Awards and Grants
Awards and Grants
Honoring Those Who Support Our Mission
Awards
Palmetto Awards
Once a year, the Florida Native Plant Society bestows various awards to members and chapters for their contributions to our mission. The Palmetto Awards were established in 1984 to further the mission of the Florida Native Plant Society by encouraging and acknowledging the contributions to conservation of natural areas and native plants, and educating to these objectives.
Green Palmetto Award
The Green Palmetto Award is given to members who make major contributions to the Society through Service, Education, or Conservation. Those awarded are nominated by chapters or members, and the Board of Directors makes the final choice.
Submit a Green Palmetto Award Nomination
Silver Palmetto Award
The Silver Palmetto Award is given to FNPS members, usually Board members, chosen by the FNPS President. They typically go to those who make major contribution to the functioning of the Society.
Outstanding Chapter of the Year Award
The Outstanding Chapter of the Year Award is given to chapters with outstanding efforts during the preceding year(s).
Submit a Chapter of the Year Award Nomination
Any member can make award nominations. Selection of award winners is by a vote of the FNPS Board of Directors. Here’s a not so subtle hint: while secrecy isn’t a requirement, it’s always nice to surprise the awardee when the award is announced.
Recognition: We will announce and celebrate award winners on our social media, website, annual meeting, and in our Palmetto publication, which is circulated to over 6000 people. Traditionally, FNPS has awarded all winners with a plaque, however we are exploring ways of reducing our environmental impact. As part of this commitment, the Florida Native Plant Society will offer Palmetto awardees the option of receiving either a plaque or a certificate (which uses less material).
Nominations must be submitted via the linked forms above. If you have any questions about this award or the submission process, please contact the Communications Director or the President of the Society.
Contact: Valerie Anderson
Contact Email: communications@fnps.org
Application Deadline: May 01, 2024
Mentor Award
Created in 1995, the Mentor Award recognizes distinguished individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the science and practice of native plant preservation, conservation and restoration. This award is the highest honor the Society can bestow and is reserved for lifelong or career-long contributions.
Submit a Mentor Award Nomination
Any member can make a Mentor Award nomination. Selection of Mentor Award winners is by a vote of the FNPS Board of Directors. Here’s a not so subtle hint: while secrecy isn’t a requirement, it’s always nice to surprise the awardee at the time the award is announced.
Nominations must be submitted via the linked form above. If you have any questions about this award or the submission process, please contact the Communications Director or the President of the Society.Contact: Valerie Anderson
Contact Email: communications@fnps.org
Application Deadline: May 01, 2024
Landscape Awards
Applications for the 2023 FNPS Landscape Awards are now closed.
From residential yards to commercial landscapes and from large-scale restoration sites to small-scale wildlife and butterfly gardens, FNPS encourages Chapters, community groups, businesses, professionals, government agencies, HOA's and individuals to nominate their own or others' landscapes for recognition of their efforts to celebrate and highlight the benefits of native plants.
Please click the button below for details and to apply.
If you would like to be notified when the 2024 Landscape Awards open, please email:
Contact Email: info@fnps.org
Application Deadline: Aug 31, 2023
Grants
Research Grants
The Florida Native Plant Society maintains an Endowment Grant program for the purpose of funding research on native plants. These are small grants (typically $2500 or less), awarded for a 1-year period, and intended to support research that forwards the mission of the Florida Native Plant Society "to promote the preservation, conservation, and restoration of the native plants and native plant communities of Florida."
Contact: Paul Schmalzer
Contact Email: info@fnps.org
Application Deadline: Mar 01, 2024
Conservation Grants
FNPS Conservation Grants support applied native-plant conservation projects in Florida. Applicants can apply for a grant of up to $5,000 awarded for a 1-year period. Projects must promote the preservation, conservation, or restoration of rare or imperiled native plant taxa and rare or imperiled native plant communities. To qualify for a Conservation Grant, the proposed project must be sponsored by an FNPS Chapter.
Contact: John Benton
Contact Email: conservation@fnps.org
Application Deadline: Mar 01, 2024
Dan Austin Grant for Ethnobotany
This award is limited to graduate or undergraduate students who are studying Florida ethnobotany – i.e., the study of the relationship between peoples or cultures with plants native to Florida or Florida ecosystems. These can be current uses or historic uses.
Evaluation Criteria
- Research must focus on Florida native plant species or plant communities.
- Research project must have a human/plant connection.
- Research can include mycology, taxonomy, botany, demographics of medicinal plants, medicinal chemistry, human effects on soils, economic importance, etc.
Contact: John Benton
Contact Email: info@fnps.org
Application Deadline: Mar 01, 2024
Cornelia McNamara Grant
The Cornelia McNamara Grant is named in honor of a long-term member who passed away last year. The Cornelia McNamara grant is made possible by a generous donation from Chris Calder, a Cuplet Fern Chapter member who wants to advance the knowledge of our native plant heritage. Chris's donation will allow FNPS to award grants for four years, so there will be an annual request for proposals.
The specific grant objectives are:
• To advance the study of Florida’s native plant species and habitats
• To promote efforts that yield quantitative data and information about native plant species
• To encourage data collection that is typically unsupported and unfunded by traditional academic institutions and funders.
Contact: Paul Schmalzer
Contact Email: info@fnps.org
Application Deadline: Mar 01, 2024