American Floral Endowment Fred C. Gloeckner Foundation Research Fund awards funding

In 2025-2026, the Fred C. Gloeckner Foundation Research Fund is awarding $122,698 in eight new and continued research projects.  

In 2024, the foundation joined with the American Floral Endowment as a named fund to continue its mission and legacy. Since its inception in 1960, the foundation has contributed more than $7.5 million to support floriculture research initiatives.

Former foundation board members now serve on a committee for the fund, carrying forward the foundation’s mission by awarding competitive grants that drive innovation in floriculture and related fields at universities and research institutions across the United States.

The committee also directs support through the New York Florists’ Club Grants — an enduring tribute to the original New York Florists’ Club, founded in 1887 and incorporated into the Gloeckner Foundation in 1993, of which Fred C. Gloeckner was a lifelong member. These grants honor the many leaders who devoted their time and resources to strengthening the future of floriculture.

This year, the committee selected the following eight projects totaling $122,698 to receive funding:

• Biocontrol of botrytis on roses: Dr. Michael Bradshaw and Dr. John Dole, North Carolina State University
• Using in vitro techniques to generate double-flowered Impatiens plants that are resistant to Impatiens Downy Mildew: Dr. Mark Bridgen, Cornell University
• Characterizing Fusarium solani species complex isolates associated with root rot in Phalaenopsis orchids in California: Dr. Johanna Del Castillo and Sophia Acker, University of California Davis
• Establishing best management practices for floriculture production: Dr. Jeb Fields and Dr. Xingbo Wu, University of Florida
• Investigating the pathways of seed transmission in Xanthomonas campestris pv. incanae, the causal agent of bacterial blight of Stock: Dr. Francesca Hand, The Ohio State University (New York Florists’ Club Grant)
• Host specialization and characterization of Phytophthora nicotianae isolates from nursery-grown ornamental plants: Dr. Steven Jeffers, Clemson University
• Developing Thrips parvispinus management by understanding oviposition on ornamental plants: Dr. Shimat Villanasery Joseph, University of Georgia
• Overwatering and nutrient deficiency in spring crops: Making connections and defining parameters for greenhouse growers: Dr. Kimberly Williams, Kansas State University

To learn more about the foundation, click here. Applications for 2026 foundation funding are due April 1, 2026.