Since 2023, Kentucky Native Plant Society has been awarding five grants of $500 per year to foster the establishment of native plant pollinator gardens, emphasizing not only the ecological benefits but also the educational enrichment they provide. Through these gardens, KNPS seeks to nurture a deeper understanding and appreciation of native plant species and their crucial role in pollination.

In 2025, we were thrilled to receive nearly 30 worthy applications for this $500 garden grant. Picking only five was difficult for the committee: David Taylor, Rachel Cook, Kelly Watson, and Susan Harkins. You can see all five of this year’s grant winners here, KNPS 2025 Pollinator Garden Grant Winners!

One of this year’s winners was Wright Elementary School, in Shelbyville. Their new garden is a second-grade project, but will be used by the entire school for many academic endeavors. They have big plans for this garden’s future, including an irrigation system, benches, and even a picnic area.

We recently received this update about their garden and the images from Amanda Nett, a Second Grade teacher at Wright Elementary.

With the grant we received we were able to fill 2 large and 2 medium garden beds with native plants. Our students were able to plant them, care for them and learned why native plants are so important to Kentucky. We focused a lot on pollinators and how the native plants we selected can help pollinators. We cannot begin to thank you for the grant money. It was such a wonderful gift and really furthered our students’ learning and appreciation of native plants! I’m sending several pictures of the kids preparing the beds, the whole group and after we added the native plant beds. Many of the plants are blooming now, and we can’t wait to see how much it grows in the upcoming years!

By Susan Harkins

This year, we were thrilled to receive nearly 30 worthy applications for this $500 garden grant. Picking only five was difficult for the committee: David Taylor, Rachel Cook, Kelly Watson, and Susan Harkins.

These grants are used to establish or expand pollinator gardens for educational outreach. This year’s winners follow, in no particular order.

Friends of Walter Bradley Park

Midway is home to the 28-acre Walter Bradley Park, near downtown Midway in northern Woodford county. This group plans to replace non-natives with natives by establishing a pollinator garden for educational programs. If you’d like to donate further, click the park link in the first line and browse down about halfway to find the donation link.

Friends of Carter Caves

Carter Caves is a Kentucky state park located in Olive Hill. This garden will be used to educate visitors and school groups about the importance of pollinators and Kentucky natives for providing food and habitat for Kentucky wildlife. If you wish to donate, you can use the Contact Us link or call the park directly to get more information.

Sawyer Hayes Community Center

Louisville’s E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park sponsors the Sawyer Hayes Community Center. Their new pollinator garden will offer educational and enrichment opportunities for visitors and educational groups. For information on how to donate to this worthy cause, contact the community center directly.

Wright Elementary School

Shelbyville is the home to the Wright Elementary School Jets. Their new garden is a second-grade project, but will be used by the entire school for many academic endeavors. They have big plans for this garden’s future, including an irrigation system, benches, and even a picnic area. If you’d like to donate, please contact the school directly for more information.

Montgomery County Library

The Montgomery County Library is in Mt. Sterling. This new library has a substantial tract of land, and the library hopes to create a program that is environmentally responsible that can also provide education to the community at large regarding pollinators and Kentucky natives. To donate or volunteer, contact the library directly for more information.

Feel free to help

Gardens, even those with native plants, can be expensive and labor-intensive to establish. If you can help by donating or volunteering, please do.

Looking forward to next year

Next year, we hope to open the application process earlier, so we can get checks sent out earlier. This should be especially helpful to school groups who have limited spring days to work before summer. Please be sure to check the fall issues of The Ladyslipper for exact timing.

The Kentucky Native Plant Society (KNPS) is thrilled to open applications for its 2025 Native Plant Pollinator Garden Grant. Grants of $500 will be awarded to several applicants to promote biodiversity and environmental education.

Our mission is to encourage people to establish pollinator gardens. They don’t have to be huge or even aesthetically beautiful for our purposes. They simply need to exist where humans can see them, commune with them, and learn about them.

The grant’s objective

The grant aims to foster the establishment of native plant pollinator gardens, emphasizing not only the ecological benefits but also the educational enrichment they provide. Through these gardens, KNPS seeks to nurture a deeper understanding and appreciation of native plant species and their crucial role in pollination.