United States Department of Agriculture: National Integrated Water Quality Program
The goal of the National Integrated Water Quality Program is to improve the quality of our Nation's surface water and groundwater resources through research, education, and extension activities. Projects funded through this program will facilitate achieving this goal by advancing and disseminating the knowledge base available to agricultural and rural communities. Funded projects should lead to science-based decision-making and management practices that improve the quality of the Nation's surface water and groundwater resources in agricultural and rural watersheds. See RFA for priority areas.

NPS Now Accepting Applications
The National Park Service helps partners plan successful locally-led outdoor recreation and natural resource conservation projects. Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance (RTCA) staff help with partnership-building to achieve community-set goals, organizational development, assessing resources, developing concept plans, public education and participation, and identifying potential sources of funding. Information is available online about our current efforts in your state. August 1 is the deadline for the next round of assistance from our RTCA program. Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss their project with RTCA staff before sending in an application. Visit our National RTCA website

Focus Fellowships: Roots of the Clean Energy Future
Do you have an innovative, creative idea to accelerate your community past coal? Are you between the ages of 18 and 29? Do you live in a coal-producing or coal-consuming community? Are you ready for a once-in-a-life time opportunity to launch your idea into action? If so, the Focus Roots Fellowship is the opportunity for you! Focus the Nation is seeking applications to select a new class of Focus Roots Fellows! You can help by spreading the word to all eligible applicants in your community.

Focus Roots Fellowship Details:

This summer, with support from Nike, Climate Ride, Youth Noise and the Danish Embassy, Focus the Nation will select two Fellows and award one $10,000 grant in each of the following community action categories: Sport and Art. Two lucky Fellows will receive financial and operational support from Focus the Nation to implement their idea between the months of August and December 2009. In addition, from September 26th through 30th, recipients will participate in a bicycle ride from NYC to DC called Climate Ride to workshop their progress with 200 other riders. Then in December, with support from the Danish Embassy, the recipients will travel to Copenhagen, Denmark to present their projects to the international communities participating in the COP15 climate treaty negotiations.
Applications are due July 15, 2009 and the winners will be announced on August 6th.

For More Details and To Apply Visit:www.focusthenation.org/roots


EPA Grants for Centralized/Decentralized Systems
"...the water infrastructure includes centralized and decentralized systems that convey, store, and distribute potable and non-potable water and collect and manage municipal and industrial wastewater, stormwater, and on-site rainwater. Innovation can take the form of wholly new applications or applications that build on existing knowledge and approaches for new uses. The focus of the solicitation is on improving the effectiveness of the water infrastructure for protecting public health. Projects should clearly demonstrate an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach that leads to advances in design, operation, and management" http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2009/2009_star_water_infrastructure.html


TE Funds Rail Trails, Environmental Mitigation projects, and more!
The February economic stimulus bill, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
of 2009 (ARRA), included approximately $800 million for states to use on Transportation
Enhancement projects. This amount is roughly equivalent to what Congress allocates for one year for TE projects under the current transportation bill.

The TE program is the single largest source of federal funding for rail-trails but also funds other types of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and projects like protecting scenic vistas, repairing historic transportation structures, and pedestrian and bicycle safety programs.

Unlike TE funds authorized through transportation bills that require at least a 20% local match, these stimulus funds can be used for up to 100% of the cost of a TE project. To help stimulate the economy, states are to give priority to projects in economically distressed communities that can be completed within 3 years. In fact, states only have one year to identify projects and start spending the money. In March 2010, any of these funds that are not obligated to a specific project will be withdrawn and redistributed to other states that have spent all of their funds.

Already several states around the country have identified TE projects for stimulus funds, including:

East Hartford/Manchester, Connecticut
I-84/I-384 Multi-use Trail
ARRA Funds: $2,000,000
This project will perform necessary repair work on a well
utilized multi-use trail, like removing deteriorated asphalt,
patching and sealing cracks, and resurfacing approximately
8,000 feet.

Leon County, Florida
Lake Jackson Wildlife Crossing
ARRA Funds: $3,402,062
This project will construct a permanent, safe path for turtles
and other wildlife attempting to cross U.S. Highway 27. Now
the highway, which runs across the northwest portion of Lake
Jackson, is a virtually impassable barrier for wildlife trying to
cross from one side of the lake to the other – resulting in high
levels of attempted crossings and wildlife road mortality.

Vestal, New York
Vestal Rail Trail
ARRA Funds: $1,636,690
This project will extend the multi-use rail trail by nearly a mile,
including the construction of a bridge over Choconut Creek.
(In April, Gov. David Paterson announced that TE funds will
be awarded for this project.)

To learn more about how states are using stimulus funds for TE projects visit
http://www.enhancements.org/recovery.asp or call the National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse at (888) 388-NTEC.



