Educational Grant Application

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Application and Review Process
Areas of Interest
Meinders Fund
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General Guidelines

The American Floral Endowment (AFE) educational grant practices have been established in accordance with the organization’s mission statement. The American Floral Endowment is a not-for-profit corporation that raises and prudently invests its funds to support research, education, scholarships, and internship programs to benefit the floriculture industry.

This program does make loans and does not normally provide grants for: any religious purpose or for capital facilities, equipment, motion pictures, or television and radio programs, unless they are an integral phase of a project being funded.

The Endowment encourages any submission for grant funding of well-developed educational project. Preference is given to programs benefitting a broad geographical area or far-reaching programs. Multi-year projects are encouraged.

Who Can Apply

Any community-based organization with a program targeting the floriculture industry within the United States may apply. Preference is given to floriculture programs that are national in scope and identify or improve educational opportunities for young people.

Amount of Grants

Grants are reviewed on an annual basis, and funding is dependent on the amount of funds available. The Endowment directs its support to activities that are within its current interests and those that are likely to have a wide-reaching effect. Support is not normally given for routine operating costs. Grants normally range from $500-$10,000 per year but can exceed that depending on the project.

Application and Review Process

The American Floral Endowment’s Education Committee will review all proposals annually and make recommendations to the Board of Trustees. The Application for Educational Funding must be fully completed, signed, and submitted by June 1 each year.

Any project funded by the Endowment will require the organization to submit a final report or article at the conclusion of the program. The report/article should include: a summary of the program, a summary of the results/outcomes, a summary of how the Endowment’s funds were utilized, and any future plans to continue the program.

Applicants will be notified of the Endowment’s decision no later than September 1. Funds will be disbursed 60-90 days prior to the project date, unless otherwise arranged.

All multi-year projects are reviewed annually and are subject to the availability of funds.

Current Areas of Interest – Educational Development Programs

Since its inception, the American Floral Endowment has funded over $3 million in educational
programs. On an annual and ongoing basis, the Endowment supports programs that promote
education throughout the floriculture industry. The majority of these programs are national in scope,
focused on attracting young people to the industry or educational endeavors to identify and solve
industry wide needs and/or challenges. See examples below:

Seed your Future, National Floriculture Forum, FFA, Great Lakes Floral Expo, etc.
Industry Conferences and Event Programs
Training programs for Students, Faculty, or Industry

Meinders Retail Florist Education Grant Fund

The Meinders Retail Florist Education Grant Fund was established in 2021 to provide
financial support for retail florist education. Established through generous contributions from longtime industry members and AFE supporters, Herman and LaDonna Meinders, this new fund supports reduced or free registration fees to floral industry events for retail florists by providing grants or scholarships to nonprofit floral industry organizations for this purpose. Grant applications
focused on retail floral education will qualify for a grant under this new fund.

Requests are reviewed on an annual basis, with funding dependent on the number of funds available. Applications are due june 1 of each year.

Educational Grant Application

Section A: General

Project Date

mm/dd/yyyy

Application Date

mm/dd/yyyy

Project/Event Title

Organization

Contact Person

Address

Address Line 1

Address Line 2

City

State/Province

Zip/Postal

Country

Phone

Project Type

Funding

Single Year Requested Amount

Maximum grant request should not exceed $10,000 per year

Multi-Year Requested Amount

Maximum grant request should not exceed $10,000 per year

What is the total cost of the project, and where is funding coming from?

What other organizations have been solicited to fund this project, and at what amount? Include the status of that funding request.

What segment(s) of the industry will this program be focused? Check all that apply

*Programs focused on Retail education will be considered for a grant through the Meinders Retail Florist Education Grant Fund that provides a block grant to reduce registration fees, or to award registration scholarships for retail attendees. See following section.

Section B: Introduction or Summary of Request

Please include a detailed description of the project, amount requested, the target audience, the number of people being served/expected attendance, and the benefits of the project. Include how AFE will be recognized for their contribution or how AFE can participate in the event – tradeshow booth, handout in registration packet, on stage presentation, advertising, etc. (You may also upload this as a pdf at the end of this application if necessary)

How can AFE participate in this event or be recognized for this grant/sponsorship”? ( i.e. AFE logo on materials or signage, free booth/table, free registration, speaking/presentation opportunity, etc.)

Section C: Budget Form

Please include a detailed budget for the program. (You may also upload this as a pdf at the end of this application if necessary)

Section D: Information for Sending Payment if Selected

Please provide contact information and the complete address of where payment should be mailed should your grant be selected.

Name

First

Last

Phone

Address

Address Line 1

Address Line 2

City

State/Province

Zip/Postal

Country

Section E: Qualifications

Provide descriptions of individuals involved or overseeing the project. (You may also upload this as a pdf at the end of this application if necessary)

Section F: Secure Document Upload

Please use the embedded form below to upload your documents. Note: You will have to press submit to upload your documents (purple button), then press submit again to submit your complete application.

Note:

You will have to press submit twice to submit your entire application – submit documents by pressing the purple submit button, and submit complete application by pressing the blue submit button. If you have any issues, please reach out to cmusgrove@afeendowment.org.