The Environmental Fund educates youth and the general public about the importance and wonder of nature as well as encourages the appreciation, conservation, and responsible use of the natural environment.
Donor Name: Community Foundation of Mendocino County
State: California
County: Mendocino County (CA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 09/18/2023
Size of the Grant: $1,000-$7,500
Details:
The Environmental Fund is comprised of several funds including the American Youth Services Fund, Charles F. Flinn and Walker B. Tilley Fund for Sustainable Forestry, the Community Endowment Fund, the Environmental Education and Conservation Fund, the Fund for Trails and Open Space, the Pearson Family Fund, and the ReLeaf Tree Planting Fund.
Funding Priorities
Funding priorities include but are not limited to:
- Educational and Youth Projects
- Programs that encourage personal enrichment exploration and/or raise awareness about conservation issues among disadvantaged youth and young adults within group experiences in the natural outdoor environment (e.g. activities and trips led by schools, camps, naturalists, nonprofit organizations, tribal communities, and spiritual organizations).
- Projects that will expose youth to the beautiful and unique environment and ecosystems of Mendocino County to deepen their connection to the larger Earth/Creation, encourage personal faith/spiritual exploration, inspire stewardship of the lands and oceans and foster a sense of individual well-being, a sense of shared welfare, and communal participation.
- Programs that offer environmental education around topics such as ecological understanding and natural resource management, the importance of the scientific method in addressing conservation issues, the effects of climate change and humans’ role in causing and addressing climate change, land stewardship, habitat and watershed restoration, and/or providing and improving access to natural lands.
- Conservation Projects
- Programs that support the acquisition, preservation, and restoration of parks, trails, trail signage and open space areas that are free and open to the public for low-impact recreational uses.
- Increasing canopy trees for public benefit through tree planting (and subsequent maintenance) in cities and unincorporated areas of Mendocino County. Thinning, fuel reduction, and tree removal projects are ineligible for funding.
- Conservation projects such as wildlife surveys; habitat studies; habitat and watershed restoration projects; improving existing public access to conservation lands; internships and training for wildlife surveys, land docents, land stewardship, and trail building; native plant management; and invasive plant removal.
- Projects that conserve and rehabilitate Mendocino County’s natural environments and animal habitats (including the ocean and reef ecosystems) for the long-term social, environmental, and economic benefit of the community.
- Programs that enhance the ecological understanding of the impact of human-caused climate disruption.
- Forest and Rangeland Projects
- Assisting public and small private (non-industrial) forest owners to maintain and enhance the economic, social, and environmental values of Mendocino County’s working forests and rangelands (e.g. research and demonstration including remeasurement of plots; public and youth education and outreach about using forests for economic production; education on best management practices; restoration of forests and watersheds, with a preference to projects related to forest restoration; removal of invasive species; mitigation of the impact of forest roads; fire management; fish and wildlife habitat protection and enhancement.)
Funding Information
- Total Funding Available: $60,000;
- Grant range $1,000-$7,500.
Eligibility Criteria
All applicant organizations must:
- Serve residents of Mendocino County or applicants not headquartered in Mendocino County must ensure that all grant dollars requested are spent within the County.
- Be legally chartered in California and in possession of a determination letter from the IRS declaring the organization a public charity that is exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3); or be a school district, tribe, or special district (e.g., community services, recreation, fire protection); or have an aligned mission with a fiscal sponsor.
- Have one year of operational history after receiving charitable status.
- Conduct business without discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, or religious affiliation.
- Eligible project expenses may include indirect or administration costs.
For more information, visit CFMC.
