Grants

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and its program partner organizations seek proposals for projects that assist organizations to be effective co-stewards of the United States’ natural resources within the National Wildlife Refuge System. The deadline is September 24, 2010. More info at www.nfwf.org.

Grants will be provided to assist starting refuge Friends organizations, to strengthen the capacity of existing refuge Friends organizations, and to fund specific projects. In addition, this year’s program will prioritize those proposals that initiate or improve birding opportunities for refuge visitors. Competitive proposals will specify particular benefits to refuge birders and visitors who enjoy birds.

The grant program provides competitive seed grants of $1,500 to $5,000 for creative and innovative proposals that seek to increase the number and effectiveness of organizations interested in assisting the Refuge System. Refuges in the region include, Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuge, Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge,  McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge, Texas Point National Wildlife Refuge, Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge.

The Coca-Cola Company is giving you the chance to support America’s parks by simply voting for your favorite. The national or state park with the most votes will receive a $100,000 grant from Coca-Cola.

This could easily be a Texas State Park- it’s up to you. They don’t ask for any personal information and you can vote as often and for as many parks as you would like from 7/29 to 8/31. Visit http://www.livepositively.com/#/americasparks/vote and vote for your favorite Texas State Parks now!

Read more about the “America is your park” Coca-Cola program

You may have already cast your vote to plant a tree in Texas, but now you can help Texas State Parks plant more! Odwalla has decided, in honor of the 125th birthday of America’s State Parks, to increase the number of trees you can plant from one to five! Visit www.odwalla.com/plantatree and choose “Texas” for your trees. If you have already planted one, you can still plant four more.
Every vote, or an “online planting,” equals $1.00 for trees that we can plant in Texas State Parks. Odwalla is donating $200,000 for trees in America’s State Parks, so once 200,000 people have cast their vote the contest is over! More than 92,000 trees already have been planted this year and Texas is in 3rd place, behind Pennsylvania and Michigan. With more than 90 State Parks in Texas , the more trees, the better.  So plant a tree in Texas now!

Additional funds are being made available to enhance migratory bird habitat along the Texas Coast for birds displaced by the gulf oil spill. More information is available on the private landowner webpage on the TPWD website: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/land/private/.

Grants of up to $15,000 plus trips to SeaWorld will be awarded to schools and community groups working at the grassroots level to protect and preserve the environment.

Since 1993, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment has recognized the outstanding efforts of students and teachers across the country who are working at the grassroots level to protect and preserve the environment. The “SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Environmental Excellence Awards” provides school and community groups with a monetary award, national recognition and some well-deserved fun at one of our parks. From the shores of Maine to the California coast, students and adult leaders working on behalf of wildlife and wild places continue to amaze and inspire us.

Eight winning groups are selected each year to win $10,000. One environmental educator/leader each year receives $5,000.

For information about how you, your school or student group could win both money and recognition, call toll-free 1-877-792-4332 or visit http://www.seaworld.org/conservation-matters/eea/

Tuesday July 27, 2010 2:00 PM Eastern Time (U.S.), 60 minutes, Free
https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/schedule/display.do?udc=alpaut49vvuu
Are you looking for general operating or special project funds for your environmental work? Join Cynthia M. Adams, CEO, GrantStation and Bernie Jankowski, President, Jankowski Research for this fast-paced, informative webinar focusing on environmental funding research. You will explore GrantStation’s comprehensive database of U.S. grantmaker profiles as well as searchable government announcements to help you identify the most appropriate grantmaker for your conservation work. To complement your grant strategy, Jankowski Research’s database offers information on over 1,000 new foundations and lists $1 billion in grants to conservation, wildlife, and environmental organizations. The webinar will be held Tuesday, July 27, 2010.

Deadline: August 31, 2010.
http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/patagonia.go?slc=en_US&sct=US&assetid=2942

Patagonia supports small, grassroots activist organizations with provocative direct-action agendas, working on multi-pronged campaigns to preserve and protect our environment. Most grants are in the range of $3,000 to $8,000.

Grants of up to $350,000 will be awarded to nonprofits working to retrofit and improve energy efficiency in buildings across the United States. More information at http://www.ddcf.org/retrofits.

Grants of up to $2,500 will be awarded to land trusts, local governments, and other organizations working to create or improve a greenway, trail, or waterway in the United States. Applications due June 15, 2010. More at http://www.conservationfund.org/kodak_awards.

H‑GAC has received solid waste grant funds from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for solid waste implementation projects.  For FY11 solid waste implementation grants, approximately $1.38 million is available for local implementation projects.  The local government implementation funds are intended to provide grant funding for projects which will provide a direct and measurable effect on reducing the amount of waste going into regional landfills by diverting various materials from the municipal solid waste stream for beneficial use or by reducing waste generation at the source. The minimum grant award is $10,000, except for Litter and Illegal Dumping Cleanup and Community Collection Events.  Applicants may submit their applications online at www.h-gac.com/go/swgrants.

H‑GAC staff will be available to answer any questions concerning the grant application package at two grant application workshops.  Please see schedule below:

First time applicants only:                       Other applicants:

Tuesday, April 20, 2010                             Wednesday, May 5, 2010

H-GAC Conference Room B                     H-GAC Conference Room A

1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.                                1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Both workshop will be held at: H-GAC, 3555 Timmons Lane, second floor, Houston, TX 77027

The workshops will provide time for applicants to ask questions regarding their applications and proposed projects, and will include:

• Overview of the Solid Waste Grants Program
• How to Complete the Online Application
• Important Deadlines and Future Requirements
• Question/Answer Session

Please RSVP to Amanda Thorin at amanda.thorin@h-gac.com or 713-993-4587.

