Mini-grants program
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OLP has dedicated funding for eligible recipients to help establish public outreach and education projects involving Onondaga Lake and its watershed. The funding is allocated across four categories: environmental stewardship, environment education, organizational assistance, and public information and involvement.
Program goals
- Promote community-based stewardship activities for water quality and habitat of Onondaga Lake and throughout its watershed
- Establish or expand projects and/or promote participation of Indian Nations or their designated organization (i.e. inter-tribal consortia, consultants, etc.), local governments, environmental organizations, citizen and youth groups, and other organizations in environmental activities and sustainable projects
- Strengthen environmental links between the OLP and the public, Indian Nations, local governments, environmental organizations, citizen and youth groups, and educational institutions (teachers and students).
Eligible recipients
- Indian Nations or their designated organization
- Local government or public agencies, such as municipalities and environmental commissions
- Educational institutions, public and private schools or school districts
- Non-profit organizations and associations of specific interests, including citizen and youth groups, professional, civic, environmental, educational, and business associations
Ineligible recipients
- Previous Mini-Grant recipients with outstanding final reports and/or lack of expenditure documentation will be ineligible for current or future Mini-Grant funding. Applicants with poor reporting histories or incomplete projects will also be exempt from Mini-Grant funding.
- The Mini-Grants Program cannot fund projects designed to implement regulatory requirements or conduct surveys with collection of information from 10 or more people.
- Full-time staff salaries, recurring costs such as rent or utilities, non-expendable equipment purchases (e.g., computers), or expenses not directly related to the project will not be eligible.
- Part-time staff wages unless the work represents additional staff hours for which the employee has not been contracted for previously or prior to application for the grant. The grant cannot cover a part time staff person who shifts his/her work load into Onondaga Lake activities.
- OLP Executive Partner agencies (Attorney General’s Office of the State of New York, City of Syracuse, Onondaga County, State of New York Department of Environmental Conservation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
Award amounts
Individual grants will be awarded in various amounts up to $5,000. Projects may be funded in whole or in part. Matching funds are not required.
Application process
Click here for application form.
Funds used for this Mini-Grant program are provided from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to the Onondaga Lake Partnership and are administered through Onondaga Environmental Institute (OEI). Applications must be addressed as follows:
Onondaga Environmental Institute
Attn: OLP Mini-Grants Program
102 West Division Street, 3rd Floor
Syracuse, New York 13204
The OLP Outreach Committee will select Mini-Grant recipients. Award funds will be remitted by OEI and required reports are to be submitted to OEI.
Eligible projects
Eligible projects should have a high probability of reaching a target interest group (students, lake park users, Indian Nations or their designated organization, consultants, minority, or under-represented population), and assist those interests in understanding the challenges facing the Onondaga Lake watershed. Habitat restoration and water quality improvement projects should have educational or public involvement aspects.
Mini-grant project categories
Potential Mini-Grant projects must fit into the categories listed below; proposals can overlap among categories:
1. Environmental stewardship:
This category supports projects that are designed to be hands-on and result in direct improvements to the environment. For example: area clean-ups; habitat restoration projects; invasive species eradication or prevention projects; native plant reintroductions; recreational improvements, events, or activities to increase public use and/or access to the lake, its tributaries, and/or overall watershed.
2. Environmental education:
(Please note: This category is not intended to fund new curriculum development)
This category supports projects that provide educational experiences, particularly those that encourage students (under the guidance of teachers or coordinators of education and/or outreach based organizations) to interact directly with Onondaga Lake and/or surrounding aquatic and wetland habitats throughout the watershed. For example: science experiments, studies, outdoor activities, field trips, OLP project site visits, actions to enhance lesson development, environmental journalism, and nature photography. The use of OLP outreach products as supporting materials or informational background for the project is highly recommended.
3. Organizational assistance:
This category provides additional financial support to organizations that work directly on environmental or outreach projects related to Onondaga Lake and its watershed. For example: Increase an organization’s work capacity and project scope, resulting in additional products; increase outreach to target interest groups; or other tangible outcomes that can be demonstrated by the organization.
4. Public information and involvement:
This category supports disseminating information and interacting with diverse audiences about Onondaga Lake and its watershed using OLP outreach materials and/or appropriate environmental products. For example: development of outreach products such as kiosks or promotional boards with informational displays; recreational trail guides; wildlife and habitat maps; children’s books, puzzles, and games and street stenciling.
Reporting requirements
Grant recipients will be required to submit a written final report and expenditure documentation to OEI via email or mail. A more detailed description of reporting requirements will be provided to those receiving a Mini-Grant award.
Eligible costs
- Consultant fees
- Expendable or “one-time” equipment rental or material costs
- Printing, copying and mailing expenses related to the project
Proposal evaluation
Eligible project proposals will be evaluated based on the following:
- Applicability of project to the goals and project categories of the Mini-Grants Program
- Clear description of project, goals, and distribution plan for final product
- Experience in performing the project or similar projects
Partnerships with others (Indian Nations, non profits, businesses, environmental organization, schools) - Ability to complete the project on schedule and within one year
- Size/scope and diversity of targeted audience
- Detailed budget
- Successful past performance of OLP Mini-Grant including submittal of final report, expenditure documentation, and other required information
Grant timelines
Application Deadline: March 15, 2010
Award Notification: May 2010
Projects must be completed no later than one year after the award is made.
For more information
For more information, please contact Onondaga Environmental Institute at (315) 472-2150 or OLPoutreach@oei2.org.