ECOLOGICAL
ENVIRONMENTAL
GREEN
GRANTS



ECOLOGY

ECOLOGICAL GRANTS

CONSERVATION

TIPS ON FINDING GRANTS FOR ECOLOGY

ECOLOGY GRANT LINKS



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SECTION 1



ECOLOGY



Ecology, "house" or "living relationsM"study of"
is the scientific study of the distributions,
abundance and relations of organisms and their
interactions with the environment.

Ecology includes the study of plant and animal
populations, plant and animal communities and
ecosystems.

Ecosystems describe the web or network of
relations among organisms at different
scales of organization. Since ecology
refers to any form of biodiversity,
ecologists research everything from
tiny bacteria's role in nutrient
recycling to the effects of tropical
rain forest on the Earth's atmosphere.


Like many of the natural sciences, a
conceptual understanding of ecology
is found in the broader details of
study, including:

life processes explaining adaptations

distribution and abundance of organisms

the movement of materials and energy
through living communities

the successional development of ecosystems,
and the abundance and distribution of
biodiversity in context of the environment.


ECOLOGY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecology



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SECTION 2



ECOLOGICAL
ENVIRONMENTAL
GRANTS



Grants, gift of land, funds given by a
person, group or the government for
research, or studies. Most of these
funds are given to educational or
small projects. The request for
these funds should have document-
ation to answer as many questions
as possible. The do-it-yourselfer
or the professional grant writter
will find form available.

Grants for retrofits rebates,
energy efficiency assessments. Add
support for green projects, causes,
sustainability and opportunities
for those concerned with the work
of change for good.



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SECTION 3



CONSERVATION



Conservationists are defined by what they
conserve. Conservationists advocate for
the protection of all the species in an
ecosystem with a strong focus on the
natural environment. Conservation is a
part of the wider environmental movement.

CONSERVATIONIST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservationist



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SECTION 4



TEN
TIPS
FOR
FINDING
GREEN
GRANTS



Ten Tips for Finding
Grants to Make Your
Business Greener.



1. Call your utility company and ask
about the grants and rebates they offer.

The variety of programs vary, but almost
all utilities offer some incentives to
offset the cost of energy reduction
projects, says PG;E's Katie Romans.

Larger customers may have a rep they deal
with directly who will walk them through
the process, while smaller customers may
have to call the utility directly and ask
for assistance.

Utilities also offer energy audits to help
customers identify areas for improvement,
which can help focus your grant writing
and get you on the utility company;s radar
when future programs open up.


2. Scour the web for grants, rebates and
other incentive programs related to your
project goals.

Along with visiting federal and state
websites, including the DOE, EPA, and
departments of energy and commerce,
check out;

DSIRE
http://www.dsireusa.org

a database; of information on state, local,
utility, and federal incentives that promote
renewable energy and energy efficiency;

Energy Star;s Rebate Finder
http://www.energystar.gov

which breaks out incentives for purchasing
Energy Star energy-efficient technology
based on type and region; and

www.grants.gov
http://www.grants.gov

a database of federal government grants.

Every state is different, and they all
offer incentive programs through different
departments; says John Harding director of
the North Carolina Board of Science and
Technology. So plan to invest some time
into your research.


3. Sign up for listservs and email alerts
for sites from which you want updates on
new programs and deadlines.

This will ensure you don't miss out on
valuable grant opportunities, suggests
Tommy Evans, president of Evans
Environmental Energies, a small biodiesel
manufacturer in North Carolina.

His company received a $75,000 grant in
2008 from the North Carolina Green Business
Fund.

I get daily emails about deadlines and new
grant programs from a lot of federal and
state sites, he says. It keeps me informed
about new programs that might fit our needs.


4. Make sure your idea or project closely
matches what the grant is trying to
accomplish.

It's a waste of your time and their time if
you apply for grants that don't align with
your goals, says Evans.


5. Have a management team in place to run
the project.

We get proposals with great ideas, but they
don't have the expertise to carry them out,
says Harding. Unfortunately, those projects
get eliminated from consideration.


6. Learn how to write a compelling and
relevant grant proposal.

It should describe in a small amount of
space your idea, why it's important, your
qualifications, and what you expect to
accomplish, says Harding.

