The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation is seeking applications for its Community Stewardship Challenge Grant 2023 to encourage increased community participation in the care of natural areas and wildlife habitat managed by nonprofit organizations in Illinois.
Donor Name: Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation
State: Illinois
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/31/2023
Size of the Grant: $32,000
Grant Duration: 18 months
Details:
The Foundation has helped to support the care of natural areas located in 35 Illinois counties. Priority will be given to sites located in counties in which the Foundation has not previously awarded a grant.
The grant provides support in the three categories below, which are not separable:
- Cash Donation Match: The Foundation provides 3 dollars for every 1 new dollar raised by a nonprofit organization over the 18-month grant period, not to exceed a contribution of $21,000 from the Foundation, to be applied towards stewardship of an eligible project site. The 3 to 1 match applies to net donations only and will not match any fundraising costs, fees, or service charges incurred during donation transfers.
- Volunteer Labor: Grantees are eligible to receive $4,000 for stewardship activities upon verification that volunteers have logged 400 hours or more on stewardship activities during the 18-month grant period. An additional $2,000 may be awarded upon verification that volunteers have logged a total of 100 hours on establishing and/or updating social media accounts to publicize stewardship workdays and public events at the project site.
- Equipment Purchase: For nonprofit-owned sites, the Foundation will reimburse up to 80% or $5,000, whichever is less, of the capital cost of stewardship equipment purchased during the 18-month grant period. This category of support is not available to government-owned sites.
Funding Information
Grants of up to $32,000 are available for sites owned by nonprofit organizations and grants of up to $27,000 are available for government-owned natural areas. Actual payment is dependent on the result of fundraising and volunteer activity during the grant period. Payments requests are considered and paid out on a TBD schedule during the grant period. No funds will be awarded after 18 months.
A full set of funding guidelines will be provided to eligible applicants.
Examples of the types of activity that can be supported under the grant include:
- Contracts to conduct a prescribed burn, engineering work and hydrological improvements, removal of invasive species, and/or creation of burn breaks
- The purchase of plant materials including seed, trees, plants
- The purchase of supplies including gasoline, herbicide, gloves, goggles, tree protectors, Nomex suits, etc.
- The purchase of monitoring equipment such as magnifying glasses and nets
- The purchase of wood duck or bluebird houses
- Grantees may spend up to $1,000 of the Cash Donation award on hand tools
- Grantees may spend up to $1,000 of the Volunteer Hours award on hand tools
- Hand tools can include backpack sprayers, loppers, hand saws, small chain saws, rakes, Pulaski axes, water back packs, etc.
- Grantees may spend a total of $1,000 of the dollars received from the Foundation on the purchase of interpretive signage if the signage highlights the stewardship work and the grant
Project Criteria
- Solicit funds from members and followers to support the care of the project site
- Challenge volunteers to log a total of 400 hours in habitat care over 18 months
- Use grant funds to improve the health of the natural habitat.
Site Criteria
- Natural area and wildlife habitat that is open to the public
- Cared for with the help of volunteers
- Owned by a non-profit organization, local government, or government agency
- Located in Illinois
Eligibility Criteria
- 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations that actively engage volunteers in the management of a publicly-accessible natural area
- Applicants are required to provide a Federal Employer Tax ID/Employer Tax ID Number (FEIN/EIN).
For more information, visit Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation.
