GRANTS BY STATE: A through C

One of the first things people want to know about getting a grant is how to find a funding source. Major grants for conservation and ecology field projects often come from federal and state agencies. Smaller grants often come from foundations or nonprofit organizations devoted to particular environmental causes specific to a local area such as prairie issues in the Midwest or coastline concerns in the eastern states.

Next, people and new conservation organizations, often expect to get a grant in the same year that they come up with a project. This may not be possible. Grantors often set their target issues a year or more in advance of putting out a request for proposal. This year's critical environment issue may show up as a request for proposal the next year. Also, getting turned down one year doesn't mean that your project can't be funded. Find out why your project didn't make the cut. Good projects often fail to get funded due to poor presentation of the ideas, goals and objectives. Rewriting the project may get it funded in the next round.

Don't overlook the power of alliances. Consider the competitive environment of grant-getting. If another organization has a similar project to yours, or a compatible project, it may be possible to get both funded by teaming up and creating one umbrella project. It may depend on whether the grantor likes to fund a few large projects or a bunch of smaller projects. Talk to the grantor to get a feel for their preferred funding amount range.

Check with your state's Natural Resources agencies, (and the department title may vary) to find out if a natural resources grants database is available for your region. Start building your own list of funders. Keep in mind that grantor goals change annually. Any funder can be approached with a letter of inquiry about future projects. Don't forget to check out foundation funding, too!

Keep in mind that every election the web site addresses for agencies seem to change. Also, the Sample Funding list is just that - there are definitely more funding sources out there in every state than are mentioned here.

TIP: Take notes. Keep track of all people you talk to, and what agency or organization they belong to. Build up your list of contacts.

Grants by State: [A-C]   [D-H]   [I-L]   [M]   [N]   [O-S]   [T-U]   [V-W]

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Sampling of Funding Sources:

Alabama

AUFA

The Alabama Urban Forestry Association is a statewide organization. It provides a forum and clearinghouse for information on urban forestry in Alabama, and urban forestry education. The website has information on grant opportunities.
 

Alabama Legacy

Legacy provides environmental education grants annually through the Competitive Grants Program. Funds for this program are allocated specifically to assist with helping to create environmentally responsible citizens through education. Any Alabama organization planning a community based environmental program is encouraged to apply. Competitive grants are available for up to $10,000.
 

Outdoor Alabama

Type in 'grants' and a listing of current grant and funding programs will be shown. A major focus is wildlife and environmental education.
 

Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation

Major focus: Conservation of natural resources in North America and the Caribbean Basin with emphasis on the United States, Alabama environmental issues, and more.
 

Alabama State Wildlife Grants

State Wildlife Grants (SWG) are a new funding source from Congress to the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries intended to identify and focus management on species in greatest need of conservation.
 

Alaska

Alaska Conservation Foundation

Alaska Conservation Foundation is a public foundation for the environment. ACF raises funds and awards grants to projects and organizations whose work is consistent with ACF’s mission to protect the integrity of Alaska’s intact ecosystems and promote sustainable livelihoods for all Alaskan communities and peoples. A primary goal of ACF is to build an active and lasting majority that embraces conservation values.
 

Alaska Forestry Grants

Funding opportunities for urban forestry, forest stewardship and fire assistance grants.
 

The Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation

Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation administers several conservation and recreational grant programs.
 

Brainerd Foundation

The Brainerd Foundation's mission is to protect the environmental quality of the Pacific Northwest and to build broad citizen support for environmental protection. They accomplish this by making grants, providing value-added guidance and leveraging additional funds or encouraging collaborations within the philanthropic community. Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, British Columbia, and the Yukon Territory comprise their geographic funding region.
 

Bullitt Foundation

The Foundation invites proposals from nonprofit organizations that serve Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana (including the Rocky Mountain range), coastal Alaska from Cook Inlet to the Canadian border, and British Columbia.
 

Wilburforce Foundation

They focus funding on organizations that work to protect habitats that are critically important to sustaining abundant ecological communities in Western Canada and the Western United States. Within this geographic area, they have identified specific ecologically significant and intact natural habitats as priorities.
 

Arizona

Arizona Community Tree Council

Challenge grants are provided for projects that are directed at improving the long term health and care of the urban forest, or those that initiate new urban forestry projects in Arizona communities. These grants are available to communities, schools and non-profit organizations.
 

