Openlands is partnering with ComEd to administer the ComEd Green Region Grant. Recognizing that open space in their communities is crucial to the quality of their lives, ComEd has committed to supporting public agencies, non-profits, schools, school districts, and housing authorities of northern Illinois in ComEd’s service territory with their ongoing efforts to protect or improve public spaces for the benefit of all.
Donor Name: Openlands
State: Illinois
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/24/2023
Size of the Grant: up to $10,000
Details:
ComEd designed the ComEd Green Region Grant to assist local communities in these efforts by providing funding for some expenses towards these goals. Underlying the grant is ComEd’s endorsement of deliberate planning for open space protection to encourage the wisest use of scarce resources.
For the ComEd Green Region Grant, a pollinator conservation project is one that shows a demonstrable benefit to the pollinator population.
Examples of demonstrable benefits for local pollinator populations include, but are not limited to, projects that:
- Establish or enhance pollinator habitat-see the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) pollinator guidance below on how to make the most impact.
- Create educational signage highlighting natural features or educating the public about habitats.
Funding Information
Grants will be for amounts up to $10,000 and may be used to pay for up to 50% of eligible activities.
Eligible Activities
Priority is given to projects that demonstrate significant impact on the surrounding community by increasing the public’s access to open space and encouraging their engagement with the project; and active partnerships within the community. Additional preference may be given to projects that support a special focus area that has been designated for the grant cycle.
Eligible activities include:
- Developing or updating open space plans
- Expenses may include consultant fees, costs associated with obtaining public input (hall rental, advertising, etc.), and publication costs.
- Improving applicant-owned open spaces, including planning costs
- Funds may be used for habitat improvements such as installing or improving natural areas such as prairies, woodlands, wetlands, associated buffers, and other native natural communities. The plans also may include the installation of capital improvements for passive recreation, such as trails, boardwalks, kiosks, and observation platforms. Parking lots are not eligible for funding. Expenses related to capital improvements may include consultant fees for landscape architects, park designers, botanists, restoration specialists, engineers, etc.
- Acquisition (by purchase or donation) of parcels of land to be used for open space
- Expenses may include land cost, legal or consultant fees, survey, environmental assessments, appraisals, etc.
- Acquisition (by purchase or donation) of conservation easements (also known as “development rights”) on parcels of land to be used for open space
- Eligible expenses include legal costs to purchase development rights, consultant fees, survey, environmental assessments, appraisals, etc
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations, schools, school districts, and housing authorities with a letter of support townships, counties, park districts, conservation districts, forest preserve districts, and municipalities-including municipal entities such as water reclamation districts- within ComEd’s service territory (please see map) in the following counties: Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Ford, Grundy, Henry, Iroquois, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston, Marshall, McHenry, Ogle, Rock Island, Stephenson, Whiteside, Will, Winnebago and Woodford.
Non-profit organizations, schools, school districts, and housing authorities need a letter of support meeting these criteria to apply. A sample letter of support can be found in the Program.
- On the letterhead of your township, county, park district, conservation district, forest preserve district, or municipality-including municipal entities such as water reclamation districts-providing the letter of support.
- State that the government agency has reviewed your ComEd Green Region project proposal and finds it satisfies the Program Guidelines.
- State that the project would benefit public open space and the government agency fully supports your application for the ComEd Green Grant.
- Signed by an authorized agent of the government agency providing the letter of support.
- NOTE: If a non-profit is applying for a project on land they do not own, their letter of support must be from the landowning entity.
For more information, visit ComEd Green Region Grant.
