Online Application Must Be Completed By: Tuesday, July 31st
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) in cooperation with
its federal partner, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife
Refuge System, announces a new initiative to develop community-based
partnerships that further the conservation of fish, wildlife, plants and other
natural resources in distinct landscapes.
The initiative brings together public and private partners to replicate
successful community-driven regional landscape conservation coalitions.
In 2012, approximately $180,000 will be available for matching grants
nationwide.
Program and Application Information
The
program will provide competitive grants for the creation and capacity of new
and fledgling coalitions, including:
capacity
building for new and existing coalitions
developing
outcomes to measure conservation success on the landscape
mentoring
and training sessions for new coalitions
fostering coordination between local communities
and federal natural resource agencies
NFWF will implement a capacity building grant
program for new and existing community-based landscape conservation
coalitions. Funding will be awarded through competitive grants for
capacity building in the community, mentoring and training, developing
outcomes to measure conservation success, and consolidating lessons learned
into a ‘Great Outdoors America’ roadmap to assist new community-based coalitions. Organizations receiving funding through this
solicitation are required to coordinate with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and other relevant state and federal agencies to ensure that the strategies being
developed and implemented compliment broader federal goals. Projects will be solicited through two
categories:
Category One: Training and Mentoring by Existing
Conservation Coalitions (Approximately $25,000 - $55,000 available)
NFWF will award grants in the amount of
$10,000-$40,000 to support existing landscape coalitions or entities with
experience in landscape conservation mentoring to conduct mentoring and
training for newly-formed conservation coalitions. It is anticipated that competitive grants
under this sections will include:
One-on-One
Mentoring – Proposal for a representative(s) of an
established landscape conservation coalition to visit and work with a newly
formed conservation coalition to assist them in growing their capacity. This can include the development of business
plans, assistance in meeting with local and federal officials, etc.
Category Two: Capacity Building for Newly Formed
Landscape Conservation Coalitions ($125,000 - $150,000 available)
NFWF will support grants in the range of $25,000
- $75,000 to support the creation and/or capacity growth of new regional
community-driven coalitions to support landscape scale habitat protection and
restoration.
Proposals
should clearly describe the conservation challenges needing to be addressed in
the landscape, the efforts currently underway to build community level support
for addressing these challenges, and how the proposed funding will be used to
help the entity expand upon these efforts.
Projects
may include outreach programs aimed at increasing organizational capacity to
serve the Refuge(s) and the surrounding area, business plan development or
other strategic planning costs, membership program development,
board/leadership development, community outreach efforts, brochure and
newsletter development, logo design, office equipment, etc.
Proposal Evaluation
The most competitive proposals will include:
Eligible Applicants
Non-profit organizations, tribal groups
This grant program is not intended to support Joint Ventures,
federally managed Landscape Conservation Coalitions or existing Friends group
activities.
Typical Grant Size
$10,000 - $50,000
Grant Period
Project may extend 12-24 months.
Matching Requirement
While no match is required, match of non-federal cash and/or in-kind
contribution will make a proposal more competitive. Partnerships with corporations and
foundations are strongly encouraged.
Amount and diversity of matching funds will be given consideration as
part of recommended awards.
Timeline:
Full Proposals Due: July 31st, 2012 (received by 11:59 p.m.
Eastern Time)
Grant Awards Announced: October 1, 2012
On-line Proposal Application:
When you are ready to begin the application process, go to www.nfwf.org/Easygrants to
register in our Easygrants online system (if you are already a registered user,
use your existing login). Enter your
applicant information and then select [this project isn’t about Connecting
Youth to the Outdoors, but NFWF should provide the language here] from the list
of programs and follow the instructions.
Once you get started, you may save your application in progress and
return another time to complete and submit it.
Applicants are encouraged to contact the NFWF staff representative to
discuss potential projects prior to applying.
Applicants are also encouraged to work with FWS field staff when
developing proposals to ensure coordination with existing agency programs and
activities.
Staff Representative: Teal Edelen, teal.edelen@nfwf.org
Related Information:
There are successful examples of landscape-based
coalitions that have fundamentally changed the conservation of the lands around
them by focusing on community, land health and conservation.
·
In Montana, the “Blackfoot Challenge” has brought
together more than 50 non-profit entities, Federal agencies, foundations, and
corporations to conserve the 1.5 million acre landscape that anchors their
communities. The result is increased
protection of working landscapes, healthier watersheds, smarter growth and
development, and perhaps most importantly, bringing together citizens around a
common goal of healthy lands and wildlife.
·
The Malpai Borderland Group was formed in 1994 as
a coalition led by ranchers and landowners, and has now protected more than
75,000 acres of wildlife habitat and improved the health of their working
landscapes.
·
The ACE Basin Task Force is a unique partnership
of state and federal governmental representatives, non-profit entities, and
private landowners that was established in 1988 to protect one of the largest
undeveloped estuaries remaining on the East Coast.