News

1. Georgia River Network Announces Grant Program

2. Statewide Water Plan: Update and Georgia Water Coalition Review

3. Draft Statewide Water Plan Meetings and Deadlines

4. Help Energize Grassroots Efforts on the Water Plan

5. River Jobs

6. Water Efficiency Leader Award Nominations

Workshops/Conferences/Calendar Items

7. Save the Date – GRN Conference - Rome

8. DNR Board Meetings - Atlanta

9. Georgia Conservancy Common Ground Conference - Atlanta

10. Healthy Waters, Healthy People and AAS Facilitator Workshop – Red Top Mtn.

11. American Rivers River Action Day – Washington DC

12. Save the Date: River Rally 08 - Huron Ohio

13. Alliance For Justice Online Workshops

14. National Bucket Brigade Conference – Atlanta

15. Chattahoochee River Summer Festival – Alpharetta

16. Fundraising Webinars

17. Stormwater Institute – Ohio

18. Soque River Ramble – Batesville

19. Basic Grant Writing Workshop – Atlanta

20. Savannah Rivers At Risk Meeting - Augusta

Resources

21. BoardnetUSA

22. What to Ask Every Prospective Board Member

23. The Future of Fundraising

24. Creating the Annual Report

Fundraising Deadlines

25. Fundraising and Grants

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1. Georgia River Network / Turner Foundation Grant Program

Thanks to a grant from the Turner Foundation, Georgia River Network is pleased to offer grants for watershed work by grassroots groups in Georgia that addresses water quality degradation from non-point source pollution. Grants will range from $2,000 to $10,000. Up to $80,000 will be awarded to groups through the grant program. Deadline for applications: October 1, 2007. Funds will be disbursed to grantees in November. For more information, visit www.garivers.org or contact Dana Skelton at 706-549-4508.

2. Statewide Water Plan: Update and Georgia Water Coalition Review
The GWC Technical Team has thoroughly reviewed the Draft Statewide Water Plan. For a summary of the GWC analysis, contact April Ingle at ingle@garivers.org.

The Georgia Water Coalition’s believes sufficient clean water should be available fairly to all Georgia citizens and ensure a healthy environment, and the Water Plan should:

Protect downstream communities. Water must continue to flow downstream, so economic vitality can also flow downstream. Georgia’s leaders have a responsibility to protect downstream communities -- both their water supplies and their ability to grow – just as much as upstream locations. More reservoirs and interbasin transfers for water, without balancing return flows, unfairly limit downstream neighbors reasonable use of our state’s water resources. Such major consumptive uses are not today’s "solutions"; they are tomorrow's problems.
Require efficient water use everywhere, always. Data shows this is the least expensive, most productive solution to water supply problems. Wasteful water use must end because we don’t have the surplus to squander, nor the luxury of allowing some to opt out. The time of odd-even days as the major tool for water conservation is over.
Ensure water clean enough to drink and fish and safe enough to eat. Georgia currently is investing $19 million dollars to promote tournament fishing. To ensure we don’t throw away this economic opportunity, we must fund and enforce clean water laws already on the books.
Safeguard funds intended to keep water clean. Current law says fees collected to protect the environment are to be allocated to fund those activities. Unfortunately, this does not always happen – and Georgia citizens suffer. The solution is a constitutional amendment to ensure environmental fees go where they’re supposed to go.
Provide for public input and local action. The people of the many and diverse regions of Georgia must find the solutions that work best for them. They are entitled to meaningful input in the process of developing their region’s plan and in continued action for clean water.

Georgia Water Coalition believes the Water Plan misses the mark in three important ways:

Why aren’t Metro Atlanta and the rest of the state required to play by the same set of rules? The draft plan treats Metro Atlanta differently than the rest of the state, with no limits on the amount of water it gets for adding more and more houses, shopping centers and pavement, allowing it to continue its wasteful misuse of resources. This business-as-usual approach will limit economic vitality in the rest of the state and will degrade the Metro area’s quality of life. Growth spurred in this manner also will trigger even more vehicle congestion than the Metro area struggles with today, yet without compensating traffic solutions.

Georgia needs a water plan that unites the state, not one that divides us. This plan divides Georgia into communities that will have enough clean water, and those who may not. Rural Georgians will compete with urban cousins; farmers will compete with towns; this generation will be set against the next.
· Without adequate funding, the plan is only a paper tiger, and there is no new funding identified in the plan. The draft Plan insists on enforcement of our clean water laws – in some cases, for the first time ever. New studies are urgently needed to understand our water needs and supplies.

