Seven Ways American Floral Endowment Made a Difference in Floriculture in 2023

This year, American Floral Endowment (AFE) granted more than $675,000 in funding to support research, internships, scholarships, and education for the entire floral community. Here are some key highlights from 2023 (you can also learn more here):

• Research advancements: This year, AFE have funded 12 ground-breaking research projects, including five new projects and seven continuing projects. The projects are working to move the industry forward and help solve some of the challenges industry members face on a daily basis. These research projects focus on areas such as improving flower quality and longevity, pest and disease management, new technologies, plant breeding and engineering, and more.
• Education: To support and empower the next generation, AFE provided scholarships to 30 students this year. It hopes these scholarships can help to alleviate challenges to the labor force as new, young professionals are now granted the opportunity to pursue careers in floriculture and horticulture.
• Educational grants: Also in support of education more broadly for the floral community at all ages, the Endowment awarded 19 organizations with educational grants. This funding will help these organizations host conferences, teach students and educators about the floral industry, offer programs such as greenhouse training and florist certification classes, promote sustainability practices, and more.
• Internships: To ensure that the future leaders of the industry have hands-on experience, 14 of the best and brightest from universities across the nation received internships focusing on floral production, greenhouse management, commercial plant production, and floral design. These students have been working in the industry hands-on and learning far beyond what can be taught in a classroom.
• Webinars: This year AFE hosted 19 free, interactive webinars with industry experts. These include monthly Grow Pro Webinars, which provide growers with direct access to new findings, best practices, and the chance to talk with industry experts. For young professionals, AFE hosted seven webinars focusing on professional development, networking, and public speaking.
• Thrips & Botrytis Resources Library: This comprehensive library is the result of a special research campaign, established in 2017, to address the control and management of Thrips and Botrytis. It launched recently free to all thanks to the campaign’s generous industry sponsors, whose support made this research possible. The library contains resources in English and Spanish, including webinars, articles, fact sheets, and more. Check out the free library here.
• Sustainability: The Endowment has also been working diligently on a new sustainability project, Sustainabloom, which will be launching with a website soon providing sustainability guides for all segments of the floral industry. This exciting program, established in 2022, will support the need for continued floriculture research around sustainable practices and help to increase sustainability efforts throughout the industry.