We see applications from a lot of companies
that have great ideas and a strong management
team, but if you can't sell your idea in a
well-written grant you are probably not going
to get the funding.

He advises working with a professional grant
writer or researching grant writing skills
before submitting your proposal.


7. Read the entire grant application before
you start and do exactly what it says.

The No. 1 mistake people make with grant
writing is not following directions, says
Martha Ozonoff, executive director of
California's Releaf program, a nonprofit
that awards grants for urban and community
forest projects.

Even if it's a good project, if it's not
done correctly you'l get a lower rating,
and that can mean the difference between
getting funded or not.

She advises having someone read your
proposal before submitting it to
double-check for mistakes and to make
sure it makes sense.

You can't assume the grantor will know
your project the way you do, says Ozonoff.
A fresh set of eyes can identify gaps in
your story.


8. Adjust your budget to take advantage
of grant opportunities.

Companies should compare short- and long-term
budget planning against grant opportunities
to see if purchasing decisions can be swapped
out, suggests Rachel Beckhardt, project
manager for the Environmental Defense Fund.

For example, if a fleet plans to purchase a
cherry picker this year and a bucket truck
next year, but a grant for hybrid trucks
comes up, they might consider switching the
purchases around, she says.

With a little flexibility you can leverage
these grants to make your budget go further.


9. Be prepared to show your results.

There is no such thing as free money, says
Beckhardt. When the government gives you
money they expect you to be accountable
for what you did with it she says.

Companies must be prepared to produce
reports on how the money was spent and
what was accomplished.


10. Don't give up.

You may need to apply to 10 grants before
you win one, warns Evans, who applied for
several grants before receiving the North
Carolina Green Business grant last year.

There is a lot of competition out there,
but if your project is aligned with the
programs goals and you write a good grant,
you can get lucky, he says. It's definitely
worth it to keep trying.


TIPS FOR GREEN GRANTS
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/05/17/ten-tips-finding-grants-make-your-business-greener



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SECTION 5



ECOLOGICAL
ENVIRONMENTAL
GRANTS
LINKS



Alaska Conservation Foundation
http://www.akcf.org/

BIONEER
http://www.bioneers.org/

Bonneville Environmental Foundation
http://www.bonenvfdn.org/

CENTER FOR ECOLITERACY
http://www.ecoliteracy.org/

Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation
http://www.lindberghfoundation.org/

CITY GREEN
http://www.citygreen.ca/

The Conservation Technology Support Program
http://www.ctsp.org/

Cottonwood Foundation
http://www.cottonwoodfdn.org/

ECOLOGIA
http://www.ecologia.org/


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ECO-PROS
http://www.eco-pros.com/

Energy Foundation
http://www.ef.org/

ENVIRON
http://www.environ.org.uk/

EPA Grant Writing Tutorial
http://www.epa.gov/ogd/recipient/tips.htm

Flintridge Foundation
http://www.flintridgefoundation.org/

Foundation of Ecological Use of Energy
http://www.ecologyfoundation.org/

FRIENDS OF ECOLOGICAL RESERVES
http://www.ecoreserves.bc.ca/

Great Lakes Protection Fund
http://www.glpf.org/

THE GREEN ROUNDTABLE
http://www.greenroundtable.org/


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Helios Environmental Resource Networ
http://www.heliosnetwork.org/

Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation
http://www.illinoiscleanenergy.org/

Max and Anna Levinson Foundation
http://www.levinsonfoundation.org/

Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation
http://www.noyes.org/

Kevin Richardson's Just Within Reach Foundation (JWR)
http://www.justwithinreach.org/

Leonardo Dicaprio Charitable Foundation
http://www.leonardodicaprio.org/

NORTH AMERICA COMMISSION FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION
http://www.cec.org/

Oak Foundation
http://www.oakfnd.org/

OFF-GRID
http://www.off-grid.net/


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Rudolf Steiner Foundation
http://www.rsfoundation.org

THE SCHOOL FUNDING CENTER
http://www.schoolfundingcenter.com/

Surdna Foundation
http://www.surdna.org/

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS
http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/

The Virtual Foundation
http://www.virtualfoundation.org/

Whole Systems Foundation
http://www.whole-systems.org/



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