Sowing Excellence Awards

Sowing Excellence Awards Criteria

1. Individual, entity or organization must be based in the U.S and serve U.S. communities.
2. Awards must be spent by Dec 31, 2024
3. Plant-centric: promotes the connection between plants and people and emphasizes the significance of the role of plants in our world
   • Horticulture/ Gardening (including community gardens, design, and landscaping)
   • Professional Development (funds for travel, certificates, broader learning)
   • Education (educating the public of all ages)
   • Research (ecological, conservation, environmental)
   • Arts and Exhibits
   • Community Engagement (partnerships)
   • Award/ recognition of impact
   • Capacity building/ incubation (small business, entrepreneur)
   • Diversifying employment
4. The person/organization OR the work itself is IDEA connected
5. The awards are intended to tap into potential (this could be under resourced, underrepresented, or previously untapped communities; expanding availability of funds to those who previously have been excluded from public horticulture awards/funding).
6. Report back on results/impact. Must provide a summary for how funds are used and the impact the funds will have on work/project/etc (template will be provided).
7. Agree to a communication plan and requirements (detailed in the award agreement).
8. Can NOT be advocacy or partisan lobbying, political campaign, or put into a crowdsourcing campaign. (Cannot be a federal organization, but municipal, county or state is okay).