An interesting question! First, I hope you have checked out the new health care plan that should be available to you. I would recommend you first take the time to fill out the questionnaire on benefits.gov to be sure you are receiving all the benefits you should be. You may find it irritating but it could be worth it. For some tips about how to get the most out of that site you could first check this title="benefits.gov review" href="http://www.gofreegovernmentmoney.com/domain_discuss/benefits.gov">review of benefits.gov.
As to the beekeeping question: your best bet is to go for a Susatainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant. There are both small community-based grants and state grants. SARE. SARE provides grants and information that help to promote new work in sustainable agriculture, and apparently beekeeping qualifies. Check out possible grants at the SARE website --- on the home page you will see the heading "Want Grant Information?" and a colorful map of the U.S.. Click on the area where you live to see what might be available to you.
You could also get in touch with a local beekeepers club to get more information and possible resources. To find a club near you go to bees-on-the-net and click on "Clubs" at the top.