Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Due Jan 29

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Request for Proposals
Announcement Number: EPA-R5-GL2010-1

This Request For Proposals (RFP) [PDF 583Kb, 79 pages] solicits proposals from eligible entities for grants and cooperative agreements to be awarded pursuant to a portion of the $475 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative included in Public Law 111-88, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 which is in furtherance of President Obama’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (the “Initiative”) announced in February 2009.

The President and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in conjunction with 15 other federal agencies, have made restoring the Great Lakes a national priority. The Initiative builds on the prior efforts of agency, business, public interest, and other leaders which resulted in the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy (GLRC Strategy) and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan now being developed. This RFP represents EPA’s major competitive grant funding opportunity under the Initiative and is one of several funding opportunities described in the Initiative’s Interagency Funding Guide. A portion of the funding will be through the U.S. Fish and wildlife Service. This RFP, in conjunction with other funding opportunities under the Initiative, will be used to competitively provide funding to address the most significant Great Lakes ecosystem problems and efforts in five major focus areas:

Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern
Invasive Species
Nearshore Health and Nonpoint Source Pollution
Habitat and Wildlife Protection and Restoration
Accountability, Education, Monitoring, Evaluation, Communication and Partnerships

Due Date for Submissions: Proposals must be received by EPA by noon Central standard time on January 29, 2010.

$120M Available, 300 Awards Anticipated

Native Plantings, Deadline December 5

WAM/Glassen Educational Grant Criteria

Each applicant may request up to $500 in support. The application deadline is December 5, 2009. All applicants will be notified if they are or are not recipients of an award no later than January 30, 2010. Awardees will receive their funds at the Awards Luncheon on Sunday during the Michigan Wildflower Conference at the Kellogg Center on the Michigan State University campus.

A submitted proposal must contain a completed application form, a statement of goals, summary of the project, a detailed description of the project (pictures of the proposed site and a site plan are required if applicable), a budget which includes amount requested and in kind donations if applicable, a description or actual copy of publicity, and letters of support from the target community (i.e. school principal, school superintendent, town or city manager, parks commission chair person etc.).

If the project involves a school, the project description should clearly state how it would be utilized to satisfy State mandated curriculums at their appropriate age/class level.
The proposal should state how the project would be maintained or sustained beyond the initial development period.

The total proposal should be limited to no more than 8 pages, not including plan, pictures and letters of support.

Proposals will principally be assessed as to their impact on educating Michiganders (particularly youth), adherence to the Mission of the Wildflower Association, and the overall feasibility of the project.

Applicants may request no more than $500 for project support. Monies received may be used for site preparation, seeding or planting the site with species of native origin, and for continuing site maintenance and care; or for the enhancement of an existing site with species of native origin. No travel or salaries may be charged to the grant. No overhead monies may be charged to the grant. An accounting of all monies must accompany the final report of the project.
A written progress report of the work done in the spring and fall of the year in which the grant was awarded that includes pictures of that progress is required of all grant recipients. This should be submitted no later than December 1st of that same year to the WAM Grants Coordinator.

A second and final report of the project, with a plant inventory, observations of educational successes, copies of publicity, pictures and a detailed accounting summary of all monies expended, should be submitted to the WAM Grants Coordinator by June 1st of the following year.

All publicity generated for and received by the project must acknowledge the Harold and Jean Glassen Memorial Foundation and the Wildflower Association of Michigan; and if applicable how the project helped to fulfill State mandated curriculums.

Please include a self-addressed stamped postal card with the title of the proposal and the name of the applicant. This will be used to acknowledge receipt of the application form.

Trails Funding, Apps Due Dec 15

What types of projects will be considered for the 2010 grants?
• Those that have hikers as the primary constituency, though multiple human-powered trail uses are eligible.
• Those that secure trail lands, including acquisition of trails and trail corridors and the costs associated with
acquiring conservation easements.
• Projects that will result in visible and substantial ease of access, improved hiker safety and/or avoidance of
environmental damage. Higher preference is often given to projects with volunteer labor.
• Projects that promote constituency building surrounding specific trail projects - including volunteer recruitment
and support.

Award amounts range from $500 to $5,000.
• Applicants must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and must submit their IRS designation letters.
• Except for land acquisition programs, acceptable projects should be completed in one year. Multi-year projects
will be considered only in exceptional cases.
• Grants will not be awarded to (a) religious organizations for religious purposes, (b) private foundations or (c)
political causes, candidates or legislative lobbying efforts.
• The grantee must complete a final report on the project’s progress, successes and failures, funds dispersal and
what role the grant played in the project, due April 30, 2011.

Applications must be submitted electronically by December 15, contact us for more information!

Watershed Protection Grants Available, Tribal Lands

There is a Request for Proposals open from Indian Tribes for competitive grants under section 319 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). The purpose of this grant program is to provide funding for Tribes to implement their nonpoint source (NPS) management programs developed pursuant to CWA section 319(b). The primary goal of the NPS management program is to control NPS pollution through implementation of management measures and practices to reduce pollutant loadings resulting from each category or subcategory of NPSs identified in the Tribe’s NPS assessment report developed pursuant to CWA section 319(a).

EPA has set aside a portion of section 319 funds appropriated by Congress for competitive grant awards to Tribes for the purpose of funding the development and implementation of watershed-based plans and other on-the-ground watershed projects that result in a significant step towards solving NPS impairments on a watershed-wide basis.

Contact us for more information!