American Floral Endowment (AFE)

AFE Programs and Grants

AFE offers several free programs to help the floral industry thrive. They are available to anyone in the industry at no charge and are made available by the generous contributions from their industry members.

Business Internship Program — This program allows industry members to sign up to become a host employer and bring top talent to our industry in business-related fields, with AFE both accepting and reviwing student applications twice a year. 

Retail, Wholesale and Commercial Production Internships — AFE administers two industry-related internship programs for students in floriculture/horticulture, which range from three to six months at a number of locations across the U.S.

Young Professionals Council — The youth is our future! If you have a young professional in your organization, we encourage the idea that they should become a YPC member, a program that allows todays students and youth to learn about floriculture.

Floral Marketing Research Fund — The FMRF (Floral Marketing Rsearch Fund) was created in the year 2008 as a separate entity to provide consumer purchasing studies and resources for the industry.

Educational Grants — If your organization is thinking about developing a program that promotes the industry or benefits industry members, you could be eligible to receive funding through AFE!
AFE reviews grant applications each year (with a June deadline) and provides more than $35,000 annually to support floral industry programs through educational grants!

Young Professionals Council (YPC)

Established in the year 2015, the YPC offers leadership and networking opportunities for the younger members of the floral industry. YPC members participate in both online and in-person meetings, webinars and other networking opportunities to share ideas, collaborate with influential industry members and help promote careers in the floral industry to support for AFE’s mission.  Members of YPC get special consideration each year for attending workshops and/or events, as well as networking dinners during larger industry conferences.

Research

AFE provides funding to a number of scientific reasearch projects throughout the diverse floral industry. They allow contributions from all members of the floriculture industry, as they strongly believe in the continuous study to improve and better understand floral products across the globe.

Scholarships in Floriculture and Horticulture

Awarding scholarships for floriculture and horticulture students is a primary function of AFE, as they understand the financial burden students face and are doing their part to help! AFE has 24 scholarships awarded annually. Online applications and supporting documents are due by May 1st each year.