The Philadelphia Botanical Club Grant for Botanical Research, Education, and Conservation provides support for Philadelphia Botanical Club members who are conducting research, developing educational programs and/or working on conservation efforts that involve plants, preferably in the greater Philadelphia region. For the purpose of this grant, the term “plants” includes algae, lichens, and fungi.
Eligibility
The applicant must be a current member of the Philadelphia Botanical Club. (To join, see our membership information.) No additional institutional affiliation is required.
Types of Projects Supported
Research Projects: For research projects, the intent of the grant is to contribute to botanical research that leads to peer-reviewed or popular publications and advances our knowledge of plants, preferably those of the greater Philadelphia region.
Educational Projects: For educational projects, the intent of the grant is to foster general knowledge and public engagement with our local flora. The project may include such deliverables as public lectures or forums on plants, plant guides, or web-based tools for plant identification or research (e.g., tracking phenology or pollinator relationships).
Conservation Projects: For conservation projects, the intent of the grant is to assist projects that involve managing habitat for a rare species or habitat restoration in general. Please note that all permits and allowances for access to and management of land must be in place and submitted with the grant application.
Types of expenses eligible for support
Expenses directly related to the project are eligible for funding. For example, supplies and minor equipment (e.g., GPS units, camera accessories, work gloves/tools), printing costs (e.g., for field guides), personnel costs, and travel to and living expenses at field sites or museums are all eligible.
Amount of award
We anticipate making at least two awards of approximately $2000 each year. Although amounts of up to $4000 might be considered, preference will be given towards smaller awards.
Deadline
The deadline for applications is December 2 of each year. Awardees will be notified by January 15.
How to Apply
Submit the following items:
- Brief resume
- Description of the proposal, including a brief description of the role the Grant funds will play in the project. The proposal length is limited to two single-spaced pages (12 point font, 1-inch margins), not including the reference list.
- Itemized budget for the funds requested
- Two letters of recommendation; these may come from collaborators, teachers/instructors, employers, other Club members, or anyone qualified to judge the applicant’s technical skills to carry out the project and other abilities required to do so.
- For site-specific projects, if the applicant is NOT the property owner, submit a letter or other document from the property owner that shows that the applicant has permission to access and work on the land. If applicant is the property owner, please be sure to state this explicitly in the grant application. This information is required for the following types of projects: 1, conservation projects; 2, research projects on land not generally open to the public; 3, research projects (on any land) unless the research is purely observational (e.g. plant surveys without associated collections).
Applications should be submitted via email to the Philadelphia Botanical Club Grant committee: PhiladelphiaBotanicalClubGrant@gmail.com. The main application should be sent as an email attachment. Letters of recommendation may be sent with the main application or in separate emails; if sent separately, the subject line of the email should include the name of the applicant.
Past Awardees
A list of past awardees is available.
Other Information
Awardees will be invited to lead a field trip to their study site or to present their results to the Philadelphia Botanical Club at one of its monthly meetings. If a web-based or other potentially web-available product is produced, the Club will endeavor to link to or post it on the Club website, upon its completion. Researchers are invited to submit the results of their research to Bartonia, the Journal of the Philadelphia Botanical Club.
