Small Grants Program

Goal:

As a foundation committed to statewide efforts, we always keep an ear to the ground for grassroots level work that feeds into our greater programmatic goals. We are also trying to connect local activities and local organizations to the policies and organizations we support at regional or statewide level.  We know there are many smaller community groups throughout the state that can make effective and efficient use of smaller grants and to assist these groups we have established a Small Grants Program.

What:

The Small Grants Program is for grants up to $5,000. These are for work being done that enhances the greater objectives of our Growth Management and Aquatic Ecosystems programs. Please see our Program Area Descriptions for more detail on these objectives and strategies. These grants are for the same duration as our standard grants and for organizations that meet the same eligibility criteria. Funds may be used for office support, staff time, planning, litigation and all of the other uses we allow for our standard project grants (these are not for general support).

Process:

Applicants for Small Grants must use the same initial process as other applicants. Once staff has decided a request meets our criteria, you will be asked to submit a short application. This is a more streamlined version of our full application and, if your application is accepted for further consideration after our initial Letter of Inquiry review, you will only be required to submit supplemental materials. It is our aim to make the process less burdensome for applicants.  Final decisions will be made at our Board Meeting in late May/early June.

Who Should Apply for these Grants?

If you are an organization whose work is well aligned with the objectives and goals of our Program Areas and could effectively use a smaller grant, then we would like to hear from you.  Good candidates may include:

-          Small community organizations

-          First time applicants

-          Applicants with a need for one-time funds for a discrete project

-          Organizations piloting new projects seeking small start up funds

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