ALEXANDRIA, VA – The American Floral Endowment (AFE) has announced a new travel grant for retail florists in Arizona to pursue floral industry educational or design events.
The Arizona Retail Florist Education Travel Grant was established to assist florists from Arizona in traveling to national industry events for educational programs and to provide networking opportunities on a national level.
Each year, one recipient will be selected by AFE's Education Committee to receive the travel grant of up to $1,000 to help cover the cost of attending an out-of-state industry educational event. The grant is open to owners, managers and employees of traditional retail florists with a brick and mortar storefront in Arizona.
"This new grant gives Arizona retail florists a great opportunity to attend a major national event and further their education within the industry," said AFE Trustee Ken Young, AAF, owner of Phoenix Flower Shops in Arizona.
Examples of eligible opportunities include floral design schools, SAF Convention, FTD Boot Camp, Floriology Institute, Teleflora Academy Events, SAF Profit Blast, State or Regional Floral Conventions, Cultivate, PFCI classes, AIFD Symposiums, and others.
The exception to the out-of-state travel requirement would be if a national program (like SAF Convention or AIFD Symposium) were held within Arizona, which would still allow for exposure to fellow out-of-state retail florists and floral industry members.
"The Endowment is opening new paths on ways to support education and industry programs," said AFE Executive Director Debi Chedester. "This grant is a perfect example of how industry contributions can be used to establish new offerings and programs."
The application deadline is October 1 each year (for travel in the following year). Visitendowment.org/grants for more information.
About AFE
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The American Floral Endowment is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the floriculture and horticulture industry through funding research, educational grants and scholarships. Since 1961, more than $15 million has been funded in research and educational projects, and more than $2 million has been funded in scholarships and internships designed to attract and retain the future leaders of the industry. To learn more about AFE or make a tax-deductible contribution, visit www.endowment.org.
Source: The American Floral Endowment