Do you have an idea of how to protect our estuaries and their watersheds?

CHNEP makes small grants available

Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program offers small "micro" grants that are usually up to $250 to help further partnerships with Florida residents, organizations, businesses, government agencies, schools, colleges and universities. CHNEP is pleased to make grants available to its partners in their efforts to help implement the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), a 20-year plan to protect the natural environment from Venice to Bonita Springs to Winter Haven.

Since 2002, these small grants have helped forge partnerships and increase awareness with those who may not otherwise learn about the NEP, its partnerships throughout the watershed, and the program Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) that includes stewardship of our natural resources, protecting fish and wildlife habitat, water quality and water flow in order to protect the estuaries from Venice to Estero Bay and their seven-county watershed. The grants also help the Program "establish and maintain environmental education efforts" with organizations, educational centers, government agencies and others, an activity that the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) ranked as a high priority action item to help fulfill the CCMP. A list of completed micro-grant projects is available.

To apply for a micro-grant, please complete an online form.

Once you've completed the project supported with a pre-approved micro-grant, please only submit one request for reimbursement. This means that you submit only one request for only one check that must be made payable to the organization/individual you specified at the time your request was submitted. That request must include:

a one-page financial report/reimbursement request form. Be sure the form is signed and remains a one-page form.
receipts of items purchased and
a report that describes the work of the project. This report should be comprehensive so that anyone reading it will understand the request, how the funds were used, the total cost of the project, the accomplishments of the project as well as any other information you deem relevant. Be sure to include results – number who participated, research findings, etc.-- and photographs (especially digital photographs) are always appreciated.

Send these three items to Maran Hilgendorf at Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, 1926 Victoria Ave, Fort Myers FL 33901. The forms will be reviewed as staff schedules allow. The reimbursement check you receive will be from the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council (SWFRPC), the CHNEP host agency. Due to staffing schedules it may take up to 60 working days from the time the report is received and accepted to when a check is received. Please be sure to plan accordingly.

Please be aware that SWFRPC does not accept invoices, receipts and reports that are submitted by fax or email; however, in addition to the printed report the NEP would like to receive the report by email for ease in including in program materials.

If you have questions contact Maran Hilgendorf, Communications Manager, at 239/338-2556 ext 240 or mhilgendorf@swfrpc.org.

Applications are accepted for larger public outreach grants of up to $5,000 and research and restoration partners grants of up to $20,000 per participating partner.

The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (NEP) is a partnership to protect estuaries in southwest Florida from Venice to Estero Bay. This partnership gives citizens, elected officials, resource managers, and commercial and recreational resource users in the 4,700-square-mile study area a voice to address diverse resource management concerns including fish and wildlife habitat loss, water quality and water flow. The watershed in the study area includes all or portions of Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, Polk, Hardee and DeSoto counties.

Micro-Grant Request Form

Please submit your micro-grant request by using this online form.

Requests for micro-grant support are considered as they are received. You will be notified with an email message as promptly as staff schedules allow. We strive to respond within two weeks from when the request is received but this is not always possible. Please note: If you submit a request and you don't receive a response within two weeks, please contact Maran Hilgendorf at 239/338-2556 ext 240. Due to spam and virus software and program updates, messages sent by email are not always received. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the request is received.
Be sure you allow for plenty of time prior to the event/project to request this support as one of the conditions is that Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP) is acknowledged as part of the project.
If you wish to have more than one micro-grant request considered for the same project but different aspects of the project or wish to hold similar programs for different audiences (such as a wading trip for each fourth grade class), then please submit only one form that describes all of the requests you wish to have considered. (8/06)
CHNEP operates on a fiscal year that begins October 1. In the form below (question 20) be sure to indicate when the project and paperwork can be completed. (7/07)

READ THIS: Unfortunately problems still occur with this online form but we believe many of them are due to the applicant not hitting the "submit form" key after completing the form. Please . . .

Complete the form. NOTE: You must be prepared to complete the form in its entirety because there is no way of saving the file to return to it at a later time.
Hit "submit form" at bottom of this page.
Make a copy of the request for your files.
Send a copy to Maran either by email (mhilgendorf@swfrpc.org) or by fax (239/338-2560 Attn: Maran).

When you type in the application, please use the TAB or ARROW KEYS to move from one line to another. Only hit SUBMIT FORM after the form is completely filled out! Remember there is no way to save your work to complete the form at a later date.

WHO: Please provide information on who is applying for this micro-grant.

1. Name

2. Title

3. Organization

4. Street Address

5. Address (cont.)

6. City

7. State

8. Zip/Postal Code

9. Work Phone

10. FAX

11. E-mail

12. website Address

13. Please indicate by checking the box if you are submitting this request on behalf of yourself as an individual or on behalf of the organization listed above. The reimbursement check will be made payable to the person or organization you list here. If the organization doesn't match with #3 above then provide the name of the organization that is handling the finances on behalf of this project.

14. Please provide a brief title for your project.

15. BUDGET DETAILS: (a) What do you estimate the total cost of this project will be. (b) How much are you requesting from CHNEP for this project? Remember the MAXIMUM request is $250. (c) Provide a list of items anticipated to be purchased, including quantity and price per item (d) Who else is providing financial support of this effort and how much? Please be sure your information explains how the funds will be used and how the project will benefit the NEP in its efforts to further the management plan. (Consider what you would want to know if you were reviewing the request.)

If you wish to submit a request without a detailed budget and it is approved, the detailed budget must be approved before items are purchased. If this doesn't occur then the applicant runs the risk of not being reimbursed for certain items. For example, CHNEP will not reimburse for plants that are not native to the area, landscaping items such as rocks and boulders or presentations that do not help educate people on the issues of concern to the natural environment of southwest Florida. (8/06)

WHAT, WHEN, WHERE: 16. Please describe (in the space provided) the work/project you wish to have supported with this micro-grant. If it is an event, please include location and date. The information you provide here will provide information on what, when and where of the project. Don't forget to include as many details as necessary to justify the project. If a project is to develop a landscape, please include a pledge that the landscape will remain for at least three years from the planting. (8/06)

HOW: 17. Please describe (in the space provided) how the project will be implemented.

WHY: 18. Please describe (in the space provided) how this project will benefit the NEP in its efforts to further the management plan.

HISTORY: 19. Please provide a brief summary of completed projects supported by Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program. This is especially important if this request is for another year of support for the same event/program. (12/05)

20. Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program's fiscal year begins October 1. Micro-grant awards must be completed so that the project is completed and the paperwork can be received and approved by the CHNEP by September 1. Please check the box that you agree to comply with this timeframe. Funding will not be available for this project after this time. In other words, by not complying with this deadline you forfeit the grant. NOTE: The fiscal year ends September 30 but due to end-of-year activities, we ask that all projects and requests be completed and submitted by September 1.

I agree to complete the project this fiscal year (October 1, 2009 to September 2010) and submit the paperwork so it can be received and approved by September 1, 2010.

I agree to complete the project during FY11 (October 1, 2010 to September 2011) and submit the paperwork so it can be received and approved by September 1, 2011.

Once you've entered all the information you wish to provide, hit the "SUBMIT FORM" button below. You'll receive a copy of the request just submitted. Make a copy of that version for your files and send a copy to Maran either by email (mhilgendorf@swfrpc.org) or by fax (239/338-2560 Attn: Maran).

1. Name
2. Title
3. Organization
4. Street Address
5. Address (cont.)
6. City
7. State
8. Zip/Postal Code
9. Work Phone
10. FAX
11. E-mail
12. website Address

Micro-Grant Request Form

Revised: February 24, 2010