemic solutions, and fast. RAF seeks to create connections and partnerships between these short-term and long-term efforts, assuring that we collectively learn from the project work and celebrate each small step while continuing to envision long-term transformation.

• To serve funders as a repository of information and guidance about opportunities to advance regenerative agriculture. RAF staff, board, and partners maintain relationships with nonprofit organizations and networks across the country and are happy to talk with funders about grantmaking.

Regenerative Agriculture Foundation Funds:

• domestic organizations located within the United States and Tribal Nations
• organizations advancing RAF’s vision of a world where the inherent value of people, plants, animals and the planet are honored and stewarded in a way that regenerates both human and natural communities
• bold, on-the-ground efforts frequently outside the prevailing agricultural practices that are underappreciated as climate solutions
• a racial & climate justice emphasis on BIPOC-led and/or BIPOC-serving organizations

With major support from Toyota Motor North America, the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) is excited to announce $200,000 in grant funding to support shovel-ready pollinator habitat enhancement projects on America’s public lands.

Habitat enhancement projects should directly support the creation, restoration, remediation, improvement, and/or protection of habitats for important pollinator species such as butterflies, bees, bats, and more. The project should impact pollinators on at least 150 acres of public land. Additionally, projects should incorporate community outreach and engagement activities designed to educate and empower the public to help enhance pollinator habitats.

Funding Priorities

Habitat Enhancement Projects

Projects must implement on-the-ground activities designed to increase the quality, quantity, and connectivity of pollinator habitats. Applicants must define a step-by-step plan including site preparation, size of the project area, and description of target pollinator(s). Due to the time needed for large-scale habitat restoration projects, NEEF will consider proposals that are already underway or that propose a distinct piece of an existing restoration project. Conservation and habitat restoration activities should be varied and science-based. If preparing a proposal that includes collecting seeds or cultivating native seedlings, applicants should describe the intended use of the seed or seedlings, and it should only represent one piece of the project. For new projects, they must be shovel-ready, meaning ready to implement the proposed project within 3 months of the award date.

Community Engagement

All project proposals must provide opportunities for public engagement through education- or volunteer-focused events. Projects should aim to collaborate with a diverse group of community partners to achieve engagement and educational outcomes. Grantees will be required to report on the number of events implemented and the number of participants engaged during the grant period. Priority will be given to proposals that serve underrepresented audiences in the outdoors with an emphasis on serving communities marked disadvantaged by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool.

Project Metrics

To better gauge progress on individual grants and to ensure greater consistency of project data provided by multiple grantees, NEEF has provided a list of recommended project metrics. All applicants must commit to collecting and reporting on key project metrics listed below. 

Acres Enhanced: 

• Number of Acres 
• Number of Acres of Monarch Habitat
• Number of Individual Project Work Sites

Biodiversity Enhanced: 

• Number of Pollinator Species Promoted
• Number of Imperiled Species Protected
• Number of Native Plant Species Installed
• Number of Milkweed Plants Installed

Community Members Engaged: 

• Number of Individuals Engaged in Volunteer Activities 
• Number of Individuals Engaged in Outreach Activities 
• Number of Landowners Engaged
• Number of Toyota Employees Engaged
• Number of Individuals Engaged from Underserved Communities

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Our Mission

Here at the Hudson Valley Seed Company, we are both farmers and storytellers. We are committed to growing organically, sourcing locally and sustainably, and preserving crop diversity by selecting unique, rare, and hard-to-find varieties. Every seed in our catalog is open pollinated, many are heirloom and organic, and they are never GMO. We were one of the first companies to sign the Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI), and we will remain committed to our values of sustainability to the last. We believe that a seed is more than meets the eye: it is a time capsule telling tales of the plants, crops, and people that came before us, and we work with a range of artists as diverse as our seeds to pass those stories down to present and future gardeners.