All these, and the development of regional plans, are essential, but costly, steps. Georgia’s water is a public resource. The Georgia Water Coalition believes that it should be managed in the public interest. GWC will do whatever it takes to get a good, responsible water management and conservation plan in Georgia.

3. Draft Statewide Water Plan Meetings and Deadlines
August 18: Deadline for public comments using the Water Council website: http://www.georgiawaterplan.org/Pages/GWC_Index.aspx. Similar to the process for submitting comments on the State Energy Plan, you will first be asked to register and you will then be allowed to submit comments on each section of the plan.

August 23: Water Council Meeting: The Water Council meeting to discuss public comments and vote on revisions to the statewide water plan will be held at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum, 175 Bourne Avenue, Pooler, Georgia, 31322. The meeting will be held from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 pm in the High Wycombe Room.

Public Hearing Phase:

Mid-September: Refine draft to Water Council and posted on website
Mid-September to mid-November: Public hearings
Late-November: Final draft to Water Council for review
Early December: Water Council meeting to act on final draft of statewide water plan.

EPD will schedule additional Water Council meetings as needed.

4. Help Energize Grassroots Efforts on the Water Plan
The Georgia Water Coalition is kicking off a grassroots campaign to educate and activate GWC partner organizations’ members about GWC concerns and positions on the draft statewide water plan. Partners will be hosting local meetings across the state from now through October. Tentative locations and leaders for these meetings have been determined and dates will be finalized in the coming weeks. Please get involved in the organization of a local meeting in your area and publicize these meetings in your organizations newsletters to ensure a robust turnout of your members.

Locations and Leaders:
Athens: April Ingle (Georgia River Network)
Atlanta: Shana Udvardy (Georgia Conservancy) & Jill Johnson (Georgia Conservation Voters)
Augusta: Frank Carl (Savannah Riverkeeper)
Brunswick: Dave Kyler (Center for Sustainable Coast)
Columbus: Shana Udvardy (Georgia Conservancy)
North Georgia (TBA): Jennette Gayer (Environment Georgia)
North Georgia (TBA): Darcie Holcomb (Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper)
Macon: Frank Peterman (The Wilderness Society) & Julie Mayfield (Georgia Conservancy)
Rome: Joe Cook (Coosa River Basin Initiative)
Savannah: Patty McIntosh (Georgia Conservancy)
Statesboro: Chandra Brown (Canoochee-Ogeechee Riverkeeper)
Waycross: Gordon Rogers (Satilla Riverkeeper)

Please contact Sarah Barmeyer (sbarmeyer@gwf.org) if you are interested in participating in a meeting near you or hosting your own meeting. Also, please let Sarah know if your organization is having a meeting and would like GWC to attend and talk about the statewide water plan. All of the local hosts will have support from the Coalition, including getting the word out, an agenda and presentation material, educational hand-outs, buttons, and bumper stickers.

Talk About the Plan!

· Submit a letter to the editor or an Op-Ed to their local paper. For sample letters or Op-Eds contact April Ingle at ingle@garivers.org .

· Include an article in your next newsletter. For a sample article contact April Ingle at ingle@garivers.org.

· Contact Sarah Barmeyer at sbarmeyer@gwf.org if your organization is having a meeting and would like GWC to attend and talk about the statewide water plan.

5. River Jobs
River Network – Program Manager
Since early this year, River Network has been accepting resumes for the position of Mid-Atlantic Program Manager and is now interviewing qualified applicants who would like to represent River Network and assist local watershed groups. There is no specific closing date for applicants, the position will be open until filled. They anticipate a fall ’07 start-date. To apply, send cover letter & resume to: sschwartz@rivernetwork.org or Susan Schwartz, River Network, 520 SW Sixth Ave, Suite 1130, Portland, Oregon 97204-1511. For more information, visit http://www.rivernetwork.org/jobs.php.

Coosa River Basin Initiative – Program Coordinator
For a complete job description, visit http://www.garivers.org/resources/jobs.html.

