Funding

The Arivaca Pollinator Pathway is a grass roots volunteer project, dreamed up and carried out by Arivaca residents who want to take action to preserve and protect the future of butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.  All the planning, fundraising, and garden installation work is being done by volunteers - and we welcome you to participate in whatever way you want, to keep the project growing strong!  

As of summer 2025, funding for the building of public gardens and the Home Gardener Program has been provided by the following:

• The Endangered Species Coalition - This fabulous environmental organization has provided the majority of the funding for the project, via 3 grants from their Pollinator Protectors Program:  $1000.00 in spring 2023, $1200.00 in fall 2023, and $760.00 in spring 2024.  These grants were used for the purchase of steel stock tanks (used for raised bed gardens), soil amendments, drip irrigation, misc. hardware, and scores of beautiful flowering native plants from Whorled Leaf Nursery for 10 of the 12 gardens.  This generous support from ESC is what got the project "off the ground" and growing strong!

• The Arivaca- Caviglia Library Teen Advisory Board (TAB) - The teen members of TAB and librarian Madian Romero have done a variety of fundraising to benefit the project: creating wonderful handmade greeting cards, flower pens, and teacup gardens, and staffing several display booths during 2023 that raised over $550.00 in donations for their nature crafts.  This funded some of the drip irrigation system parts and other misc. garden supplies, and the first batch of signs for the Home Gardener Program.  In addition, they created the project logo and a beautiful brochure.  Their ideas and energy have really given this project "wings"!

• Arivaca resident and butterfly expert Mary Scott and her late husband Richard Conway- Mary is an amazing butterfly expert who has recently published a great photo book focused on our local lepidoptera species.  She and Richard donated a total of $880.00 in 2023 and 2024, which paid for all the supplies needed to create a giant raised bed garden at the Historic Arivaca Schoolhouse and additional signs for the Home Gardener Program!

• Arivaca Community Center - This wonderful local non-profit funded the majority of the soil amendments, drip irrigation, and some of the plants for their garden in 2024, and is dedicating paid staff time from their afterschool and summer program leaders to give their garden plenty of TLC along with the kids!

• The Friends of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge- This non-profit is hosting free environmental presentations at the Arivaca Dancehall between Oct. 2024- December 2025, and donating $100.00 to the project whenever one of their speakers waives their fee!

• Whorled Leaf Nursery - This fabulous local nursery has donated a dozen of the plants used in the pollinator gardens, as well as selling dozens of healthy plants to the project from 2023 - 2025 for a very reasonable price!

• The Arivaca Dancehall - This strong supporter of the project has made multiple donations of plants, drip irrigation parts, garden hoses, supplies for TAB nature crafts, lumber and paint for all the garden signs, and more!

• Desert Meadows Park in Green Valley AZ - This non-profit garden donated a huge patch of Gregg's Mistflower plants in 2024, which were planted in 6 of the public pollinator gardens and given to the first 25 registrants in the Home Gardener Program!

• Other Arivaca community members - We are grateful to everyone who has made monetary donations at the TAB fundraising booths and the ongoing table displays at The Arivaca Dancehall! 

The mural projects have been funded by:

Endangered Species Mural- fall 2023

• A $3000.00 grant from ESA@50 - a consortium of 36 non-governmental organizations that are sponsoring mural projects from cost to coast to honor the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act;  

• A $300.00 grant from the The Endangered Species Coalition towards the mural paint: 

• The remaining expenses for mural paint, drop cloths and other supplies, and the dedication celebration event expenses were donated by the Arivaca Dancehall

Nighttime Pollinators Mural - spring 2024

• A $1000.00 grant from the The Endangered Species Coalition for the artist's fee and paint costs: 

• The Arivaca Dancehall funded the remaining expenses for additional paint, drop cloths and other supplies, and the Earth Day Celebration event.

Your help is much appreciated!

Visit our "Support the Project" webpage to find out how to participate by volunteering to help install Pollinator Gardens, growing plants at home for the gardens (seeds, pots, soil provided), making an in-kind donation of supplies needed, or by donating funds.  Thank you!  ArivacaPollinatorPathway@gmail.com