Arizona Department of Agriculture

Grants for specific agriculture issues.
 

Arizona: Conservation Education Grants

Maricopa County Cooperative Extension has compiled a list of grant and funding resources for a variety of conservation activities from gardening to wildlife habitat development and educational outreach.
 

Arizona Partners for Fish & Wildlife

Program provides technical and financial support to private landowners in Arizona who want to improve fish and wildlife habitat on their land.
 

Arizona Game & Fish Bird Grants

Arizona Bird Conservation Initiative (ABCI) annually announces the availability of State Wildlife Grant and Heritage funds for bird conservation work.
 

Arizona Game & Fish

Search term: grnats brings up a listing of current funding opportunities.
 

EE Link-Arizona

Find funding and programs for environmental education in Arizona.
 

Wilburforce Foundation

We focus our funding on organizations that work to protect habitats that are critically important to sustaining abundant ecological communities in Western Canada and the Western United States. Within this geographic area, we have identified specific ecologically significant and intact natural habitats as priorities for our funding.
 

Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust

The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust seeks to help people in need, especially women, children and families; to protect animals and nature; and to enrich community life in the metropolitan areas of Indianapolis (Indiana) and Phoenix (AZ).
 

Arkansas

Arkansas Watershed Grant Development Kit

This toolkit provides environmental grant seekers with information, resources, tools, and support to become successful in locating and securing public and private grants and funding for their projects and initiatives. Grant workshop slide presentation, discussion forum, and more.
 

EE Link: Arkansas

Environmental education funding sources, organizations and projects in Arkansas.
 

EPA Region 6: Arkansas

EPA grants open to Arkansas, environmental education, environmental justice, water issues.
 

Arkansas: ADEQ

Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality strives to protect Arkansas' priceless natural resources - its air, water and land - from the threat of pollution through various programs.
 

Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan

Congress allocates funding annually for bird, wildlife and habitat conservation programs in this country through its State Wildlife Grant program.
 

California

California: UC SAREP

University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program provides funds for a number of projects within California, annually. Get on their mailing list and check the newsletter which has a section on funding each issue in addition to the web site.
 

EE Link: California

Links to a variety of environmental education funding as well as programs.
 

California: Great Valley Center

Each year, the Center awards over one-half million dollars in monetary grants to non-profit groups, community organizations, and local governments that are working to improve the well being of the Great Central Valley through initiatives in the areas of Land Use, Economic development, Growth, Agriculture, and Community Investment. Projects must be within the 18 counties of the 'Great Valley'.
 

California: Kearney Foundation

Grants for agricultural soils research in California. Foundation's new mission is SOIL CARBON AND CALIFORNIA'S TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS. The Foundation requires certain agency/educational partners.
 

California: Forest Stewardship

Download the most recent "Cost Share and Assistance Programs for Individual California Landowners and Indian Tribes", produced by UC Cooperative Extension Forestry, and check out the other financial assistance resources. (useful for more than just CA)
 

Firesafe CaliforniaGrants Clearinghouse

One-stop shop that simplifies the process of finding and applying for grants to improve California's community wildfire preparedness.
 

USFS Partnership Resource Center

In Region 5, we are actively pursuing new avenues for increasing partnerships and collaboration.
 

California Watershed portal

Seems to have a current listing of open funding opportunities.
 

California Watershed Funding Database

Re-titled, re-named and moved, the database seems to finally have a new home. Check for current listing of open funding opportunities.
 

California Water Grants

Funding for projects that support safe drinking, water quality, flood protection and water reliability projects throughout the state.
 

SAFE TREE Program

PG and E is giving away free Fire Safety DVDs. Get them while they last!
 

California: Environmental Education Grants

The Environmental Education Program has the primary purpose of supporting programs and projects which will result in long-term educational benefits to potentially all California educators and/or students.
 

California: Environmental Education Grants

The Office of Environmental Education (OEE) will select, support, and develop sustainable educational projects and programs that utilize community partnerships to enable students and educators to garner the skills, knowledge, and desire to create an ecologically and economically healthy environment. Grant awards range from $5,000 to $15,000 for individual schools or multiple districts. Additional teacher resources are available through CEEIN.
 

