[mini grants for gardens]

Hello All,
  I have been asked by my chapter President to find out if anyone has a template for determining recipients and awarding small grants to schools, libraries,etc to aid them in obtaining native plants,signs,etc for a garden?
Our chapter has been getting multiple requests for support per year and we have no way of sorting through requests in an equitable manner.  We do not have the resources to fund them all. Thank you, Beautyberry Chapter Rep, Wendy Poag

[Re: mini grants for gardens]

Citrus Chapter just started our Grant program this fall/winter and haven't had submissions yet. So, I can't say if our way works smoothly or could be helpful to you. We list on the application things that will be given consideration. They aren't officially ranked by any value, so it could go wonky, but I kinda ordered them by my own ideas of what is most important:

Grant committee considers:
Relevance to the FNPS mission
How long the project will have an impact
How likely the project will be maintained and how realistic it is
If plants used are site appropriate
If it has value to the community or quality of ecological benefit
If it informs or educates the public
How many children or adults may be reached
If it increases awareness of FNPS and CCFNPS
If the project addresses multiple conservation issues
The expertise of applicant or project participants and if they have had previous successful projects

Our grant program is open to the surrounding area, but I think you guys are too far for you to send some of your extra applicants our way.

[Re: mini grants for gardens]

I recently looked through every single chapter's website looking to find if any chapters had student research grant opportunities (while I didn't find many) I did find that many chapters (I think at least 5-10) had grant/award opportunities for native plant garden projects. Sorry I cannot point you to any specifically, but if you go one by one (I just went down the list on http://www.fnps.org/chapters/chapters) you will find many.