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Missouri Botanical Garden Board of Trustees

Annual Giving
$0.8M
Grant Range
$5K - $0.0M
Decision Time
2mo

Missouri Botanical Garden Board of Trustees

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $823,105 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Approximately 6 weeks (applications due October 1, results announced November 15)
  • Grant Range: Varies by fellowship program; Anne S. Chatham Fellowship provides $4,500
  • Geographic Focus: International - Latin America, Madagascar, Vietnam, Tanzania
  • Total Assets: $398.4 million (2023)

Contact Details

Missouri Botanical Garden

Overview

Founded in 1859, the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the world's leading centers for botanical research, conservation, and education. With total assets exceeding $398 million and annual revenues of approximately $75 million (2023), the Garden operates as a public charity supporting plant science globally. The Garden distributed $823,105 in grants in 2023, primarily through research fellowships for early-career botanists and plant scientists from developing countries.

In January 2025, Dr. Lúcia G. Lohmann became the Garden's eighth president and first woman to hold the position, bringing expertise in tropical botany and conservation. The Garden's mission is "to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life." The Garden operates major conservation programs through its Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development, with active research in Latin America, Madagascar, Vietnam, and Tanzania. In recent years, the Garden received a landmark $14.4 million grant for digitizing its herbarium collection—the largest grant to botany in recent years.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Missouri Botanical Garden offers research fellowships for early-career plant scientists, not traditional organizational grants. Programs include:

Shirley A. Graham Fellowship

  • Honors contributions to plant taxonomy, particularly Lythraceae
  • Supports scientists from Latin America, Madagascar, Vietnam, and Tanzania
  • Duration: 3 weeks to 3 months
  • Covers round-trip airfare, lodging, stipend, health insurance, visa support
  • Does not cover research supplies or analytical costs

Alwyn H. Gentry Fellowship

  • Tribute to tropical botany
  • Supports scientists from Latin America
  • Duration: 3 weeks to 3 months
  • Same benefits as Graham Fellowship

Aroid Fellowship

  • Promotes research in Araceae family, particularly Neotropical genera
  • Supports Latin American scientists
  • Duration: 3 weeks to 3 months
  • Same benefits structure

Anne S. Chatham Fellowship in Medicinal Botany

  • Award amount: $4,500
  • Annual fellowship for medicinal plant research
  • Administered by Missouri Botanical Garden

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)

  • 10-week summer program
  • Supports 10 undergraduate students annually
  • Focus on plant systematics, conservation biology, and ethnobotany
  • Students must be returning to undergraduate programs

Priority Areas

  • Plant systematics and taxonomy
  • Conservation biology
  • Tropical botany, particularly in Latin America
  • Plant biogeography and ecology
  • Ethnobotany and medicinal plants
  • Research on Araceae (aroid) family
  • Capacity building for botanists in developing countries
  • Botanical research in regions of high biodiversity

What They Don't Fund

  • Research supplies or analytical costs for fellowship recipients
  • General organizational operating support
  • Capital projects for other organizations
  • Multi-year grants to external organizations
  • Projects outside plant sciences and conservation
  • Researchers based in the United States (for international fellowships)
  • Applicants who completed their undergraduate degree more than 10 years ago (for early-career fellowships)

Governance and Leadership

Officers

  • June McAllister Fowler - Chair, Board of Trustees
  • Ward M. Klein - Vice Chair
  • Tina M. Hrevus - Vice Chair
  • Dr. Lúcia G. Lohmann - President and Director

Board Members

Gabriela Burian, Daniel A. Burkhardt, JiaMin L. Dierberg, Lelia J. Farr, David M. Hollo, David W. Kemper, Christopher A. Koster, Nina Leigh Krueger, John Lemkemeier (joined recently), Julie Lilly, Brian A. Murphy, James R. Nowicke, Kitty McDonnell Pipoli, Nicholas L. Reding, Michael W. Riney, Nancy M. Ross (joined recently), Lori Samuels, Scott C. Schnuk, Rex A. Sinquefield, Joseph Sivewright, Andrew C. Taylor, Lisa Trulaske, Robert Wagner