Forestry Institute for Teachers

FIT offers three institutes in different Northern California locations. Each session can accommodate up to 45 participants. All meals and lodging are included. Teachers are provided with extensive classroom and curriculum materials, and a $200 stipend on completion and implementation of a forest related curriculum unit for use in their classrooms.
 

CA: Parks

A good list of programs for habitat improvement of all sorts, with deadlines stated. Or try the Main Page.
 

CA: Streams

Grants for urban stream restoration and environmental restoration projects.
 

CA: Water Resources Loans and Grants

More water-related funding opportunities.
 

Boating and Waterways Grants and Loans

State grants relating to boating, outdoor recreation and safe waterways are linked here.
 

CA: Resource Agency Grant Program

River parkways, Sierra Nevada Cascade Conservation, Environmental mitigation and enhancement programs.
 

CA: Department of Conservation: Recycling Grants

The Division of Recycling (DOR) administers funding programs to assist organizations with establishing convenient beverage container recycling and litter abatement projects, and to encourage market development and expansion activities for beverage container materials.
 

CA: Department of Conservation: Land Protection

Californians make their home amidst some of the most productive farmland and diverse open spaces in the world. The Department of Conservation's Division of Land Resource Protection (DLRP) works with landowners, local governments, and researchers to conserve these resources for everyone's future with programs to conserve California's farmland and open space resources.
 

CA: Department of Conservation: Conservation Districts Grants Programs

The Department of Conservation administers a Resource Conservation District Grant Program and a Conservation Easement Program.
 

CA: Inland Wetlands Grants

The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) provides grants for fishery restoration work. Anyone may apply. Action projects are preferred to studies, evaluations or monitoring.
 

Coastal Conservancy

The Coastal Conservancy can provide grant money for projects and project management and technical assistance (e.g., staff or consultants with expertise in biology, hydrology, landscape architecture, etc.), and can also provide advice about forming and running a nonprofit.
 

Colorado

Colorado Tree Coalition

Grant programs and tree workshops.
 

Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education

Search for grants in the Environmental Education Directory or connect with programs and people.
 

Colorado Wildlife Conservation Grant

SThe Colorado Division of Wildlife has made $200,000 available for a competitive grant program to support projects to conserve, restore or enhance Colorado’s threatened, endangered or declining wildlife species. There are also a variety of other programs listed in the sidebar.
 

Colorado State Park Trails Grants

Since its establishment in 1971, the Colorado State Parks Trails Program actively encourages the development of a variety of trails. The Trails Program, a priority of Colorado State Parks, provides outdoor recreation for people of all ages, interests and abilities. The goal of the program is to develop a statewide network of trails to link communities, preserve open space and provide access to public lands.
 

Colorado Conservation Trust

Colorado Conservation Trust is a statewide non-profit organization passionate about keeping the very special places of Colorado special forever.
 

Colorado Wildlife Heritage Foundation

The Foundation was formed to raise funds to help fill the gap between available funds and wildlife needs.
 

Connecticut

Connecticut River Watershed Council

CRWC has a small grants program to fund projects by others intended to increase the understanding and protection of the watershed's natural resources. A total of $2,500 is available for grants each year.
 

Northeast Utilities Environmental Community Grants

WMECO Grants between $250 and $1000 area awarded twice a year – in April and October – in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. You may download an application or contact NU’s Environmental Regulatory Affairs Department at (860) 665-3951.
 

Tremaine Foundation

The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation seeks to build lasting solutions to environmental problems that move society toward sustainability.
 

Long Island Sound Grants at-a-Glance

Grants at-a-Glance shows organizations and agencies participating in the work at the Sound. Most funders are not limited to this project so this provides a nice list of possible future funding for your own projects.
 

Lawrence Foundation

The Lawrence Foundation is a private family foundation focused on making grants to support environmental, education, health, human services and other causes. The Lawrence Foundation was established in mid-2000. They make both program and operating grants and do not have any geographical restrictions on their grants.
 

New England Grassroots Environment Fund

The New England Grassroots Environment Fund (NEGEF) is designed to foster and give voice to grassroots environmental initiatives in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The Fund provides grants to fuel civic engagement, local activism, and social change.
 

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Grants by State: [A-C]   [D-H]   [I-L]   [M]   [N]   [O-S]   [T-U]   [V-W]

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