Hi J
It sound like you are trying to get a grant from some Government business orientated body which does not understand the unique position you are in with regard to potentially being a supplier of pure native bees on a remote island site free from the possibility of cross matings. There is potentially a huge market there. I would try the co-op or some of the organizations which have current programmes to support beekeeping. Gavin recent got a large grant to establish an apiary in the east of Scotland and that included the purchase of bees and equipment.

Have you sampled any of your colonies using wing morphometry? Kate Thompson would very keen to get a sample of your bees as she is mapping AMM over the uk and Ireland and comparing bee wings to DNA markers unique to AMM.

I would not give up on the idea of a grant.