Cullowhee Native Plant Conference Sponsorship Application

Thank you for your interest in the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference! We are proud to offer a scholarship program designed to support students, emerging entrepreneurs, and educators who are in need of resources to attend the event. Our goal is to make the conference more accessible and encourage recipients to return in future years. These scholarships are carefully managed and funded by our partner organizations, which share our commitment to fostering growth in the environmental arts and sciences.

Scholarship applications are reviewed by an independent panel of professionals to ensure a fair and transparent selection process. A key factor in our review is the potential for recipients to engage with the conference beyond the application year, which is considered by both the conference organizers and the review committee.


 Conference History 

In 1984 the Tennessee Valley Authority had $14,000 available for outreach projects in the Southeast. Half the money was used to train first responders in white water river rescue. It is believed that this ongoing training has reduced fatalities on our rivers by fifty percent over the years. The other $7000 was directed to underwrite a “Plant Utilization” meeting that has become an annual event that has changed the American landscape.
It was decided that the participants would gather at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC to hold costs down by staying in dorms and eating in the cafeteria. There were 127 attendees of this first Landscaping with Native Plants Conference and the enthusiasm and information shared each year since has made history. It became known simply as The Cullowhee Conference.

Bob Farmer, TVA biologist, had been growing native species with standard nursery techniques in the early eighties. At the time native plants were such a small portion of the commercial market that they attracted little attention. Bob was giving plants away to the Chamber of Commerce to get the public interested. Most of the information about native plants was circulating within the confines of the academic community. Leo Collins, Dan Pittillo and Jim Horton decided to create a forum for professors, growers, designers and consumers where everybody is a teacher. The enthusiasm of the pioneers of the native plant movement would unite individual voices in the wilderness into a chorus with significant economic and ecological impact. The combination of field trips, workshops, lectures and social networking opportunities have become a model for similar native plant gatherings around the country. With scholarships to enable students and a commitment to the outreach mission of the first meeting the Cullowhee Conference continues to inspire future generations of gardeners.

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SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MIDNIGHT, SUNDAY, APRIL 13th, 2025
Applications received after this time will be considered only after punctual and complete applications have been judged and awarded. Applications without the information requested, which includes recommendations, are incomplete and will be considered late.  Sponsorship award notifications will be made by email in early May.

Note that applications must also be followed with a separate recommendation. Please share this link with someone that will recommend you. 

Getting Started
Before you begin, be sure you have ready to copy and paste into the application:

1) A summary about why attending the Cullowhee Conference would be of value to you, your background/ research goals/ past experience/ current interest or involvement with native plants, and how your attendance would contribute to the conference;

2) a Statement of Financial Need; and

3) the contact information for your Recommendation.  Only one recommendation is required.  Recommendations should be submitted via the form on the Cullowhee Conference website.  Applications without recommendations received by the deadline will be deemed incomplete and considered late.
• Students, please submit a letter of recommendation from a faculty member in your degree program.
• Interns, beginning professionals, and nurserymen/women are asked to provide a letter of recommendation from an adviser, employer, mentor, professional colleague, or client.
• Educators are asked for a letter from a fellow educator or their supervisor or principal.

If a mailing address or a paper application are needed, please email Preston Montague at naturalistnc at gmail.com.
Contact Information
First Name *
Name you go by/Nickname
Last Name *
Street Address 1 *
Street Address 2
City *
State *
ZIP Code *
Home/Cell Phone Number *
Best number to reach you
Work Phone Number
E-mail Address *
We will communicate mainly through e-mail
Have you previously attended the Cullowhee Conference? *
Required
In a previous year, have you received a sponsorship to attend the Cullowhee Conference? *
Required
Which category of sponsorship are you applying for? *
Please select ONE of the following:
Required
What is your attendance choice?       *
Please select ONE of the following:
Required
What type of sponsorship coverage are you applying for? *
Applicants may apply for either Partial or Full sponsorship coverage to attend the conference.  Expenses include: registration fee, a semi-private room, all meals during the conference, and field trip expenses if FT attendance is selected.
Required
Participation in Conference
We encourage scholarship recipients to take full advantage of the casual Cullowhee Native Plant Conference experience and bring a poster about their work, or other research-oriented works of art or literature, or provide a 40-minute lunch 'n learn presentation.  

Applicants willing to bring their work or provide a lunch 'n learn presentation will be considered for scholarships before other applicants
Do you plan to present a poster, visual art, literature or presentation at the conference? *
Which?
Register to exhibit a poster, research, or work of art or literature here


Poster and presentations registered will be evaluated by the Sponsorship Committee and registrants will be notified if their poster and/or presentation has been accepted at the end of April after all sponsorship applications have been submitted. 
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