Seed Donation

Here at the Hudson Valley Seed Co, we love gardening, and we believe it should be a part of everyone's lives. To help make gardening as accessible as possible, we are once again donating packs of seeds to gardeners in need. Over the years we've donated thousands of seeds to school gardens, community garden groups, and seed sharing organizations - last year alone, we sent out over 5,000 packs of seed.

Annual Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge

Hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists and funded by the Seeding The Future Foundation, the Challenge is intended to support innovations that have the potential for significant impact at scale and over time, and benefit at least one or more of the following intersecting domains: nutritious food for a healthy diet; sustainably produced; and accessible, appealing, affordable, and trusted by consumers.

About the Challenge

Providing a growing global population with access to affordable, safe, and nutritious food for a healthy diet while maintaining the health of our planet will require transformational changes in the food system. Advances and discoveries in science and technology and creative new approaches and collaborations across cultures and multiple disciplines, will lead to forward-thinking innovations with the potential for significant food system changes.

The goal of the Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge is to inspire and support innovative, diverse, and multidisciplinary teams to create game-changing innovations that will help transform the food system.

Mission

Seeding The Future's Mission is to seed and support impactful initiatives and organizations that create and accelerate the pace of innovations that help transform food systems to become more nutritious, regenerative, and equitable for everyone in alignment with our overall vision.

Vision

Seeding The Future's vision is a global food system that always provides equitable access to safe, nutritious, trusted, affordable and appealing food for everyone and improves the health of people and our planet by being sustainable, resilient, and regenerative. Our moonshot goal is to positively impact the lives of one billion people.

Seed Grants

The Challenge will provide three levels of awards to incentivize transformative food system innovations at different stages of their development. Applications can only be submitted at one award level. 

Seed Grants ($25,000 each) will be awarded to organizations that are planting and nurturing high-potential, innovative ideas and have developed a prototype and/or initial proof of concept demonstrating feasibility. Innovation must benefit at least one, ideally two domains of the Innovation Focus Area without negatively impacting the others.

Our roots run deep.

The Ash Grove Charitable Foundation makes grants annually to support the work of public charities with tax exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code in the geographical markets that we serve.

As one of the largest cement companies in the United States and one of the oldest still in operation, Ash Grove plays an important part in the foundation and infrastructure of our country. And with plants from coast to coast, being a good neighbor in the communities in which we live and serve is a priority and part of our DNA.

Ash Grove territory is a lot of ground to cover. We believe in active participation to improve the existing and future quality of life in the communities we serve. This participation includes financial support to charitable activities. We aren’t just focused on building highways and buildings – we are also helping to build better communities.

Ash Grove is one of the largest cement companies in the United States and one of the oldest still in operation. Ash Grove plays a part in the foundation and infrastructure of our country. With plants from coast to coast, being a good neighbor in the communities we live and serve is a priority and part of our DNA.

The Ash Grove Charitable Foundation mission is to support communities today without compromising future needs, where nature is respected, minds challenged, opportunities created, and neighbors gather in the community. We stand together to build better communities. Communities that thrive today and for future generations.

Funding Priorities

The Foundation awards grants to charitable, educational, and scientific organizations, which are public charities.

The Foundation gives primary consideration to capital building and renovation projects for the following funding priorities:

• Nature – Protect or Preserve.
• Education – STEM
• Economic – Trade Skills
• Civic – Gather in Community
• Human Services – Shelter

Funding

The Foundation’s goal is to provide significant support to public charities for capital building and renovation projects. Grants for these projects generally are limited to $25,000. Consideration is also given to program grant requests. Grants for these projects are generally limited to $5,000.

Youth as Solutions

Youth as Solutions (YaS) is creating a generation of citizens who are passionate about making a positive impact in their schools and communities, addressing community health, educational equity, and environmental justice issues. Leadership teams of young people in grades 6-12, along with an adult mentor, apply to be part of one of the Youth as Solutions cohorts, where they will participate in a self-paced, active learning experience, identifying and taking action on an issue in their community. Students gain leadership skills while adult mentors receive quality service-learning instruction and resources. Youth-adult teams connect with peers in cohorts working on similar subtopics such as teen driving safety, health promotion in Latino communities, and so much more!

