2024-2025 Grant Award Summary
NJF received 35 applications from 31 countries with a total request of $276,478.75. Eight applications were accepted for a total award of $26,790.
$5,000 to Geison Modesti Costa, Columbia for “Flavonoids from Guadua incana. Possible new pharmacology applications”
$1,260 to Joao Vicor Vendramini Gomes, Brazil for “Conducting a floristic survey of Bambusoideae in the riparian vegetation of EcoMuseu do Cerrado in Goias, Brazil”
$4,500 to Julieta Milone, Argentina for “Produce biochar from Guadua chacoensis to remediate acid soils in Argentina”
$1,130 to Kay Koppedrayer, USA to “Document the early 20th century efforts to establish a Bamboo Industry in the United States”
$4,400 to Mauricio Mora Tello, Mexico for “Utilization of bamboo waste as animal food and other applications Mexico”
$3,000 to Rafael Sierra, Colombia to “Investigate mycorrhizae of G. angustifolia G. incana training students in scientific research and environmental awareness” (partial funding)
$5,000 to Rogerio Palva Cietto, Brazil to “Plant 1,000 clumps on 10 acres to recover the Brazilian Savanna”
$2.500 to the San Diego Botanical Garden, USA to “Engage in eco-conscious education through Bamboo Papermaking” (partial funding)
2023- 2024
Grant Award Summary
The Ned Jaquith Foundation received 15 grant request proposals this year, totally over $62,000. The board selected the following Grant Award Winners:
$3,100 to Manuela Parra, Ecuador, for “Refinement of an in vitro propagation protocol for Guadua angustifolia to produce plants for environmental recovery.”
$5,000 to Prince Sasu, Ghana, for “Sustainable Utilization of Bamboo Leaves as Livestock Fodder: Focus on the effect of bamboo leaf extract and leaf meal on embryonic development, hatchability, chick quality, port-hatch growth performance, and gut functioning of broiler chickens.”
$5,000 to Mauricio Mora Tello, Mexico, for “Community workshops on the cultivation, transformation and consumption of Bamboo shoots for low-income families in the Northeastern Sierra of Puebla, Mexico.”
$5,000 to Peter Van Lengen, Mexico, for “Bamboo Buddy” developing 10 educational videos (in English) explaining the applications of bamboo conservation sustainable architecture and everyday life.
$3,500 to Ruth Sayuri Escobedo, Peru, for “Development of an in vitro Propagation Protocol for Guadua weberbaueri to Support Environmental Restoration of Degraded Sites in Madre de Dios, Peru.”
$3,000 to Yarith Hidalgo Castro, Mexico for Empowering Indigenous Women of the Mixteca through Bamboo Handicrafts.”
$285 to Audrey Merecki, USA, for “Lunar Bamboo Greenhouse Project.”
NJF received 39 applications for grants this year, with a total request for funds over $200,000! Oh how we wish we could support them all! After much deliberation, the NJF board selected the following Award Winners:
$3995 was awarded to Tamara Britton-Mendiata, Canada, Bamboo for People and Primates: “Bridging the Gap” through a Community-Based Habitat Restoration Approach in the Pacoche Wildlife Refuge, Manabi, Ecuador
$2,900 was awarded to Francisca Ely, Venezuela, Conservation strategies to protect threatened bamboos of the Venezuelan Andes: enrichment of live collections herbarium and DNA collections and the creation of a replicable educational program for the region
$2,900 was awarded to Elizabeth McMurchie, USA, Systematics of the Guadua paniculata species complex in Mexico
$2,500 was awarded to Mythmakers, aka Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein, USA, Increasing Public Appreciation of the Bamboo at the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens at the Historic Bamboo Farm, Savannah GA
$3,147 was awarded to Manuela Parra, Ecuador, Development of an in vitro propagation protocol for Guadua angustifolia to produce plants for environmental recovery of degraded sites
2022-2023 Grant Award Summary
2021-2022 Grant Award Summary
NJF received 11 applications for grants this year, with a total request for funds over $70k! We only wish we could support them all. After much deliberation, the NJF board selected the following Award Winners:
$3,000 to Iasmin Liaiane de Castro Oliveira - Brazil - Project Title: "Phylogeny and evolution of Olyra L. and implications for systematics and biogeographic studies of the tribe Olyreae"
