The BEAT News
Grants & Opportunities

EOEA FY07 Self-Help and Urban Self-Help grant: deadline August 1, 2006

The FY07 Self-Help and Urban Self-Help grant round has been announced by EOEA Secretary Stephen Pritchard. Grants of up to $500,000 are available for the purchase of open space or parkland, development of recreation sites, or the renovation of parks. For the full grant announcement, please go to www.mass.gov/envir/dcs.

Melissa Cryan
Urban Self-Help Coordinator
Executive Office of Environmental Affairs
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston, MA 02114
phone: (617) 626-1171
fax: (617) 626-1181

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DCR Urban and Community Forestry Program Streamlines and Revises Grant Program! Deadlines May and November

With support from the USDA Forest Service, the Massachusetts Urban and Community Forestry Program is now offering Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Grants. These are 50-50 matching grants offered to municipalities and non-profit groups in Massachusetts communities of all sizes for the purpose of building local capacity for excellent urban and community forestry at the local and regional level. This grant is not a new offering, but a combination of our previous grant opportunities (Mass ReLeaf, Planning and Education, and Heritage Grants). We have changed the format in an effort to streamline the grant process for applicants and better target our limited resources.

The Intent to Apply Form and the full Grant Application are now available on the web site.

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Open Space Institute Grant Opportunity

The Open Space Institute recently closed a $120,000 loan to The Kestrel Trust in connection with its ongoing efforts to protect the Great Meadow in Hadley Township. Kestrel, the second loan recipient of OSI’s Western Massachusetts Conservation Loan Fund, also received a grant under a new small grants program to facilitate conservation transactions in the region.

Background: Last September, OSI established a conservation revolving loan fund to provide bridge financing for land transactions where there is insufficient capital at the time of closing. The $2 million fund, created with an initial contribution from the Kohlberg Foundation, provides short-term, low-interest loans to land trusts and other conservation organizations working to permanently protect working farms and forests, as well as other ecologically sensitive landscapes in the region west of Worcester. In October, OSI made a $250,000 loan to Mt. Grace Land Conservation Trust to acquire a 123-acre parcel of forested land near Brush Mountain in Northfield, Massachusetts. The revolving loan fund was established as a result of an assessment conducted by OSI of conservation threats and opportunities in the region, completed for the Kohlberg Foundation (see “Western Massachusetts: Assessing the Conservation Opportunity,” on OSI's Publication Page).

Goal of the Grant Program: The grants, ranging between $1,500 and $5,000, are designed to facilitate loan projects by defraying the cost of certain transactional expenses and baseline documentation for easements. The grants program, created with an initial $75,000 contribution from the Kohlberg Foundation, intends these funds to encourage good standards and practices in the land trust community, remove some of the financial burden associated with land conservation projects and borrowing, and eliminate any costs incurred as a result of borrowing from OSI.

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River Restoration Grants (Deadline 4-1)

American Rivers is seeking proposals for community-based river restoration grants as part of its partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Community-Based Restoration Program. These grants are designed to provide support for local communities that are utilizing dam removal or fish passage to restore and protect the ecological integrity of their rivers and improve freshwater habitats important to migratory (diadromous) fish. Grants will be limited to projects in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, California, and Northwest.

Eligible groups will demonstrate how their project: (1) will in a measurable manner successfully restore diadromous fish habitat, access to existing anadromous fish habitat, or natural riverine functions; (2) is the correct approach, based on ecological, social, economic, and engineering considerations; (3) will minimize any identifiable short- or long-term negative impacts to the river system as a result of the project; (4) has had community involvement in project decision making and may have community involvement in the implementation; and (5) will have the potential for public outreach and education. Successful applicants will be given non-renewable grants to assist in the technical application of fish passage or dam removal.

Applications are currently being accepted for the April 1st, 2006 grant cycle. Applications for projects need to be postmarked or e-mailed by the deadline for consideration for the funding cycle. Potential applicants should contact American Rivers regional staff (see link below) to discuss potential projects prior to submitting an application.

For a complete up-to-date application and eligibility guidelines, please go to the American Rivers web site or contact us at the address below. For more information on the NOAA Community-Based Restoration Program and its partners, please visit http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration.

Contact:
Serena McClain, River Restoration Finance Associate
American Rivers, 1025 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 720
Washington, DC 20005
Email: rivergrants@amrivers.org

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NFWF & Wal-Mart "Acres for America" Program - deadline 4/1

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Wal-Mart Invite Proposals for Acres for America Program

Deadline: April 1, 2006 (Pre-proposals)

A partnership between Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Acres for America program was established to provide funding for projects that conserve important habitat for fish, wildlife, and plants through acquisition of interest in real property. The goal of the Acres for America program is to offset the footprint of Wal-Mart's domestic facilities on at least an acre-by-acre basis through these acquisitions.

Through the program, approximately $3.1 million will be made available annually, for ten years, for conservation investments.

To be considered for funding through the Wal-Mart partner- ship, acquisitions of interest in real property should have the endorsement of appropriate federal, state, and local government agencies as an acquisition with high conservation value; endorsements by nonprofit conservation organizations are also a primary consideration. Acquisitions that contribute to "landscape level" conservation efforts that help reduce fragmentation are preferred over isolated acquisitions. In addition, important fish, wildlife, and/or plant resources such as endangered species or areas of significant biological diversity, as identified by credible conservation agencies or organizations, should be conserved through the acquisition. The fee transfer or perpetual easement must qualify for "conservation purposes" as defined by Internal Revenue Code Section 170(h). Access to the land by the public is preferred but not required.

All grant awards require a minimum 1:1 match of cash or contributed goods and services. Federal funds may be considered as match. Higher ratios of matching funds will at times aid in making applications more competitive.

Visit the NFWF Web site for complete program information and application procedures.
RFP Link

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Seminars for Excellence in Nonprofit Management

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation has announced the schedule for its spring 2006 "Seminars for Excellence in Nonprofit Management." The seminars are organized and sponsored by the Professional Development Fund of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, and are held throughout the tri-state region.

Participants must register in advance and pre-pay for each seminar they wish to attend. The cost per seminar is $40 for an individual; $60 for two people from the same organization. Register online or call (800) 969-2823.

Berkshire County workshops include the following:

# Thursday, March 23 — Starting a Nonprofit Organization, 9 a.m. to noon, Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club, 55 Lee Road, Lenox.

# Thursday, March 23 — Filling out the Paperwork: Application for Tax-Exempt Status, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., Cranwell Resort.

# Thursday, April 6 — Taking the Fear Out of Fundraising, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Cranwell Resort.

# Tuesday, April 11 — The ABCs of Sustainable Time Management, 9 a.m. to noon, Cranwell Resort.

# Tuesday, April 18 — Personal Leadership in Tumultuous Times, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Berkshire South Community Center, 15 Crissey Road, Great Barrington.

# Tuesday, April 25 — Making Sense of Budgeting, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Cranwell Resort.

# Wednesday, April 26 — Introduction to Strategic Planning, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Crowne Plaza, 1 West St., Pittsfield.

# Wednesday, April 26 — Leading So People Follow, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Berkshire South.

# Thursday, May 11 — The Successful Grant Proposal, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Crowne Plaza.

# Tuesday, May 16 — Web Essentials for the Nonprofit, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Berkshire South.

In addition, the seminar Taking Your Board from Good to Great will be conducted on three different sites, from 8 to 11 a.m. on the following days: Tuesday, May 9, Berkshire South Community Center; Wednesday, May 10, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Sullivan Lounge, 375 Church St., North Adams; Thursday, May 11, Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, 75 North St., Suite 360, Pittsfield.