Focus Areas

• Education equity - is the belief that everyone deserves a quality education, regardless of their race, gender, identity, socioeconomic status, or any other trait.
  • Teams in the Education in Action cohort engage K-12 youth and educators (in school and afterschool programs) to increase educational equity in their school or community. Through the Investigation phase of service-learning, students discover needs and define the actions that will make significant change. From education, awareness, policy review and change, environmental and cultural supports and more, they have a voice in their educational experience and generating change in their schools and communities.
• Community health - empowers youth to save lives through youth-led campaigns that make measurable differences in their schools, communities, and beyond.
  • The Project Ignition Cohort is founded on a service-learning strategy that embeds the topic of teen-driver safety more deeply within a school/afterschool program and makes connections to academic goals. Car crashes remain a leading cause of death for adolescents. Project Ignition students address this fact by working in teams, investigating the issues facing their community, plan & prepare to take action, and engage community partners. They bring people together — and they’re saving lives!
• Environmental justice - challenges young people to address climate needs on a local level, impacting our planet now and for future generations.
  • Fulfilling our mission to create sustainability, youth teams in the Environmental Justice cohort work on improving critical climate needs. Whether planting a community garden, mapping safe bike routes, or securing solar panels to light a community sign, there are many local entry points for impassioned young people to create lasting change through service-learning. Connect to learning goals such as STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) or personal development goals such as leadership or civic engagement, these experiences provide a powerful learning opportunity.

• Civics And Democracy - Civics and democracy empowers young people to forge pathways to active citizenship, fostering leadership and driving positive change in their communities. Some Leadership Teams are engaged in serivce-learning experiences that promote unity and peacemaking to commemorate the events of September 11, 2001. Other Leadership Teams are expanding voting rights to those in Minnesota affected by recent legislative changes, serving as election judges in polling places, and acting as interpreters on election day. No matter the initiative, each endeavor reflects a commitment to civic engagement and the fundamental principles of democracy.

About Keep America Beautiful

A leading national nonprofit, Keep America Beautiful inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. We envision a country in which every community is a clean, green, and beautiful place to live.

Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful provides the expertise, programs and resources to help people End Littering, Improve Recycling, Beautify America’s public spaces, and Restore & Support resilient communities.

The organization is driven by the work and passion of millions of individual volunteers, nearly 700 community-based Keep America Beautiful affiliates, and the support of municipalities, elected officials, and corporate partners.

Our collective action champions environmentally healthy, socially-connected, and economically-sound communities. Keep America Beautiful continues to bring people together to transform public spaces into beautiful places.

Great American Cleanup Grants

The Keep America Beautiful Great American Cleanup is the nation’s largest community improvement program to clean and beautify communities across the United States each spring. This year, Keep America Beautiful and its affiliates are taking the “Great” American Cleanup to the next level – making it the “Greatest”! 

With a renewed focus to ‘do more’ to meet community needs, Keep America Beautiful affiliates will use this funding to: remove litter and debris from roadsides, highways, shorelines, and waterways; plant trees, flowers, and gardens; beautify community spaces through art; lead community recycling efforts; and clean and restore nature trails, recreation areas, and playgrounds. 

This program shift will support the larger Greatest American Cleanup campaign to clean up 25 billion pieces of litter and beautify 25,000 communities across America for her 250th birthday on July 4, 2026.  

In 2025, Keep America Beautiful is excited to offer its affiliates cash grants to ‘keep things growing’, boost efforts to support the Greatest American Cleanup, and bring communities together to do beautiful things. 

About Keep America Beautiful

A leading national nonprofit, Keep America Beautiful inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. We envision a country in which every community is a clean, green, and beautiful place to live.

Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful provides the expertise, programs and resources to help people End Littering, Improve Recycling, Beautify America’s public spaces, and Restore & Support resilient communities.

The organization is driven by the work and passion of millions of individual volunteers, nearly 700 community-based Keep America Beautiful affiliates, and the support of municipalities, elected officials, and corporate partners.

Our collective action champions environmentally healthy, socially-connected, and economically-sound communities. Keep America Beautiful continues to bring people together to transform public spaces into beautiful places.

Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Community Improvement Grants

Keep America Beautiful’s MLK Corridor Community Grants empower communities to revitalize, beautify and transform areas in and around Martin Luther King Jr. corridors and neighborhoods. With over 950 MLK corridors across the United States transecting a variety of different neighborhood types and commercial uses, these grants provide crucial funding to businesses, residents, and community groups to address local challenges and meet their needs to create vibrant, and welcoming spaces. These grants support the Greatest American Cleanup through the creation and revitalization of beautiful places, directly aligning with the initiative’s goal of beautifying 25,000 communities by July 4, 2026. Past MLK projects have included murals and public art installations, the creation of community gardens and green spaces, tree plantings, and cleanup efforts.  Grant PrioritiesProjects with a focus on the following will be prioritized:

• Projects aimed to have longer lasting or more permanent impacts that build on or strengthen social or community infrastructure.
• Projects that engage local artists or use native plants (when relevant) and outline maintenance plans.

What is Ecosystem Thinking?

Humans are an integral part of the ecosystem, and living in consistent connection with the natural world is good and healthy. Everything is connected. The decisions we make have upstream and downstream effects.

A healthy bull elk is part of a much larger story. His existence reflects an intricate food web supported by everything from soil and water to songbirds and predators.

This is Ecosystem Thinking.

What are Ecosystem Grants?

We believe extraordinary impacts can be made not only by large organizations but also by grassroots efforts led by passionate individuals.

SITKA Ecosystem Grants fund proposed projects that improve the state and function of an ecosystem, allow for the growth of the hunting experience through access and education, and create opportunities for collaborative conservation.

Our Funding Priorities

• Nurturing Natural Systems
  • Habitat Restoration,
  • Biodiversity,
  • Conservation,
  • Working Landscapes
• Encouraging the Hunting Experience
  • Mentorship,
  • Access,
  • Education,
  • Well-Being
• Shared Stewardship
  • Prioritizing Whole Ecosystems Through Collaboration

Examples of Funded Projects

• Supporting efforts to remove fencing that prohibits or threatens ungulate migrations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and efforts to install wildlife friendly fencing in key migratory areas.
• Supporting research efforts to better understand mallard duck overwinter habitat use and population dynamics in the Mississippi River Flyway.
• Supporting a scholarship fund for a Montana backcountry hunting course tailored to youth and first time hunters.
• Supporting a local trail crew who, on their personal time, maintain and restore public trails.
• Supporting efforts to restore the Mississippi River Delta by planting native trees to help capture downstream transported sediment, strengthen existing freshwater ecosystems and reduce the rate at which critical habitat and land is lost due to sea level rise, increase frequency and severity of storms, saltwater encroachment and a reduction of land building downstream sediment transport.
• Supporting efforts by leading scientific groups and universities to research CWD with hopes of curbing its spread, and lobbying efforts to pass legislation that can increase CWD education, advocacy and awareness.

Funding Amount and Duration

SITKA Ecosystem Grants vary in amount depending on significance of the project, though most range between US $3,000 and $20,000. However, we do not have a cap on individual grant funding requests. Each grant request is reviewed on a case by case basis. SEG funds often serve as complimentary support, which is why we encourage applicants to seek additional, concurrent funding, and disclose supporting funds and partners within the SEG application.

Typically, SITKA Ecosystem Grants support projects for one year. However, in certain circumstances, we support grants on a multi-year basis.