The East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District is seeking applications for its Partners in Conservation (PIC) Grants Program.
Donor Name: East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District
State: Oregon
County: Multnomah County (OR)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 12/14/2023
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The Partners in Conservation (PIC) Grants Program supports community projects that focus on soil health and water quality, reducing and addressing climate impacts, sustainable agriculture and community gardens, conservation education programs, and fish and wildlife habitat restoration. These grants also increase conservation benefits for communities experiencing disparities in environmental health, environmental education, and natural amenities. A variety of community-led projects serving diverse communities, youth and families will receive funding.
Goals
- Complement other EMSWCD program efforts in water quality, soil health, fish and wildlife habitat and sustainable agriculture
- Increase conservation benefits for communities and populations experiencing disparities in environmental health, environmental education, and natural amenities.
- Build resilience to climate change in local communities, mitigate climate change impacts, and build momentum for climate change action.
- Establish school and community gardens and support sustainable and culturally appropriate agriculture practices.
- Prepare residents for careers or education in natural resources, agriculture, nature education, or other nature-related fields by supporting mentorship, youth programs, and job skill development.
Priority populations for EMSWCD grants
- They prioritize people with low incomes, communities of color, and other historically marginalized communities for EMSWCD grants.
- Historically, these populations have had less access to land and the benefits of conservation investments.
- At the same time, these communities are more vulnerable to extreme heat, wildfire smoke, vector-borne diseases, flooding, and other climate-related impacts.
Funding Information
- Up to $800,00 is available for 2024 Partners in Conservation grants ranging from $5,000 to $70,000.
- Grants may take up to two years to complete.
Eligible Project Types
- On-the-ground restoration or conservation project. Examples: stream bank revegetation, fish and wildlife habitat restoration and/or enhancement, weed control.
- Sustainable agriculture or gardening project. Examples: establishing or maintaining school or community gardens and/or orchards, native gathering gardens, composting systems, irrigation systems, and farm intern programs.
- Water quality project. Examples: parking lot bioswale, raingardens, tree planning, stream restoration and trash clean up.
- Hands-on learning about healthy soil and water, wildlife, climate change for youth and/or adults. Examples: outdoor education, farm and garden education, workshops or classroom programs, training, signage.
- Expanding equitable access to outdoor education, conservation, and sustainable ag/garden projects and programs. Examples: development of projects or programs designed for communities of color and/or other historically marginalized people, retaining and restoring cultural and community traditions related to land and water, partnership development, staff and board equity and inclusion (DEI) training.
- Environmental health projects in Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other underserved and/or environmentally impacted communities; low-income communities. Examples: increase access to fresh, healthy, and culturally relevant food and plants, toxics/pesticide reduction, tree planning and pavement removal to reduce temperatures in developed areas.
- Planning or engineering of a conservation project. Examples: engineering of a soil erosion control project, stream/fish passage restoration, in-stream habitat improvements.
- Monitoring project. Examples: tree canopy assessment, evaluation of weed treatment or sediment control methods, and water quality monitoring.
Eligibility Criteria
Note: Grant-funded activities must take place within the EMSWCD boundary.
- Community-based organizations with non-profit status; 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations.
- Community groups without non-profit status may apply for an EMSWCD grant with a fiscal sponsor. A fiscal sponsor is an eligible non-profit organization that provides organizational infrastructure, insurance coverage and administrative support for managing a grant. If a group has neither federal tax exemption nor a fiscal sponsor, please contact us before applying.
- Government agencies or educational institutions
- Native American tribes.
For more information, visit EMSWCD.
