Conservation Appraisals and Open Space & Recreation Plans for Small Communities Grant Program
Agency: Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)
Description and Eligible Activities: Reimbursement funding for appraisals completed in order to apply to the LAND grant program. Reimbursement rate is 80%.
Website: www.mass.gov/eea/dcs-grants
Eligible Applicants: Available to all communities with a population of fewer than 5,000 people (for 2010 population, see here: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/census/). The Participant must submit a complete and eligible LAND application for the current fiscal year grant round to receive reimbursement. Reimbursement under this grant is not contingent upon the Participant's LAND application being selected for funding.
Reimbursement Rate: 80%
Maximum Award: $5,000 per appraisal; $15,000 per OSRP
Estimated Application Deadline: Rolling, no later than Monday, May 30, 2011
Contact: Celia Riechel, 617-626-1187
Conservation Partnership
Agency: Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)
Description and Eligible Activities: To assist not-for-profit corporations in acquiring land and interests in lands suitable for conservation or recreation.
Website: http://www.mass.gov/eea/dcs
Eligible Applicants: A non-profit corporation, formed for one of the purposes described in Section 4 of Chapter 180 of the General Laws and considered an exempt organization within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. section 501(c) (3).
Estimated Application Deadline: 1st Round - July 2011
Average Grant Size: $52,403; Maximum $85,000
Reimbursement Rate: 50%
Average # of Grants: 18
FY 2010 Spending: $943,248
Contact: Celia Riechel, 617-626-1187
Drinking Water Supply Protection Grant Program
Agency: Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)
Description and Eligible Activities: Provides grants to assist public water systems and municipalities in acquiring land to protect the quality of public drinking water supplies.
Website: http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/dwgrant.htm
Eligible Applicants: Massachusetts municipalities and public water systems
Estimated Application Deadline: August 2011
Average Grant Size: $170,0000; Maximum $500,000
Reimbursement Rate: 50%
Average # of Grants: 3
FY 2010 Spending: $510,000
Contact: Celia Riechel, 617-626-1187
Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund
Agency: Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)
Description and Eligible Activities: The Federal Land & Water Conservation Fund (P.L. 88-578) provides up to 50% of the total project cost for the acquisition, development and renovation of park, recreation or conservation areas.
Website: http://www.mass.gov/eea/dcs-grants
Eligible Applicants: Municipal conservation commissions, park departments, and certain agencies within EEA. Municipalities must have a current open space and recreation plan to apply, and the land must be open to the general public.
Estimated Application Deadline: No grant round in the foreseeable future
Average Grant Size: Average $414,000; Maximum $500,000
Average # of Grants: Typically 5 per year.
FY 2011 Spending: $0
Contact: Melissa Cryan, 617-626-1171
Gateway City Parks Program
Agency: Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)
Description and Eligible Activities: This program funds the creation and restoration of parks and recreational facilities in underserved urban neighborhoods.
Eligible Applicants:
Gateway Cities; Brockton, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Revere, Salem, Springfield, Taunton, Westfield, and Worcester.
Average Grant Size: $175,000
Average # of Grants: 14
FY 2010 Spending: $2,100,000
Contact: Kurt Gaertner, 617-626-1154
LAND - Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity
Agency: Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)
Description and Eligible Activities: Funding to municipal conservation commissions for the acquisition of land for conservation and passive recreation purposes (formerly the Self-Help Program).
Website: http://www.mass.gov/eea/dcs
Eligible Applicants: Municipal conservation commission. Must have a current Open Space and Recreation Plan to apply.
Estimated Application Deadline: July
Average Grant Size: Average $350,000 (Maximum $500,000)
Average # of Grants: 15
FY 2011 Spending: $6,289,699
Contact: Celia Riechel, 617-626-1187
Landowner Incentive Program
Agency: Department of Fish and Game (DFG)
Description and Eligible Activities: The purpose of this grant is to restore or create wildlife habitat for the benefit of species-at-risk on private lands in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The grants are aimed to establish a partnership between the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and private landowners.
Website: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/habitat/grants/lip/lip_home.htm
Eligible Applicants: Private landowners, sportsmen's clubs, land trusts and non-profit groups
Estimated Application Deadline: December
Estimated FY 2011 Spending: $700,000
Average Grant Size: $5,000 to $50,000
Average # of Grants: 35
Contact: Michael Sawyers, 508-389-6387
Landscape Partnership Program
Agency: Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)
Description and Eligible Activities: This new program of competitive grants funds projects to permanently protect large landscapes of at least 500 acres, in one or more contiguous parcels, through the formation of public-private partnerships. All applications must include at least two primary project partners from two of the following eligible applicant types: non-governmental organizations, municipalities, and state environmental agencies. The new grant program will also encourage and fund innovative Natural Resource Preservation Zoning (NRPZ) initiatives for communities in which the land conservation projects are located to protect rural working lands and open space, such as farms and forests. Project partners must jointly submit a single application. Projects must include public access.
Eligible Applicants: Municipalities, non-profit land trusts and EEA agencies - the Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR), Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and Department of Fish and Game (DFG).
Application Deadline: October 28, 2011
FY 2012 Anticipated Spending: $4,000,000
Contact: Celia Riechel, 617-626-1187
PARC - Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities
Agency: Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)
Description and Eligible Activities: Provides grant assistance to cities and towns to acquire parkland, develop new parks, or renovate existing outdoor public recreation facilities (formerly the Urban Self-Help Program).
Website: http://www.mass.gov/eea/dcs-grants
Eligible Applicants: Any town with a population of 35,000 or more year-round residents, or any city regardless of size, that has an authorized park /recreation commission and conservation commission, is eligible to participate in the program. Communities that do not meet the population criteria listed above may still qualify under the "small town," "regional," or "statewide" project provisions of the program. Municipalities must have a current open space and recreation plan to apply, and the land must be open to the general public.
Estimated Application Deadline: July 14th at 3:00 pm
Average Grant Size: Awards range from $50,000 to $500,000
Average # of Grants: 20
FY 2011 Spending: $7,459,620
Contact: Melissa Cryan, 617-626-1171
Recreational Trails Program
Agency: Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)
Description and Eligible Activities: Provides funding support for a variety of motorized and non-motorized trail development and trail maintenance projects.
Website: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/greenway/regionalGrants.htm
Eligible Applicants: Non-profits, government agencies, and municipalities
Estimated Application Deadline: October
Average Grant Size: $31,000; Maximum of $50,000 grant award
Average # of Grants: 54 projects this year
FY 2010 Spending: $1,506,400 (federal share)
Contact: Amanda Lewis, 413-586-8706 ext 19
Recreational Trails Program - Statewide Trails Education Grants
Agency: Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)
Description and Eligible Activities: First round of a new grant offering through the federally-funded Recreational Trails Program. This year, the Massachusetts Recreational Trail Advisory Board (MARTAB) has elected to set aside the 5% of its appropriated funds and call for projects which focus on trail education programs or trainings which address trail safety and/or environmental protection. They must also be beneficial to and welcome the statewide trails community, rather than be specific to a particular property or region.
Website: www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/greenway/educationgrants.htm
Eligible Applicants: All state, regional, municipal, and some federal government agencies, as well as IRS-approved non-profit organizations are eligible for grants under the program. State and federal agencies should call for additional details on eligibility.
Estimated Application Deadline: February 2011
Average Grant Size: $8,000 - $10,000 with approximately 18 months to complete projects.
Contact: Amanda Lewis, 413-586-8706 x19
This information is provided by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Office of Grants and Technical Assistance.