Applications due April 25
The Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust welcomes inquiries from organizations seeking funding for projects that meet its funding interests in ornamental horticulture. Vanderbilt University may submit one application to the grant program.
The Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust supports education and research in ornamental horticulture. The trust seeks to fund projects that will further ornamental horticulture at organizations pursuing the following activities:
- the advancement of research in ornamental horticulture and the publication of the results of such research
- assisting in the creation, development, preservation and maintenance of gardens accessible to the public for educational purposes
- promotion of the environmentally responsible introduction, cultivation and distribution of plants that have ornamental horticultural value
- assisting in the publication of books or other works relating to ornamental horticulture
- informal and/or formal educational activities that further ornamental horticulture
The trust supports projects that directly further research or education in ornamental horticulture in North America, South America, Central America, the Caribbean and Australia, including:
- development of programs and projects
- physical improvements
- signage
- access
- equipment
- publications
- and, under some circumstances, general operations and/or salaries
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 trust does not fund endowments or indirect costs. The trust also does not fund projects concerned primarily with agriculture, environmental issues, science education or horticultural therapy.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2022 and 2023, the trust 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. Additional instructions will be provided in the trust’s online grants portal if a proposal is invited.
The trust recognizes the hardships gardens and other horticultural organizations experience due to damages caused by natural disasters (storms, fires, earthquakes, flooding, etc.), and welcomes requests from qualified organizations to support damage remediation.
Application timeline: Vanderbilt’s nominee will submit an LOI to the sponsor by July 15, 2022. Eligible organizations whose LOIs are found to be strongly aligned with the trust’s funding interests will be invited by the sponsor to submit a full proposal. If invited, the deadline to submit a full proposal is Aug. 15, 2022.
See the guidelines, funding interests and FAQs for more information.
Internal application instructions
Interested faculty should visit https://vanderbilt.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1867547 to submit an application for the internal LSO competition and to find additional information about the opportunity. The deadline for the internal VU competition is April 25, 2022.
Any questions about this opportunity or the LSO process may be directed to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.