The Crocus Project

Apply to participate during the 2025-2026 school year using the form at the bottom of the page!

What is the Crocus Project:

The Crocus Project is a project of Holocaust Education Ireland. The goal of this initiative is to have more than 1.5 million crocuses in bloom, which are planted in memory of the 1.5 million Jewish children who perished in the Holocaust and the thousands of other children who were victims of Nazi atrocities. 

The yellow flowers recall the stars that Jews were forced to wear under Nazi rule. The Crocus Project is a tangible and age-appropriate way to introduce students to the Holocaust. Students and teachers can work together to create a meaningful display of the bulbs, which will come up year after year. When people admire the flowers, students can explain what they represent and recall the children who perished in the Holocaust. 

The Crocus Project is implemented in 11 countries across Europe, with almost 200,000 students participating in the program. The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh is excited to be bringing the project to the United States formally for the first time. Apply now to be among the first American schools to participate!

How the grant process works:

• Educators apply for a grant to receive free crocus bulbs from the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. These grants are only available for educators located in our outreach region, including Western Pennsylvania, parts of Ohio, and parts of West Virginia.
• Each educator is eligible to receive up to 72 bulbs, though special requests may be considered depending on availability. Because we are packaging and coordinating the distribution of each set with each teacher, we are happy to work with teachers to match the number of bulbs needed to the number of students in the classroom when possible.
• Holocaust Education Ireland provides a comprehensive Teacher’s Handbook. This contains lesson plans, resources, activities, booklists, certificates, and more.
• Students must plant their crocus bulbs in the autumn before the ground freezes, so they bloom in the spring. Bulbs may also be planted in flowerpots or flower boxes and kept indoors. All bulbs should still be planted in the fall. Further planting instructions are available in the Crocus Project Handbook.
• In the spring, educators must update the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh on their project and send pictures of the their crocus blooms when possible. Educators are strongly encouraged to send the Holocaust Center photos and updates throughout the whole process. Pictures may be used by the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh in grant reporting and on our website.
• The Holocaust Center can provide additional offerings to complement this program, such as a Generations Speaker or a field trip!

Can’t see the form? Click here.

This project is supported in Ireland by the Department of Education and is co-funded by the European Union. 

This program is funded by The Lipsman Family Endowment Fund in memory of Charles and Hilda Lipsman.

The Holocaust Center is working with the local family farm Soergel Orchards to source crocus bulbs.