Bayer, in coordination with the new Feed a Bee steering committee, is calling for proposals to establish additional forage for pollinators in all 50 states by 2018. This new initiative will fund forage initiatives and plantings for pollinators in every state, working with organizations across the nation.
To further the reach of Feed a Bee and contribute to additional forage development, the Feed a Bee Steering Committee, comprised of more than a dozen Feed a Bee partners, including R.D. Offutt Company, Sweet Virginia Foundation, Project Apis m., among others, as well as representatives from the Bayer Bee Care Program, will distribute $500,000 in funding during the next two years.
“We convened the steering committee to address an extreme need, now more than ever, to invest in forage and planting initiatives across the country,” says Becky Langer, Bayer project manager for North American Bee Health. “Today’s announcement represents a collaborative effort of some of the leading bee health stakeholders who are making it our mission to support the expansion of these programs and make sure organizations in every state in the U.S. have the opportunity to bring their pollinator initiatives to life.”
The committee requests forage initiative proposals that will promote pollinator health and help provide a tangible solution to the current lack of forage. Organizations including, but not limited to, nonprofits, growers (individual and trade groups), beekeepers (individual and associations), businesses, schools, clubs, gardening groups, government agencies and others are encouraged to submit a proposal.
Forage initiatives in each state must include the following priorities:
- Establishing pollinator forage via a dedicated planting or habitat restoration led by the applying organization. Examples of activities may include but are not limited to establishing a pollinator garden, increasing acreage of existing forage, management of right of way vegetation, restoration of native habitat land, etc. Location must be viable and able to support pollinator forage plants (wildflowers, ornamentals or trees) and pollinators, including (but not limited to) farms, community/urban gardens, schools, rights-of-way, etc.
- Education initiative encouraging others to establish pollinator forage. Promote pollinator education to third parties, sharing with them the importance of planting diverse, abundant forage to provide pollinators with enough food.
Proposals should address one or more of the above priority areas and include:
- Executive project summary (500 words maximum).
- Requested dollar amount with itemized budget.
- Proposal, background, objective, methods, results.
- Partners involved in project.
- Project site, If requesting funds for planting, is the site currently available or still to be identified? How will it be maintained after installation?
Funding will be distributed in grants of $1,000; $2,500 or $5,000, and proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis. Proposals submitted before March 31, 2017, will be considered for initiatives and events to occur July, September 2017. The first projects funded will be announced during National Pollinator Week, June 19-25. Visit FeedABee.com/Impact beginning March 3 for more information on how to submit proposals.
Bayer’s Feed a Bee program, in its third year, has rallied more than 900,000 individuals and 117 partner organizations to plant more than 2 billion wildflowers, creating and expanding forage areas for pollinators.
