All life depends on plants.
People use plants for food, fibre, fuel and medicines. Plants and algae are 'producer' organisms that absorb carbon dioxide, mitigating climate change. Beneficial fungi are essential for ecosystem functions by recycling material; others cause disease.
Help us support plant research
The Botany Foundation, established in 1994, supports excellence in education and research in botany addressing issues relating to the use of plants, the environment, food security and nutrition.
Your donations help:
- Support students through scholarships, awards and travel grants
- Support early career researchers in honour of Professor Jeremy Picket-Heaps
- Endow research fellowships
- Support the University Herbarium
- Support the Adrienne Clarke Chair of Botany
- The Melbourne Pollen Count
- The Women In Science of the Environment Fellowship (WISE)
Foundation Board
| Dr Tony Gregson AM FTSE, Chairperson | External Member. Grain grower, Victoria's Wimmera. Chair, Plant Health Australia and Board Member, Crawford Fund. |
| Professor Pauline Ladiges AO FAA Deputy Chairperson | Honorary Professorial Fellow, University of Melbourne |
| Sally Browne AM | External Member. Fashion Designer and Philanthropist |
| Laureate Professor Adrienne Clarke AC FAA FTSE | The University of Melbourne |
| Professor Emeritus Edwina Cornish | External member. Distinguished biologist & academic leader |
| Professor Moira O'Bryan | Dean of Science, The University of Melbourne |
| Associate Professor John King AM | External Member. Senior Neurologist, Royal Melbourne Hospital |
| Professor Margie Mayfield | Head of the School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne |
| Associate Professor Ed Newbigin | School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne |
| Professor Alex Johnson | School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne |
| Ms Rucha Patil | Graduate Student School of BioSciences |
Annual reports
- Botany Foundation Annual Report 2023 (PDF File 7.4 MB)
- Botany Foundation Annual Report 2022 (PDF File 6.4 MB)
- Botany Foundation Annual Report 2021 (PDF File 1.8 MB)
- Botany Foundation Annual Report 2020 (PDF File 4.6 MB)
- Botany Foundation Annual Report 2019 (PDF File 4.5 MB)
- Botany Foundation Annual Report 2018 (PDF File 1.7 MB)
- Botany Foundation Annual Report 2017 (PDF File 1.6 MB)
- Botany Foundation Annual Report 2015 (PDF File 2.5 MB)
- Botany Foundation Annual Report 2016 (PDF File 3.1 MB)