Education Program

Educational Grants

CNPS offers grants to support  research on California's native flora. The grant descriptions and application guidelines are also available in PDF format (36k).

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CNPS Grants Overview

The Educational Grants Committee administers the Educational Grants Program. Four types of grants are available. The Committee determines which type of grant is appropriate for each proposal funded. Grants are awarded to a person only once during the duration of a project.

THE HELEN SHARSMITH GRANTS: Helen Sharsmith grants, established in 1983, pay memorial tribute to the author of The Flora of the Mount Hamilton Range. We award Helen Sharsmith grants to students or non students involved in research on California's native flora.

THE DOC BURR GRANTS: we established the Doc Burr Graduate Research Fund in 1983 to honor Horace K. "Doc" Burr, a founder and Fellow of the Society. Doc Burr grants are awarded to graduate students conducting research that promotes conservation of California's flora and vegetation.

THE HARDMAN NATIVE PLANT RESEARCH AWARD: we offer the Hardman Native Plant Research Award for promising academic and applied botanical research involving California's native plants, especially rare plants. For this grant, we also welcome research leading to elimination of invasive exotic plants from the state's flora.

THE G. LEDYARD STEBBINS AWARD: we established the Stebbins Award in 1986 to honor Dr. Stebbins for his many years of dedication to the Society and to students of genetics and evolutionary botany. Each year one Stebbins Award may be given to a graduate student for an outstanding proposal for research in evolutionary botany.

How to Apply for a Grant

We have no standardized application form. Your proposal should contain the following information:

1. Title of the project. Applicant's name, address, phone number, e-mail address. Date submitted.

2. Estimated date of project completion.

3. Description of the project. Outline your purposes, objectives, hypotheses where appropriate, and methods of data collection and analysis. Highlight aspects of the work that you believe are particularly important and creative. Discuss how the project will advance knowledge and appreciation of California's native plants and vegetation.

4. Description of the final product. We ask you to submit an article to Fremontia, or a short report to the Educational Grants Committee, based on dissertation, thesis or other work.

5. Budget. Summarize intended use of funds. If you received or expect to receive grants or other material support, show how these fit into the overall budget. We encourage applicants to seek additional funding sources because CNPS is unable to provide full funding for most proposed projects. You may submit proposals simultaneously or previous ones to other grant agencies if they meet CNPS's requirements.

Grant funds may be used only for expendable supplies, transportation, equipment rental, laboratory services, and printing costs, and like items. We will not approve grants for purchase of cameras, computers, software, machinery, or clothes nor for meals, lodging, or salaries.

6. Academic status: Say whether you are a graduate student, undergraduate student, high school student, or non student, as some grants are reserved for graduate students.

7. Personal qualifications: One letter of support from a sponsor, such as an academic supervisor or major professor, should accompany your application. The letter can be enclosed in a sealed envelope, or send separately to the CNPS office by September 30th.

8. Signature. Your signature will confirm to CNPS your knowledge of the project and your consent to participate in it.

The proposal should be brief and concise. Remember that reviewers are volunteers who may be plant enthusiasts, not academics. We prefer clear, lively language to stuffy jargon.

Proposals should be sent by September 30th of each year to:

Education Grants Committee
California Native Plant Society
2707 K Street, Suite 1
Sacramento, California 95816-5113

We will notify applicants of our decisions for funding support by the end of November. Upon completion of the work, we ask that you submit a short article to Fremontia, or a report to the Educational Grants Committee.

Review

Proposals are reviewed by members of the committee during October and November using these criteria: completeness, technical quality, consistency with CNPS goals, intended use of funds, and likelihood of completion.

Grant Amounts

The committee has no standard grant amounts or official funding limits on grants. Funds available to the committee, number of proposals, and merit of the proposals determine amounts awarded. The average amount awarded in recent years is $700. The Society hopes grants in larger amounts may be feasible in the future, if the principal in fund accounts can be substantially increased.

Obligations of Recipients

I . Acknowledge the California Native Plant Society in any reports, publications, or other products resulting from the work we support.

2. Submit a short article to Fremontia, or a report, thesis, or dissertation to the Educational Grants Committee.

3. Submit any relevant rare plant or plant community data to the California Natural Diversity Data Base using CNDDB's field survey forms.

CNPS appreciates your interest in the Educational Grants Program and encourages your participation and support. THANK YOU, and GOOD LUCK!

(CNPS Grant Guidelines in PDF Format, 36k)