Keep Massachusetts Beautiful recently awarded Plant Something Bee-eautiful grants totaling $11,000 to fund 13 public pollinator garden projects across Massachusetts.
The Plant Something Bee-eautiful program, funded by Edrington, a Scottish purveyor of premium spirits, awards grants to Keep Massachusetts Beautiful chapters and other non-affiliated organizations. These grants are utilized to encourage and initiate the planting of pollinator-friendly gardens in public parks and spaces. This program not only creates more beautiful environments for Massachusetts residents but also creates and restores habitats for pollinators.
Bees and other pollinators are in serious decline around the world. According to the Pollinator Partnership, the monarch butterfly population has declined by 90% over the past 20 years. Pollinators, including 20,000 species of wild bees, contribute to the growth of fruit, vegetables,
and flowering plants. Plants that depend on pollination make up 35 percent of global crop production volume.
The decline of pollinators is caused by habitat destruction, the overuse of pesticides that include neonicotinoids, farming practices that eliminate patches of wildflowers and cover crops, parasites, pathogens, as well as climate change.
This year’s grantees include:
- $1,000 for Cushing Park in Framingham
- $1,000 for the Houghton-Chocksett School in Sterling
- $1,000 for the Joshua Eaton Elementary School in Reading
- $1,000 for new micro-forests in Medford
- $1,000 for Urban Biodiversity Alliance in Melrose and Malden
- $1,000 for the Charlton Public Library
- $1,000 for the City of Somerville
- $500 for the Paxton Public Library
- $500 for the Bowdoin Street Health Center in Dorchester
- $500 for the Friends of Veasey Park in Groveland
- $500 for the Hale Farm in Beverly in association with Green Beverly
- $500 for the City of New Bedford’s energy office
“Our Plant Something Bee-eautiful program beautifies public spaces while also restoring natural habitats for pollinators,” said Neil Rhein, founder and executive director of Keep Massachusetts Beautiful. “Bees and other pollinators are an essential link in our food chain and this program provides funding to help protect and restore essential habitats.”
Grant applications for the 2027 grant cycle are currently being accepted. Click here to submit your application.
