Native Plant Grants

The Preserve has a proud tradition of supplying native plants to community organizations and school groups to promote native plants in the landscape and in gardens throughout the Delaware Valley. What began as an informal donation program has grown into a thoughtful grant process to provide access to native plants to those who have the greatest need.

Program Background

The Plant Grants Program enlists a broader audience to help advance our mission: “Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve increases the knowledge and use of native plants by serving as an educational resource and destination that inspires conservation action”. The Plant Grants Program provides “starter gardens” comprised of native species to nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and public agencies throughout the Delaware Valley who are engaged in community gardening, restoration, or beautification projects. Each Plant Grant recipient will be awarded up to 100 mostly herbaceous plants, with limited shrubs and trees available.

Program Goals

• Provide education about the environmental importance of native plants
•  Facilitate the transition to native landscapes on public lands
•  Amplify the Preserve's impact throughout the Delaware Valley

Eligibility

• Applicants must be a nonprofit organization, public agency, or educational institution
• Project must be on public land, land owned by a nonprofit, or land owned by an educational institution in the Delaware Valley (see map on page 7 of application).
• Applicants must have the ability to maintain the planting area for a minimum of three years
• The property must be accessible to the general public.
• NEW! Recipients are encouraged to return cleaned pots to the Preserve for recycling.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications are evaluated based on:

• Eligibility of the applicant
• How well the project meets the goals of the program
• Project Location within the Delaware Valley
• Suitability of available plants for project conditions
• Availability of plants from the Preserve’s nursery
• Audience served (with underserved populations taking priority)
• Quality of educational opportunity
• Long-term viability of the project
• New applicants will be given preference over those receiving grants last year or in multiple years so that we may reach a broader audience

Application & Grantee Requirements

• Spring Plant Grant applications will be accepted from 1/5/2026 – 2/21/2026
• For Spring 2026 Plant Grants, we will wait until the application period closes before selecting grant recipients.

Please send inquiries and applications to: nursery@bhwp.org

Grantees must sign a grant agreement with the Preserve, agreeing to certain conditions, including the maintenance of the project area after completion, willingness to install a project sign (provided by the Preserve), educating the public on the nature of the project and submitting a report on the project with before and after photographs.