How Michigan Is Investing in the Future of Horticulture

Posted by Brian Sparks|November 3, 2023

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is accepting grant proposals for the 2024 Horticulture Fund designed to support Michigan’s nursery and ornamental horticulture businesses. Proposals must be received no later than Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, with the maximum grant award of $20,000.

All faculty and staff members of universities and colleges in Michigan are eligible to receive funding, as well as teams of university/college investigators and private individuals. University or college personnel must be the Principal Investigator of the proposal.

While eligible projects for grant consideration can be either new or ongoing, all proposals must fall under one of three funding categories:

Applied Research: Crop management systems that enhance industry profitability while being environmentally and socially responsible and provide long-term benefits to Michigan’s nursery and ornamental horticulture industry.
Basic Research: Research generating knowledge that can be used to address contemporary problems and/or enable the future development and implementation of improved techniques or processes.
Outreach/Training/Demonstration: Activities focused on assisting Michigan’s nursery and ornamental horticultural industries.

Proposals must be received via email at [email protected]. Applications and grant guidelines are available online.

Proposals will be reviewed by the Horticulture Fund Advisory Committee, which are appointed by MDARD’s Director. Grant recipients plan to be announced in May 2024.