Horticulture Fund Grant

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Horticulture Fund Grant provides funding to support research projects, develop and improve training programs, and create outreach materials for the purpose of safeguarding plants and plant products from unwanted plant pests. All proposed projects must directly benefit Michigan's nursery and ornamental horticulture sectors by addressing priorities established by plant commodity groups and commodity partners. Grants are intended to complement, rather than replace, ongoing programs and to explore innovative solutions delivering measurable results.

Eligible applicants include faculty and staff members of universities and colleges in Michigan, as well as collaborative teams comprising university/college investigators and private individuals. A university or college personnel member must serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) of the proposal. Greater funding priority is given to applied research proposals over basic research, and projects addressing the priorities of more than one commodity will be favored.

Projects must fall into one of three designated program areas: Applied Research, Basic Research, or Outreach/Training/Demonstration. Proposals must deliver clearly defined results within a realistic time frame; multi-year projects cannot exceed three years. Allowable expenses include materials, supplies, project-related travel, publication costs, nonexpendable equipment, and wages for post-doctoral researchers, technicians, and students. Faculty wages are not allowable direct costs.

Proposals must comply with specific formatting guidelines, including a one-page cover sheet signed by the Principal Investigator and lead unit administrator, and a project narrative not exceeding four pages covering the problem statement, objectives and hypotheses, methods, impacts, and timeline. In addition, submissions must include detailed budget forms with justifications, funding history, literature cited, letters of support, and one-page vitae for each team member. Applications must be submitted through MDARD's online grants portal, with Michigan State University applicants required to route proposals through the MSU KC system by the submission deadline.