BOTANICAL ADVOCACY & Service GRANT

PICT0029.JPG

Application deadline: 1 May 2024

The Botanical Society of America (BSA) and the American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT) are pleased to invite applications for the annual Botanical Advocacy and Service Grant. This grant supports efforts to shape public policy, broader impacts to connect the public, and/or policy makers to the botanical sciences in a meaningful way. 
The grantee will receive $1000 to be used in the proposed project and will be recognized at the annual Botany meeting during the awards ceremony. 
Grantees will be required to submit a brief summary of their activities with an image to the Plant Science Bulletin (PSB) by August 15th of the following year. This synopsis will appear in the Fall issue of the PSB and is intended to highlight the impact of the recipient’s efforts in shaping public policy and awareness of plant-related issues.

The successful proposal will:

  • Improve public knowledge, connect with policymakers, and/or take a hands-on action on issues relevant to plant science.

  • Briefly explain the grantee’s qualifications and institutional affiliation.

All active members of BSA and ASPT are eligible to apply.

To apply, follow the directions below and include the following materials as a single pdf:

  • One-page description of the proposed efforts and their anticipated impact.

  • One-page budget to show how the funds will be used.

Applicants can access the awards portal by clicking here. Applicants who are not current BSA members (like ASPT members) can still apply without signing in, but will not have continuous access to their applications, so will need to submit their applications completely and not save and return later.

Once in the awards portal, click on the "BSA / ASPT Botanical Advocacy and Service Grant" link and you should see a blue button that says "+ Create New Nomination" at the bottom.

Please feel free to email bsa-manager@botany.org with any questions about the award and application process.

Previously awarded projects have supported:

  • A land management and conservation working group that will help assess the health and impacts of grazing on a montane meadow.

  • A capacity-building workshop for rural women to support conservation and sustainable management of endangered, rare, and/or culturally important plant species.

  • Purchase of a digital video camera to present live images of plants during a summer lecture series at an underfunded, botanically-focused branch of a regional museum.

  • More projects can be found at https://cms.botany.org/home/awards/special-funds-and-awards/botany-advocacy-leadership-grant.html

Inquiries about the grant may be directed to the chairs of the EPPC for both societies: ASPT EPPC Chair – Ken Wurdack (WURDACKK@si.edu), BSA Chair – Andrew Pais (paisa@vgcc.edu).

This Award is organized by the Public Policy Committee of BSA and the Environmental and Public Policy Committees of BSA and ASPT and aims to support efforts that contribute to shaping public policy on issues relevant to plant sciences.