Applicants requiring further assistance are asked to schedule an individual appointment.  Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the April 20 or May 5 workshops.  For projects to be considered by H‑GAC for Fiscal Year 2011 funding, the application must be received via the online application no later than noon, Thursday, June 10, 2010. No late applications will be accepted or scored.  Additionally, no faxed, emailed or hard copy applications will be accepted or scored.  Incomplete application packets will not be accepted.

Please contact Amy Boyers at 713-993-2441 or amy.boyers@h-gac.com if you have any questions.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality announced today that applications will now be accepted for funding to retrofit older school buses in order to reduce harmful air emissions. A total of about $1.7 million is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The funding for this grant round is available from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The Texas Clean School Bus program provides reimbursement to Texas school districts that install pollution-control devices on diesel school buses. These devices reduce particulate-matter emissions that can aggravate respiratory problems, asthma, and allergies in children who ride the buses.

Public school districts and charter schools located in air quality nonattainment and near nonattainment areas in Texas that operate one or more diesel-powered school buses, as well as transportation systems provided by countywide districts, are eligible to be reimbursed for costs of approved retrofits. The application deadline is April 30. Visit  www.texascleanschoolbus.org or call 512-239-3143 for application information.

The Texas Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is designed to meet the needs of private landowners wishing to enact good conservation practices on their lands. As a program, LIP efforts are focused on projects aimed at creating, restoring, protecting and enhancing habitat for rare or at-risk-species throughout the state. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service defines at-risk species as any species identified as a “species of greatest conservation need” (high priority) in a State’s Wildlife Action Plan. Applications for assistance will be accepted 5-3-10 through 6-25-2010. More information at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/land/private/lip/.

RECREATION TRAILS GRANT DEADLINE

The next deadline for the Recreation Trails Grant program is May 1, 2010. Applications must be postmarked no later than May 1, 2010. The following link is for information on the program and to download an application.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/business/grants/trpa/#trail

MASTER PLAN DEADLINE

For applicants proposing to submit applications July 31 for the Outdoor Recreation Grant program, please remember to submit your Master Plan no later than May 31, 2010.

Acres for America, a partnership between Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and theNational Fish and Wildlife Foundation, annually provides funding for projects that conserve large landscape-level areas that are 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 acquisitions of interest in real property. Endorsement of a proposed acquisition by appropriate federal, state, and local government agencies and by nonprofit organizations that the land is of high conservation value is a primary program consideration. Preference will be given to acquisitions that are part of published conservation plans, State Wildlife Action Plans, or Endangered Species Act Recovery Plans.

Approximately $2.5 million in total funding is available annually through 2014 for conservation investments. All grant awards require a minimum 1:1 match of cash or contributed goods and services.

Visit the NFWF Web site for complete program guidelines.

The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has extended the deadline to apply for conservation funding available to certified organic producers and those transitioning to organic production in Texas to April 2, 2010.

Voluntary financial and technical assistance is available through the Organic initiative under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Through the Organic EQIP sign-up, farmers, ranchers and dairy operators may apply for financial assistance and technical expertise to plan

and install conservation measures, such as conservation crop rotation, cover crops, nutrient management, pest management, prescribed grazing, forage harvest management, and more. Program participants may receive up to $20,000 annually or $80,000 during any six-year period.

More at the TSSWCB website.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is sponsoring an environmental justice video contest that challenges professional or aspiring filmmakers to create videos that capture the faces of the environmental justice movement. The Faces of the Grassroots contest is an opportunity to publicly exhibit creativity with environmental justice stories, and connect with others working to raise awareness of the movement.

“Faces of the Grassroots will help EPA expand the conversation on environmentalism and work for environmental justice,” said Charles Lee, director of EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice. “Participants can make a difference for the historically underrepresented in their community by using motion pictures to show the struggles and triumphs they have endured to advance environmental justice.”

Videos can focus on any environmental justice activity, issue, or topic. Examples would be a music video about climate change, or a video recording a successful environmental justice project that has made a community a healthier and happier place to live.

Awards will be given to the winning submissions in each category. The videos will also be featured on EPA’s Web site and may be used as public service announcements. Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, April 8, 2010. EPA will announce winners in honor of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

Below are the categories and prize money:

Public Service Announcements (30 or 60 seconds)

• 1st Place - $2,500
• 2nd Place - $1,500
• 3rd Place - $1,000
• Student Winner – $500 (13-18 years old)

Informational Video (3-5 minutes)

• 1st Place - $2,500
• 2nd Place - $1,500
• 3rd Place - $1,000
• Student Winner – $500 (13-18 years old)

More information: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustice/events/video-contest.html

Informational video on the contest:

http://www.epa.gov/multimedia/playercontents/video/EJVideoContest/index.html

Clean air grants totaling $26 million are being made available to eligible individuals, businesses or local governments through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) program. The grants, aimed at reducing emissions from polluting vehicles and equipment, are available for projects in the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria area, the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the Beaumont-Port Arthur area, the Tyler-Longview area, the Austin area and the San Antonio area.