Deadline: 29-Jul-21
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is offering 2021 Chi-Cal Rivers Fund to reduce storm-water runoff with green infrastructure, enhance fish and wildlife habitat and improve public access to and use of natural areas.
The Great Rivers and other ongoing strategies designed to restore the health, vitality, climate resilience and accessibility of the waterways in Chicago and the Calumet region.
Applicants are encouraged to align their proposed projects with those regional efforts and demonstrate how they would complement and connect to other previous and ongoing work in the region.
Categories
With an emphasis along the major waterways of the system, the Fund will award grants in the following three categories.
- Habitat Quality: Funding in this category will support riparian, in-stream, upland and wetland habitat improvements along or near the major waterways of the system listed under the Geographic Focus section.
- Green Stormwater Infrastructure: Funding in this category will support green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) projects that improve stormwater capture and storage to mitigate the impacts of climate change, including reducing runoff, combined sewer overflows, basement backups, and flooding through nature-based design.
- Public Access: Funding in this category will support the creation of new and or/enhancement of interventions designed to improve public access and connectivity to, understanding, and use of natural areas in close proximity to the major waterways of the system depicted under the Geographic Focus section. Public access improvement may include but are not limited to construction of trails, green space, public access points, and infrastructure enabling use of waterways and habitats, such as paddle craft launches, wildlife viewing areas, etc.
Funding Information
- Approximately $1.1 million is expected to be available for grant awards. Individual grants typically range from $100,000 to $300,000.
- Anticipated completion time for funded projects will typically be two (2) years or two field seasons following finalization of a grant agreement.
- The start date indicated in an application should not precede October 18, 2021.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants include non-profit 501(c) organizations, state government agencies, local governments, municipal governments, tribal governments and organizations, and educational institutions. To be competitive, applicant organizations must demonstrate capacity and experience commensurate with the scale of the project being proposed and the funding being requested.
- Ineligible applicants include federal government agencies, unincorporated individuals, and private for-profit businesses.
For more information, visit https://www.nfwf.org/programs/chi-cal-rivers-fund/chi-cal-rivers-fund-2021-request-proposals