$2,500 to Muhsina Moosa - India - Project Title: "Distribution, Diversity and Properties of two endemic bamboo species, Dendrocalmus stocksii and Munrochloa richie"
$2,000 to San Diego Botanic Garden Bamboo Collection - United States - Project Title: "From Roots to Shoots and Beyond"
$2,500 to Oinam Santosh Meetei - India - Project Title: "Exploratory Study on the Traditional Knowledge of Bamboo Shoot Processing and Consumption in different States of North East India"
2020-2021 Grant Award Summary
$4,000 was awarded to Edgar Augusto Lobato Afonso, Phylogenetic & Taxonomic Studies in Guadua. This supports fieldwork in the Acre, Amazonas and Rondonia states of Brazil including hotel, vehicle rental and fuel. They will establish a database on Guadua in the Brazilian Amazon through taxonomic, anatomical, and phylogenetic analysis, and in addition they will support the development of management techniques, sustainable use, and conservation of species of the genus in the region.
$3,000 was awarded to Xavier Haro-Carrión, Mapping bamboo cover in a landscape of high bamboo cultivation potential in coastal Ecuador using UAV and satellite data. The bamboo cover in the parroquias of Ricuarte, Zapallo, Chone and Boyaca in Manabi province costal Ecuador will be assessed using satellite data and unmanned aerial vehicles. Results will identify areas of current bamboo cover and locate bamboo-cover areas in relationship to other land-cover types (settlements, agriculture, fallows, and forests). The study will also develop a multi-sensor bamboo mapping protocol.
$1,250 was awarded to Dr. Abiyou Tilahun Ayalew, Bamboo Initiative for the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. The award will aid in small scale bamboo propagation, cultivation, and commercialization for community livelihood improvement along the Beresa River on the Wegagan Community Project school site. Oldeinia (formerly Arundinaria) alpina and Bambusa vulgaris. This is our third year supporting this project.
2019-2020 Grant Award Summary
We received 8 proposals totaling $ 28,365.72, and unfortunately could not provide funding for all the proposals. The Board reviewed all the options with great consideration, and voted to fund the following proposals:
$2,985 was awarded to “Bamboo Initiative for the Amhara Region” Part 2 by Abiyou Tilahun. This is a partnership with Debre Birhan University, The Community Project and Engineers without Borders. Oldeiana alpina will be propagated and managed for bamboo-based industries and environmental protection in Debre Birhan, North Shewa Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. A riverside location is the site of proposed planting. Part One was funded in the amount of $3,000 in 2018 and included student training.
$3,720. was awarded to “Narrowing the knowledge gap on bamboo diversity in the New World: collection and habilitation of a bamboo herbarium in Peru” Part 2, by Natalia Reategui Echeverri. Supported Part 1 for $3,600 in 2018. The objective is to develop a complete collection of bamboo from two areas, Bosque de Sholle’t and San Alberto, and bring them to a bamboo herbarium at Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina.
$3,000. was awarded for “Sustainable Bamboo Development by Zhu Zhaohua and Jim Wei, translation from English to Spanish” to Ximena Londoño. Additionally supported by World Bamboo Organization. This book, published by CABI in 2018 is a great resource with immediate relevance for Spanish-language countries. It presents over 40 cases of bamboo development from across 22 major bamboo-industry countries and explores the knowledge gained from their successes and failures. It synthesizes experiences and exchanges with country experts from international training courses, study tours, and seminars. Each case includes detailed observations and summaries of discussions related to the development of bamboo-based industries in a healthy, sustainable way to facilitate the strategic and balanced development of the bamboo sectors in different global regions. Industrial and artisanal bamboo growing and processing is expanding worldwide, and this book collates key experiences to inform future developments.
