$2,000 School Bee Program Grant

Whole Foods Market Foundation and The Bee Cause Project fund schools and nonprofits in the United States and Canada to bring live honey bees onto campus for K to 12 students. New applicants choose either a $2,000 monetary grant or an indoor observation hive with a $1,000 grant, and every award also comes with curriculum, signage and one-on-one support from The Bee Cause Project. Past recipients can apply for a separate $2,000 Renewal Bee Grant.

What you get:

• A choice of a $2,000 monetary grant, or a custom indoor observation hive with frames, feeder and insulated cover plus a $1,000 grant for the first year of hive upkeep
• Digital pollinator curriculum and support materials, indoor and outdoor signage, and bee-themed educational items (each grant package is valued at $2,500)
• Technical support and remote one-on-one consultation from The Bee Cause Project
• Previous recipients (2025 or earlier) can instead apply for a $2,000 Renewal Bee Grant with program consultation and an educator resource pack

What you'll do:

• Name a Bee Advocate on staff who runs the program and a Bee Mentor, an experienced beekeeper, who helps install and maintain the hive
• Use the hive and curriculum to teach at least 10 K to 12 students about pollinators, food systems and STEAM
• Submit a budget showing how the funds will be spent on direct bee programming

Key dates:

• Applications opened September 1, 2026
• Part I application due October 15, 2026
• Part II (main application, by invitation) due October 30, 2026
• All applicants notified by December 16, 2026
• Grant packages delivered February 2027

More information:

• Informational page and application PDFs on the Whole Foods Market Foundation Bee Grant page
• Bee questions: info@thebeecause.org. Application or portal questions: grants@wholekidsfoundation.org
• Applications are submitted online through the SmartSimple portal

• Public school, nonprofit private school, or nonprofit children's programming organisation in the United States or Canada
• Works with at least 10 students in grades K to 12
• US organisations need an EIN, and nonprofits must be 501(c)(3); Canadian organisations need a registered charity number
• Traditional Bee Grant is for new applicants only; past Traditional recipients apply for the Renewal Bee Grant instead
• The principal or executive director must support the program, and a Bee Advocate and a committed Bee Mentor must be named
• Honey bees only; funds cannot be spent on real estate, travel or field trips
• Observation hive recipients should expect about $150 for hive installation and about $300 to $500 a year in upkeep; bees are not included in any grant option