[BCNnet] Grants available for environmental groups in Illinois

[Joel Brammeier]

August 22, 2003
Contact: Joel Brammeier - 312-939-0838x4

GRANT APPLICATIONS DUE September 30, 2003!

The Lake Michigan Federation is pleased to announce the availability of funding for aquatic habitat protection in the Lake Michigan basin.  The Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund (GLAHNF) offers grants of up to $3,500 twice per year for community-based habitat protection efforts.

Most recently, the Bi-State Council of Wolf Lake Stewards received a $1000.00 grant to coordinate volunteer restoration efforts across the Illinois and Indiana portions of Wolf Lake. Other past grant recipients include:

	*	Southeast Environmental Task Force - capacity-building support for grassroots protection of valuable wetlands in the Calumet region.
	*	Bull Creek Stakeholders Association - protection and enhancement of a stream that feeds wetlands in Illinois Beach State Park.
	*	Waukegan Harbor Citizens Advisory Group - monitoring of valuable plant and bird communities in a Waukegan dune habitat.
	*	Lake Bluff Open Lands Association - publication of materials to inform the community of restoration activities and volunteer opportunities. 

As Illinois coordinator for the Fund, the Lake Michigan Federation is ready to assist your organization with the grant application process. If you are not a registered nonprofit organization, you can still apply for funds - please contact the Federation for assistance.

Types of projects that would be considered for funding include, but are not limited to: land use and watershed advocacy and planning; watchdogging of regulation implementation, reduction of polluted runoff, rehabilitation of ponds, lagoons, shorelines, and other wetland areas for fish and migratory bird habitat, and non-partisan voter education and citizen involvement initiatives. Also, this is the first year of a two-year wetlands theme for GLAHNF, so a portion of the available funds will be dedicated specifically to wetland projects.

Some key project criteria for all GLAHNF funding: grants are for smaller organizations, with budgets of about $250,000 or less; projects should be action and advocacy based (education alone will not likely be eligible); funds cannot be used for construction and/or planting costs, but can be used for other aspects of restoration efforts; projects should be in the Lake Michigan drainage basin, or a case must be made that the project will provide benefits to habitats/species inside the basin.

A grant application is available online at http://www.glhabitat.org/grants.html or by contacting Joel at the Lake Michigan Federation (jbrammeier@lakemichigan.org or 312-939-0838x4). Proposals must be postmarked by September 30, 2003.

The GLAHNF Special Opportunity Grants Program also provides grants of up to $500 throughout the year for short-term needs. These funds can be applied for at any time.

The Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network & Fund is a program of the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

****After reading, please forward this notice to relevant email lists and other organizations that need funding for habitat protection work in the northeastern Illinois Lake Michigan basin.****