The Montana Native Plant Society provides funding for projects that advance our mission to preserve, conserve and study the native plants and plant communities of Montana and inform the public about the value of native flora. The specific objectives of the MNPS Grant Program are:
- To stimulate research, conservation, and education that fosters an appreciation of Montana’s native plants and plant communities.
- To promote native plant conservation through a better understanding of Montana’s native flora and vegetation and the factors affecting their survival.
The maximum award limit for 2025 is $5,000.
Application procedure
Applications must be submitted online through the MNPS website. Final submission deadline is Oct 31, 2025. All applicants will be notified of their results the week of Jan 1, 2026. See “Reporting & Payment schedule” for information about how funds will be distributed.
Applicant qualifications
Anyone may apply for a Grant, except MNPS Grants Committee members and prior grant recipients who failed to submit a final report. Applications must meet the following criteria:
- Proposals must pertain to native plants of Montana and align with MNPS’s mission.
- Funding requests must meet the eligible expenses as described below.
- Applications must include all required information and be formatted as requested.
Please note: Non-revenue generating projects will be given preference.
If a revenue-generating project is funded, MNPS may require a portion of the proceeds be returned to the MNPS Grants and Giving Program.
Eligible expenses
- Direct cost of travel, meals, and lodging
- Supplies, equipment, and services used for the sole purpose of the project (e.g., consumable supplies such as media storage, laboratory chemicals, soil, nursery stock; project-specific equipment such as hand tools, water system, storage structure; and services such as phone, computer time, and design contracts)
- Printing costs for public outreach projects or research publications
- Wages or contract labor costs for work directly related to the project
Ineligible expenses include wages for overhead or unrelated support, and any expenses not essential to the project.
Grant categories
All grant applications must be placed into one of the categories described below. Applicants will be asked to select a primary category, recognizing that many projects have more than one objective.
- Research – Projects that perform scientific study of Montana’s native plants or plant communities, or other topics that align with MNPS’s mission, with the goal of publishing the results. Publication at a minimum would be an article in our quarterly Kelseya newsletter.
- Education – Projects that promote knowledge of Montana’s native plants or plant communities, or other education topics that align with MNPS’s mission.
- Conservation – Projects that promote conserving Montana’s native plants or plant communities, or other conservation topics that align with MNPS’s mission.
- Native plant restoration – Projects that promote restoring Montana’s native plants or plant communities.
- Native plant garden – Projects that establish or maintain an existing native plant garden whose purpose aligns with MNPS’s mission.
- Other – Projects that don’t fit into one of the aforementioned categories, but still align with MNPS’s mission.
Looking for ideas? Researchers can study plots at the Montana Conservation Seedling Nursery in Missoula, or maybe even use some of the nursery’s space for research. Contact is Ashley.Mattson@mt.gov.
Application requirements
Applicants must provide the following information:
- Primary grant category
- Project title
- Organizational affiliation (if any) and primary contact
- Project timeline
- Short project abstract
- Project description (limit 1000 words) describing objectives, methods, final product and dissemination of results
- Description of how the proposed project will benefit native plant conservation in Montana
- Project budget showing amount requested from MNPS, other funding sources, and how funds will be used
- Brief statement of applicant’s qualifications or biography
- Garden and native plant restoration projects shall include:
- short- and long-term maintenance plan
- advisor or lead planner expertise & experience
- species list and/or types of plant materials & sourcing
- Projects with an education component shall include:
- age groups and numbers of target audience
- advisor or lead educator expertise & experience
- expected lifespan of product
- Up to three appendices may be uploaded as needed, documenting species lists, literature cited, and diagrams
Selection criteria
Project qualifications & Adequacy of resources
- Demonstrated qualifications adequate for successful project completion, e.g. track record, realistic objectives.
- Budget suitable for achieving objectives.
- Preference will be given to proposals demonstrating cooperation with others.
- For school or community gardens, native plant restoration projects, and education projects: specialists or expertise are identified and qualified.
Merit of project
- Preference will be given to proposals that generate data or public support that advances the conservation of native plants in the wild.
- Project directly leads to conservation, appreciation, or understanding of native plants.
- Project shows an evident and current need (urgency).
- Project reaches a broad audience, is distinctive and imaginative, and results extend beyond the grant year.
- Less preference will be given to projects emphasizing operational costs, such as utilities or rent.
Methods
- Purpose and methods are clearly described.
- Procedures are appropriate to the proposed problem.
- Methods have a negligible negative impact on native plant communities.
- A plan for disseminating results is included.
- For school or community garden or native plant restoration projects: Maintenance plan (water and weed management) is clearly defined; species list or types of plants and sources are described and appropriate for the planting location, goals, and intended audience or users.
- For education projects: Target audience, outreach, maintenance & revision, and lifespan are described and appropriate.
Reporting & Payment schedule
- The first payment of 50% of the grant award will be made at the request of the awardee to the Grants Subcommittee Chair any time after notification of award.
- The second (final) payment will be made at the request of the awardee after the final report or product has been submitted.
- A final report is due within one year of notification of award. The Subcommittee Chair will monitor whether the final report has been received, and make efforts to encourage awardee to respond in a timely manner. The second payment will not be made until the final report or product has been submitted.
- If the report is more than six but less than twelve months past the deadline or extension date, the awardee will be reimbursed for no more than 50% of the remaining eligible expenses.
- If the report is more than twelve months past the deadline or extension date, further reimbursement is forteited.
- Awardees who fail to submit a final report within twelve months of the deadline will be ineligible for further grants, unless an extension or exception is granted.
- In some situations, it may be necessary to provide most or all the funding up front. This would be the case for projects that require the funding to produce or print the product (e.g., an educational trunk or brochure). Payment for these projects will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Final Report & Resulting publications
- Awardees will submit a final report documenting the study or project accomplishments to the Montana Native Plant Society. This report should be suitable for publication in the Kelseya newsletter and submitted by e-mail.
- Research data are the property of the researcher, and will not be published or distributed without written permission from the researcher.
- The Montana Native Plant Society’s support should be acknowledged in any publication resulting from research or other projects.
Contact
If you have any questions about the submission process, please email the Review Committee Facilitator at leahg.mnps@gmail.com
Our current granting window closed 10/31/2025; applicants will be notified of the results the week of Jan 1, 2026.