6. Water Efficiency Leader Award Nominations

EPA is accepting nominations for the 2007 Water Efficiency Leader (WEL) Awards to recognize organizations and individuals that demonstrate leadership and innovation in water efficient- products and practices. Winners will be chosen by a panel of national water experts and based on three criteria: leadership, innovation, and water saved. Nominations are being accepted until August 17, 2007. It is anticipated that the winners will be announced in late fall 2007. For more information and to enter award nominations go to http://epa.gov/water/wel/2007_application_process.html.

7. Save the Date – GRN Conference – Rome
It’s that time again! Well…not really even close. But in five months, Georgia River Network will put on another Annual Conference! And though Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville has been so good to us seven long years, we have made the decision to try moving Annual Conference around to various fabulous Georgia locations in order to make the event more accessible to the greatest number of people. We are pleased to announce that February 22-23, 2008, GRN’s 8th Annual Conference will be held on the beautiful Berry College campus in Rome, Georgia. Berry is situated on the world’s largest campus (28,000 acres!), much of which is protected under the Berry College Wildlife Management Area which showcases a rich mosaic of northwest Georgia habitats, including wide creek flood plains, open grassland, steep mountain slopes, old fields, wetlands, and mountaintop ridges. Rome is a sweet little town, full of Georgia history, plenty of hiking, shopping and boating opportunities, as well as the confluence of…count’em…three of Georgia’s major rivers! We are really excited about this new venue, the new town, and maybe even some new friends! Hope to see you all in Rome!

We would love your feedback on the conference, take a quick survey to tell us what you want: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=HwMEuiikLlaMsppEqWFqvg_3d_3d.

8. DNR Board Meetings – DNR Board Room, Atlanta

Next committee meetings are scheduled for August 28 and the Board meeting for August 29 in Atlanta. For details on DNR Board Meetings, visit http://www.gadnr.org/ (bottom left corner of home page). To view the schedule, visit http://gadnr.org/documents/sched-agenda.html.

9. Georgia Conservancy Common Ground Conference
AT&T Conference Facility - Midtown Atlanta on September 6 from 5 – 9 p.m.
Energy 101: Everything You Wanted to Know About Energy
September 7 from 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. - Advancing Clean Energy Solutions for Georgia. Common Ground 07 focuses on the environmental impacts of energy production and use, climate change, energy efficiency and conservation, renewable energy in Georgia and ways you can reduce energy use where you are. For more information or to register, visit http://www.georgiaconservancy.org/Events/Event.asp?id=313&yy=2007&mm=9&dd=6.

10. Healthy Water, Healthy People Facilitator and Adopt-A-Stream Workshop

Sept. 28-29 at Red Top Mt. State Park - Participants in this two-day, hands-on workshop will receive the Healthy Water, Healthy People Educators Guide, the HWHP Testing Kit Manual, a HWHP Facilitator Handbook, Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Train the Trainer Handbook and all Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Publications. All participants will be qualified to lead their own Healthy Water, Healthy People and Adopt-A-Stream workshops in their own watershed. This is a great opportunity to get training in both of these programs in a two-day workshop. Please contact Monica Kilpatrick at monica_kilpatrick@dnr.state.ga.us or 404.362.6536 to register.

11. American Rivers - River Action Day – Washington DC
4th Annual Capitol Confluence: River Action Day (formerly River Lobby Day) will be held on September 24-25, 2007. Join fellow river advocates from across the country to speak out for rivers on Capitol Hill. This is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with your Members of Congress and encourage them to support policies that will ensure healthy rivers for all communities. Make your voice heard in the halls of Congress! Never lobbied before? Not a problem. American Rivers will host an advocacy training workshop on Monday, September 24, and schedule your meetings with Members of Congress for the following day. There is no charge to participate in River Action Day. American Rivers is providing a limited number of stipends to help offset the cost of travel and accommodations in Washington, D.C. Register Online Today at http://www.americanrivers.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AR7_RiverActionDay.

12. Save the Date: River Rally 08 – Huron Ohio
May 2-5, 2008. Visit www.rivernetwork.org.

13. Alliance for Justice Online Workshop
Workshops last one-hour and will begin at 2:00 PM. You can register online or by calling Kyle Murphy at (202) 822-6070. Workshop Registration is $25.

Election Rules for Nonprofits Web Workshop (08/29) - Want to know the role your organization can play during an election year? This session explains the federal tax rules regarding permissible electioneering activities for 501(c)(3)s, particularly voter registration drives, candidate questionnaires, candidate forums and legislative scorecards. Visit http://www.afj.org/.

