The atlanta botanical garden will create a program that connects local and national efforts in wildlife planning to prevent the loss of and restore plant diversity

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded The Atlanta Botanical Garden, Inc., $844,483 on September 1, 2026, under the National Leadership Grants program (CFDA 45.312) to develop and scale a plant conservation coordination model across the United States.

The Atlanta Botanical Garden will conduct a gap analysis to identify plant species requiring prioritization, lead species conservation assessment workshops, and disseminate a permitting resource guide and national toolkit designed to build capacity at smaller and mid-sized botanical gardens. The project extends a model already developed across 15 southeastern states to the national level by connecting local and national wildlife planning efforts through partnerships with botanical gardens, state wildlife agencies, and conservation organizations. Participating gardens will gain access to scalable tools that create new opportunities to engage in coordinated state and national conservation initiatives.

The award obligates $844,483 with a period of performance from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2029. Work is performed in Atlanta, Georgia. The National Leadership Grants program supports projects that generate widely usable models, tools, research findings, services, practices, and alliances with potential to advance practice across the museum and library fields and extend the benefits of federal investment.

The atlanta botanical garden, which coordinates the southeastern plant conservation alliance, will partner with botanical gardens, state wildlife agencies, and conservation organizations to take a model developed across 15 southeastern states to the national level. The project team will conduct a GAP analysis that will inform botanical gardens and wildlife partners on which species need prioritization, lead species conservation assessment workshops, and address botanic garden capacity by disseminating a permitting resource guide as well as a national toolkit. Smaller and mid-sized gardens will build capacity through scalable tools that create new opportunities to participate in state and national coordinated conservation initiatives.