2018-2019 Grant Award Summary
$3,000. was awarded to “Bamboo Initiative for the Amhara Region” - Abiyou Tilahun. This is a partnership with Debre Birhan University, The Community Project and Engineers without Borders. Oldeiana (f. Arundinaria) alpina will be propagated and managed for bamboo-based industries and environmental protection in Debre Birhan, North Shewa Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. The site for the project at Wegagen elementary school and the students will be involved.
$3,000. was awarded to “Children’s Bamboo Rainforest” - Vanessa Frias Altamirano. This program develops values and skills in children and teenagers for sustainable use of bamboo and natural resources. The ultimate mission is to reduce deforestation in the Amazon region through education on bamboo management in schools, communities and private companies. Madre de Dios, located in the southeast Peruvian Amazon, is the Peruvian capital of biodiversity, but the area has been hard hit with deforestation from illegal mining. This is a two-year project; the funds we are providing will provide construction materials for a Bamboo House. Organizations involved are Amazon Yoga Centre, Dicma Trade, ANIA, National University of Madre de Dios and Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina.
$3,600. was awarded to “Narrowing the knowledge gap on bamboo diversity in the New World: collection and habilitation of a bamboo herbarium in Peru” - Natalia Reategui Echeverri. The objective is to develop a complete collection of bamboo from two areas, Bosque de Sholle’t and San Alberto, and bring them to a bamboo herbarium at Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina.
2017-2018 Grant Award Summary
$2,000. was awarded to “Processing, characterization and comparative evaluation of biochars obtained from Guadua chacoensis (Poaceae, Bambusoideae, Bambuseae) as a remedial material of arsenic contaminated water – Jacinta Alchouron, Faculty of Agronomy, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Guadua chacoensis is a native species in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Arsenic is a pollutant metal naturally present in the poorest regions of Argentina, Bangladesh, Chile, India, and the United States. In Argentina, its contamination is mostly related to volcanic and hydrothermal activity. In the Andes its dispersion is by surface waters. The presence of arsenic is a serious environmental problem for all living organisms; it is an invisible killer as it has no flavor or color.
Chronic Endemic Regional Hydroarsenicism (HACRE) includes skin, lung and bladder cancers, dermatitis, involvement in the central and peripheral nervous system, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Mortality of advanced gestational fetuses and children is also affected.
A National Drinking Water and Sanitation plan is in effect in Argentina until 2019 to provide network water to all urban populations but this does not include rural populations. This research will empower producers with another use of Guada chacoensis.
$4,000. was awarded to “Support for collecting field trips to enrich the Mexican National Native Bamboo Collection (MNNBC) and for in vitro propagation of vulnerable Mexican Bamboo species – Rogelio Macías-Ordóñez, Department of Evolutionary Biology of the Instituto de Ecología, A.C. (INECOL), Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.
The MNNBC currently holds live specimens of 34 out of 55 described Mexican bamboo species. Half of these are currently not displayed to the public as they are in storage in a research nursery. The development of this collection had been somewhat arrested in previous years, but a recent effort to display the described species on the public grounds of the Francisco Javier Clavijero Botanical Garden (part of INECOL) is underway.
As part of these efforts the grant money will be used for 1. field trips to collect the remaining 20 described species plus 2-3 new species still to be formally described, but already located. 2. Laboratory supplies for assays to propagating five of the most vulnerable native species. 3. Support of one undergraduate student to carry out the in vitro propagation.
2016-2017 Grant Award Summary
$2,000 was awarded to Bikes for the People -Jessica Zalapa Murillo – to promote the collective use and knowledge of bamboo through bamboo bike construction and alternative means of education. This project’s home is in the barrio of Tepito, Mexico City. Three organizations are involved – Bambas bicicletas con bambu, Bambues y Forestales de Mexico, A.C., and Escuela de Paz Tepito. The grant money paid for tools and materials for a mobile bamboo bike workshop. Participants built their own bicycle, solving transportation needs in the barrio where cars are unaffordable and use too much space, and where public transportation is inadequate.