Environmental Protection Agency: Climate Showcase Communities
This program showcases cost-effective practices and documents the benefits to reductions in greenhouse gases. These practices and benefits include green job creation, improved transit access for disadvantaged communities, reduced storm water runoff, reduction of co-pollutants produced concurrent with greenhouse gases, and benefits to improved public health.
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Grants to Improve Fish Habitat
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is announcing the availability of funding habitat restoration through the National Fish Passage Program. The Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act authorizes the Secretary of Interior to provide technical and financial assistance through the National Fish Passage Program to partners interested in restoring, enhancing, and managing fish and wildlife habitats. These funds are available for habitat restoration projects that address high priority aquatic habitats. Projects must provide direct benefits to Federal Trust species (i.e., migratory birds, threatened and endangered species, inter-jurisdictional fish, certain marine mammals, and species of international concern). It is a goal of the program to secure at least 50 percent of project costs from non-Service sources, but this goal applies regionally as a whole, and does not have to be achieved on a project-by-project basis. If you are interested in requesting assistance for a potential project under the National Fish Passage Program you must contact your Regional Coordinator for information about funding and technical assistance availability. A listing of Regional Fish Passage Coordinators is available at http://www.fws.gov/fisheries/fwco/fishpassage/contacts.html

National Park Service Rivers Trails and Conservation Assistance Grants
CRITERIAPlease make applications brief (generally no more than 3 pages). Applications are evaluated according to the following criteria (questions 1-5 on the application):
1. The project has specific, partner-defined goals and tangible conservation or outdoor recreation results expected in the near future.
2. The project protects or improves important natural resources or enhances outdoor recreation opportunities.
3. Roles and contributions of project partners are substantive and well-defined.
4. There is evidence of broad community support for the project.
5. The anticipated role for RTCA is clearly stated and is appropriate.
6. In evaluating applications, preference will be given to projects that:

· Provide physical connections among resources;
· Include both natural resource conservation and outdoor recreation;
· Partner with an NPS area;
· Partner with a health organization;
· Connect communities to NPS areas;
· Engage youth

Projects should include significant community involvement and outreach, and should also include the commitment, cooperation, and cost-sharing of all partners. Because partnerships are key to the success of community-based projects, we strongly encourage the inclusion of support letters with your application.
DUE DATE Applications are due by August 1st for assistance beginning the following fiscal year (October 1st through September 30th). Assistance is for one year, and may be renewed for a second year upon request. Project selection is generally announced in early November after passage of the federal budget.
More info at http://www.nps.gov/ncrc/programs/rtca/contactus/cu_apply.html


Community Watershed Protection Projects Funded
RBC Blue Water Project: Community Action GrantsThe RBC Blue Water Project, an initiative of the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), will provide $50 million in grants through 2017 to support programs that foster a culture of water stewardship. The initiative's funding focus is Watershed Protection and Access to Safe Drinking Water. Launched in 2008, the RBC Blue Water Project Community Action Grants are provided to local grassroots organizations in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean for projects devoted to informing, educating, and mobilizing people about watershed protection at the community level. Requests for grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 may be submitted throughout the year. Visit the Blue Water Project's website listed above for more information.

Department of Commerce: EDA Recovery Act FundingThis program provides financial assistance to distressed communities in both urban and rural regions. EDA will give priority consideration to those applications that will significantly benefit regions “that have experienced sudden and severe economic dislocation and job loss due to corporate restructuring,” as stipulated under the Recovery Act. EDA provides financial assistance to distressed communities in both urban and rural regions. Such distress may exist in a variety of forms, including high levels of unemployment, low income levels, large concentrations of low-income families, significant declines in per capita income, large numbers (or high rates) of business failures, sudden major layoffs or plant closures, trade impacts, military base closures, natural or other major disasters, depletion of natural resources, reduced tax bases, or substantial loss of population because of the lack of employment opportunities. More info at http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=45786


Title: Exploring Linkages Between Health Outcomes and Environmental Hazards,
Exposures, and Interventions for Public Health Tracking and Risk Management

URL: http://epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2009/2009_star_ephi.html

Open Date: 05/07/2009 - Close Date: 08/05/2009
Summary: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications to develop new or improved environmental public health indicators (EPHIs) to build linkages between environmental hazards, human exposures, and public health
outcomes. The aim of the research is to develop indicators that can be used for long-term tracking and surveillance of environmental public health, making better informed decisions, and assessing the actual impacts of environmental risk management decisions. Proposed projects should capitalize on existing
knowledge bases, data sources, or cohorts to develop EPHIs that reflect a better understanding of the relationships between environmental conditions, human exposure, and/or public health outcomes. Novel application of statistical methods or models may be needed to establish probable relationships between existing datasets or investigate the consequences of environmental actions and policy changes.

Funds for Disaster Preparedness and Relief
Do Something and the Dunkin' Brands Community Foundation have teamed up to offer $500 Disaster Grants to young people across the US and Canada. Are you building houses down in New Orleans, planning an emergency coat drive for families in crisis this winter, or collecting toys for kids who’ve been through a natural disaster? Then we want to hear from you!
Each week in 2009 we are giving out $500 to an awesome person with a project idea around the themes of disaster preparedness and emergency response. We want to recognize YOU for what you’re doing in your community. More info at http://www.dosomething.org/grants/disaster
B-WET Grant Workshops

Are you an organization who does outdoor education with Chesapeake Bay watershed K-12 students? Would you like more information about applying for federal grants to support your programs?

The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office will again be holding Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) grant workshops throughout the watershed this summer. Please see the attached flyer for more information on where, when, and why!

Projects funded through NOAA's Bay Watershed Education and Training
(B-WET) competitive grant program support the Chesapeake Bay Program's commitment to provide a meaningful watershed educational experience to every student in the watershed before graduation by delivering hands-on student programs and related teacher professional development.

For the next set of grants, applications will be due October 2009.
Typical awards range from $25,000 to $200,000 annually for up to three years. Most regional, state, and local organizations are eligible; visit http://chesapeakebay.noaa.gov/formaleducation.aspx.

Please send me an e-mail or call if you are interested in signing up for any of these workshops.

Fifteen organizations received almost $3 million last year from the B-WET program. Was your organization one of them? Would it like to be?