PROTECT OUR POLLINATORS HABITAT FUND
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More Plates = More Plants = More Pollinators
In the program's first 3 years, public pollinator demonstration gardens across Colorado have blossomed thanks to each plate on the road.
65
$115K
60
Projects
Funded
Acres
PPAN’s Pollinator Habitat small grants program offers financial and educational resources to community organizations, businesses, governments, schools, farms, Indigenous Nations, public housing, and other institutions to support the development of healthy pollinator habitat.
Through collaboration with pollinator and habitat experts, we provide support to successful applicants. This program is backed by the Colorado Pollinator License Plate Fund and other designated donations. The primary criteria for grants include the use of funds to develop, expand, restore, or protect pollinator habitats, within agreed upon parameters. We prioritize projects that: are located within marginalized communities; maximize community outreach; increase biodiversity; and that have matching funds or existing capacity to implement.
Grants range from $500 to $2000
The grant cycle launches in the late winter with award decisions advised by our collaborative team of experts. Grant recipients will be expected to provide a simple report and project photos at two and three years of implementation and to collaborate with us to tell the project story. Please read on for additional criteria and funding requirements.
GRANT CYCLE
2025 Grant Cycle Complete.
2026 applications will open in winter of 2025
CRITERIA PREFERENCES:
Justice & Equity component – loss of biodiversity disproportionately impacts marginalized communities
Potential to increase local biodiversity
Ability to link disrupted ecosystems
Maximizes community education, collaboration, and engagement
Sufficient funding and capacity to implement/maintain
Geographical/regional diversity
Substantial/diverse project audience
Grants range from
$500 to $2,000
Requirements for Funding
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The project must be located in Colorado
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The project must have an educational component and have visibility to the community
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Design must prioritize the use of regionally-adapted western native species (exceptions possible with approval)
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Site must be prepared and maintained organically (without the use of synthetic herbicides or other chemical pesticides)
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Site must incorporate PPAN's pollinator habitat sign
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Grantee must submit expense receipts (all at one time) by the end of the 2025 fiscal year
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Grantee must submit a simple report for years two and three of habitat establishment (no more than one page)
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Grantee must be willing to share the story of habitat creation and photos (PPAN will have the right to use stories and photos in public communications)
PPAN is pleased to have representatives of the Butterfly Pavilion and the CSU Extension serving on the habitat fund review committee.
Protect Our Pollinators Habitat Fund Map
This interactive map illuminates the vital network of pollinator sanctuaries established by recipients of the fund. Navigating the map is as simple as a click, offering a journey through diverse landscapes where pollinators thrive. Click on any circle to learn about the grantees and their vital contributions to pollinator conservation efforts. Each location reveals not only coordinates, but corresponds to the scale of the pollinator habitat. Join us in celebrating the collaborative efforts to safeguard pollinator habitats and promote connectivity across landscapes! 2025 grantees to be added soon!
Thank you to one of our amazing volunteers, Devin Jacobs, for the creation and maintenance of this map.
Since the launch of PPAN's Protect Our Pollinators Habitat Fund in March of 2023, we have supported 65 different organizations in their efforts to create pollinator safe habitat, awarding over $115,000 in grants. This program has helped establish over 60 acres of organic, pollinator safe habitat!
In 2025, the Protect Pollinators Habitat Fund is supported by these generous donors & sponsors, as well as the Protect Pollinators Colorado License Plate: Donna Baker-Breningstall and the Sunny Bug Farmette, and corporate partner, Black Hills Energy.
The Sunny Bug Grant honors the life, creativity, and generosity of Donna's daughter, Sunia, who loved plants, pollinators, birds, and nature, and working alongside her mother—a Colorado Master Gardener, teacher, social changemaker, and philanthropist—in their Denver urban farmette.
Black Hills Energy is the local utility for many rural Colorado Counties, and reached out to PPAN to support the creation of pollinator habitat in their ratepayer areas.
