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.

Applications are accepted for larger public outreach grants of up to $5,000. Once funds are available, the CHNEP hopes to resume supporting research and restoration partners grants.

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.

To apply for a micro-grant for a project that can begin after October 1, 2011 and be completed by August 31, 2012, 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:

one-page reimbursement request form (Word file : PDF file). Be sure the reimbursement form is signed and remains a one-page form.
receipts of items purchased.
final report. The final report should describe the work of the project. It 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. Please don't expect the reader to have access to any other materials, including the initial grant request. You may wish to copy and paste portions of your original request into this final report.

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.

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)
Applicants may request micro-grants many times for a long-term project but, unless the requests are for different projects, only one request will be approved in a fiscal year. Applicants that receive multiple years of support will be asked to serve as a demonstration site, letting others learn from their experience. (2/11)

Steps to submitting your application:

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. If you'd like, you can type your request into a Word document then copy and paste your response into the form below.
Hit "submit form" at bottom of this page once all the fields are completed.
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). Sometimes the form isn't received so this step is a backup for any problems that occur in transmitting the completed online form.

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 of Person Submitting this Request

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: Include email addresses, separated by a semicolon, of all who should receive updates from CHNEP. For example, mhilgendorf@swfrpc.org; jott@swfrpc.org

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 usually $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 August 31. Please check the box that you agree to comply with this timeframe. Funding will not be available for this project after August 31. 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 August 31.

Funds for projects that can be competed by October 2011 are no longer available.

I agree to complete the project during FY12 (October 1, 2011 to August 31, 2012) and submit the paperwork so it can be received and approved by August 31, 2012.

21. When the project is done, what will you have been completed? In other words, what are your deliverables? Examples include final report with pictures and charts of student data analysis, 1-day workshop with 100 anticipated attendees, 50 reproduced DVDs, 1-acre red and black mangrove restoration, etc. (NOTE: All micro-grant recipients are required to submit a final report when they request (9/10) reimbursement.)

22. When the project is completed, what do you hope to have changed? In other words, what is your expected outcome? Examples include baseline information about the schools stormwater pond water quality, post-workshop advocacy by community leaders at city council meetings, at least 200 presentation of DVD at schools to at least 5,000 students plus 5 presentations through local cable network reaching 10,000 people, etc. (9/10)

Once you've entered all the information you wish to provide,

Copy and paste (control+A on PC) and paste your completed form into a Word file you save on your computer. If you save this version of the form, you'll have the start of the final report you need to submit when you request reimbursement.
hit the "SUBMIT FORM" button below. You'll receive a copy of the request just submitted. You may also want to save this version of your request on your computer.
Send a copy of either the version from step 1 or step 2 to Maran either by email (mhilgendorf@swfrpc.org) or by fax (239/338-2560 Attn: Maran).

Thank you.

1. Name of Person Submitting this Request
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: Include email addresses, separated by a semicolon, of all who should receive updates from CHNEP. For example, mhilgendorf@swfrpc.org; jott@swfrpc.org
12. Website Address

Micro-Grant Request Form

Revised: October 21, 2011