$2,000. was awarded to Phytomodulatory effects of fresh and processed shoots of Dendrocalamus hamiltonii on lipid profile and antioxidant defense system - Harjit Kaur Bajwa of Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. Young edible bamboo shoots have long been considered a delicacy in the Northeastern part of India and have a great potential as a food resource. People are using the traditional technology for processing and preserving bamboo shoots – fermentation, salting, boiling or drying. This study will evaluate the effects of preservation on the acceptability and nutritional content of D. hamiltonii. Utilization of this vast bamboo resource can generate employment opportunities for the weaker sections of the society for their social and economic upliftment.
$2,000. was awarded to Molecular phylogeny and micromorphological studies in Merostachys Spreng - Ronaldo Vinicius da Silva is a doctoral candidate at Universidade Federal de Vicosa (Brazil). Merostachys Spreng is a neotropical woody bamboo characterized by the presence of a discolor stripe in the lower surface of branch leaves. Fifty-one species are established in the understory and along forest edges from Mexico to Argentina. Brazil has the largest diversity of the genus concentrated in the Minas Gerais state. Additional field work is needed to obtain the most complete set of specimens possible and to obtain multiple collections of as many species as possible to better understand patterns of variation. Molecular work will provide the critical data for understanding the evolutionary history of the genus and its closest relatives and will provide the framework for establishing subgroups within Merostachys. This project will also focus on clearly defining already published species laying the foundation for building identification resources for Merostachys.
2015-2016 Grant Award Summary
$2,000 has been awarded to Prof. Nirmala Chongtham, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India for the publication of a book titled “Bamboo Shoots as Health Food”. The book will be a compilation of fifteen years research during which survey work and scientific experiments have been conducted. At present there is no book dealing with the food value and health benefits of bamboo shoots; this book will be a new contribution. It will also provide information on how the usage of bamboo shoots can help in the economic development of the society and food security, especially in rural areas.
$2,500 has been awarded to the Hoyt Arboretum Friends, Portland, Oregon to support the completion of the Hoyt Arboretum Bamboo Forest Collection. This is the second year we have awarded this grant. The Pacific Northwest Chapter of the American Bamboo Society, Bamboo Garden Nursery and many volunteers have worked on this project for over a year. The .36 acre site currently features over 85 plants (26 species) from around the world and will be the largest global bamboo collection in the Northwest. The Bamboo Forest will allow HAF to offer classes in bamboo identification, maintenance, Asian art, and create much needed song-bird habitat. The Bamboo Forest will open in the summer of 2016 and will be both aesthetically pleasing and educational with a stream, pond, water feature, trail, interpretive signage, research opportunities and guided tours.
$3,000 has been awarded to Hector F Archila Santos, PhD Researcher at University of Bath for Bridging the gap between traditional and vernacular bamboo building techniques and state-of-the-art processing technologies and engineering knowledge. The project will be completed in 10 months starting in December 2015. A worldwide network of collaborators will work on the project generating new bamboo building solutions to improve its durability, dimensional stability and mechanical properties. These are key factors for the production of engineered structural bamboo projects that comply with local building codes and potentially can be included in international standards
2014-2015 Grant Award Summary
$2,500 was awarded to the “Hoyt Arboretum Bamboo Forest Collection” submitted by Hoyt Arboretum Friends, Portland, Oregon. The Pacific Northwest Chapter of the American Bamboo Society, Bamboo Garden Nursery and many volunteers began this project in 2014. The now completed .36 acre site currently features over 85 plants (26 species) from around the world and is the largest global bamboo collection in the Northwest. The Bamboo Forest allows HAF to offer classes in bamboo identification, maintenance, Asian art, and create much needed song-bird habitat. The Bamboo Forest opened in the summer of 2016 and is both aesthetically pleasing and educational with a stream, pond, water feature, trail, interpretive signage, research opportunities and guided tours.
$950 was awarded to “Increasing Bamboo Agroforestry on the Galera Peninsula, Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador” submitted by Rick Valley.
2014
Taxonomist Eduardo Ruiz Sanchez collects, describes and names a Mexican bamboo after Ned Jaquith.
Chusquea nedjaquithii