Senior Staff

  • Dr. Lúcia G. Lohmann - President (as of January 2, 2025; first woman president; world-renowned botanist and conservation researcher; also holds George Engelmann Professor of Botany position at Washington University)
  • Dr. Peter Wyse Jackson - President Emeritus (served 2010-2024)
  • Keith Archer - Chief Operating Officer
  • Dr. Gunter Fischer - Senior Vice President, Science and Conservation
  • Patty Arnold - Senior Vice President, Institutional Advancement
  • Andrew Wyatt - Senior Vice President, Horticulture and Living Collections
  • Teresa Clark - Senior Vice President, Human Resources
  • Sean Doherty - Vice President, Education
  • Glenda Abney - Vice President, Sustainability
  • Vickie Campbell - Vice President, Visitor Operations
  • Deniz Piskin - Vice President, Facilities and Construction
  • Quinn Long - Director, Shaw Nature Reserve
  • Michelle Martin Bonner - Director, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
  • Carrie Richter - Controller

The Garden employs approximately 570 staff members, including significant numbers in horticulture, education, and research divisions.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Applications are submitted through an online form available on the Missouri Botanical Garden website.

International Fellowship Programs (Graham, Gentry, Aroid):

  • Online application form required
  • Must include: statement of academic preparation and research experience, current CV (maximum 2 pages, 10-point font), copy of most advanced university degree
  • For collaborative projects: applicants must contact and secure support from an MBG staff mentor before submitting application
  • Questions should be directed to: Fellowship.Program@mobot.org

Decision Timeline

International Fellowships:

  • Application deadline: October 1, 2025
  • Results announced: November 15, 2025
  • Approximately 6 weeks from deadline to notification

REU Program:

  • Application opens annually for summer program
  • Specific deadlines vary by year

Success Rates

Success rate data is not publicly available. The Garden's recent annual reports indicate that Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development scientists mentored "nearly two dozen graduate students from local and international universities and hosted several international fellows" in recent years, but specific application-to-award ratios are not disclosed.

Reapplication Policy

No specific restrictions on reapplication are publicly documented. Applicants are encouraged to contact Fellowship.Program@mobot.org with questions about eligibility for reapplication.

Application Success Factors

Based on the Garden's fellowship descriptions and organizational priorities, successful applications likely demonstrate:

Alignment with Geographic Focus: Projects must be based in or focus on the Garden's priority regions—Latin America (all fellowships), Madagascar, Vietnam, or Tanzania (Graham Fellowship specifically). The Garden has built substantial research infrastructure and partnerships in these regions.

Collaboration with MBG Resources: The Garden emphasizes that fellows gain access to its extensive resources, including the herbarium (with over 6.6 million specimens), living collections, library, TROPICOS database, and Shaw Nature Reserve. Successful applicants articulate how they will utilize these specific resources.

Capacity Building and Local Impact: Given the Garden's mission to "train local botanists and build research capacity in countries with the greatest biological diversity," applications that demonstrate how the fellowship will build long-term research capacity in the applicant's home country or region are likely favored.

Early Career Stage with Strong Foundation: Eligibility requires completion of undergraduate degree within the past 10 years, targeting early-career professionals. Successful applicants balance being early in their careers with demonstrating solid research experience and clear academic preparation.

Conservation Relevance: The Garden's strategic priorities emphasize "advocacy of plant conservation and biodiversity." Projects that connect systematic, taxonomic, or biogeographic research to conservation outcomes align with the institutional mission.

Clear Research Plan: While fellowship visits are short-term (3 weeks to 3 months), successful applicants must articulate specific, achievable research objectives that can be accomplished during the fellowship period.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Fellowship Model Only: The Missouri Botanical Garden does not offer traditional organizational grants. All funding supports individual researchers through fellowship programs focused on plant sciences.

  • Geographic Restrictions: International fellowships target researchers from Latin America, Madagascar, Vietnam, and Tanzania only—regions where the Garden has established research programs and partnerships.

  • Resource Access is Key: Applicants should clearly articulate how they will utilize the Garden's specific resources (herbarium, TROPICOS database, living collections, staff expertise) during their fellowship period.

  • Early Career Focus: Fellowships target graduate students and early-career professionals within 10 years of their undergraduate degree, not established researchers.

  • Conservation Mission: Align proposals with the Garden's conservation mission and demonstrate how research will contribute to plant conservation and capacity building in biodiversity-rich regions.

  • Mentor Relationships: For collaborative projects, securing support from an MBG staff member before application submission is required. Building these relationships early is essential.

  • Annual Cycle: The international fellowship application cycle is consistent and predictable (October 1 deadline, November 15 notification), allowing applicants to plan ahead.

References

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