14. National Bucket Brigade Conference – Atlanta

The Fourth Annual National Bucket Brigade Conference: A Community Monitoring Fair and Training will be held on Saturday, September 8, 2007, at Emory Law School, 10 am – 3 pm. The “Bucket Brigade” is an internationally famous strategy of community tools to monitor your environment for yourself. Residents in 17 countries and over 20 states in the USA are using this method to hold polluters and governments accountable. This unique event is your chance to get started with tools and trainings that work to help your community deal with pollution and find solutions. The agenda includes a workshop on using the law to clean up your community. Also, the conference will include a workshop on how to use citizen air monitoring to know whether or not facilities in your community are endangering your health. These monitoring tools are being used all over the world, but this is the first time a training will be held in Georgia. This opportunity is unlikely to happen again soon - as the "bucket brigade" training rotates around the country each year. You can get more information and register at: http://gcmonitor.org/article.php?id=595.

15. Chattahoochee River Summer Festival
This festival will be held August 25 (11am-7pm) and August 26 (11am-5pm) at the
Chattahoochee River Environmental Education Center (8615 Barnwell Road; Alpharetta, Georgia). The Festival’s activities will include songs and storytelling, wonderful crafts, campfires and marshmallows, painted faces and walks in special places, and much, much more! Please note that all parking will be at Centennial High School, 9310 Scott Road, Roswell, Georgia, 30076. A free shuttle will bring you to the Chattahoochee River Environmental Education Center. Drivers with a handicapped rider may drop the individual off at the Center before parking at the school. The Festival is free to the public. For information on this great Summer Family Festival on the Chattahoochee River please call 678-538-1200.

16. Fundraising Webinars
August 17th - Fundraising in Rural Communities
Aug 20th - Asking for Money: Five Easy Steps for Getting Past Psychological Barriers
Oct 15th - How Small Groups Can Raise Big Money
Nov 9th - How to Raise $50K in 6 Weeks
Cost: $150 per site/per webinar (more than one person can view the webinar at a single location; with a data projector your entire staff and board can participate!) For more information and to register please visit: http://grassrootsfundraising.org/howto/webinar.html.

17. Stormwater Institute – Ohio

Center for Watershed Protection’s Stormwater Institute will take place October 9-11, 2007, at the Maumee Bay Resort & Conference Center in Toledo, OH. The Stormwater Institute is an intensive training program for stormwater professionals from local governments, nonprofits, and the private sector that will focus on: strengthening the technical skills needed to develop and run effective programs for stormwater management, illicit discharge detection and elimination, erosion and sediment control, pollution prevention, and watershed education particularly for the Western Lake Erie Basin project area; providing practical guidance on municipal stormwater program setup, design and administration, including staffing, budgeting, financing and resources; and offering a forum for interaction among local, state, and federal stormwater department and agency staff in the region that will result in enhanced communication across these different levels of government after the Stormwater Institute. While the Institute will largely focus on the issues particular to the Maumee Bay and surrounding region, participants from all parts of the country will find this training valuable. For more information and to register, visit http://www.cwp.org/SI07/index.html.

18. Soque River Ramble - Batesville

A 1 mile Fun Run, beginning at 8:30 am, and a 6K Run & Walk, beginning at 9:00 am, will be held in scenic Batesville on the banks of the Left Fork of the Soque River. The proceeds from this event, presented by Headwaters Realty and The Northeast Georgian, will be donated to the Batesville Fire Department and the Soque River Watershed Association. The Annual Batesville Days Festival will be held after the run/walk. Make plans to attend now. Early registration deadline is October 10 and registration forms are available at the SRWA office and online at www.SoqueRiverRamble.com. Contact Dale Holmes of Headwaters Realty at 706-754-5101 for more information.

19. Basic Grant Writing Workshop – Atlanta

Turn organizational needs into fundable ideas, and present them in competitive proposals to foundations and corporations. Participants will learn to craft competitive grant proposals to foundations, government agencies and corporations. Topics will include organizing information and needs, reviewing proposal format and components, and understanding the process for ascertaining and meeting funders' proposal needs. Recommended for those with minimal experience in writing proposals. Instructor: Tina Jones-Dantzler
Date and Time: 8/23/2007 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
50 Hurt Plaza Suite 845, Atlanta
Fee: $75.00 (member) $75.00 (non-member)
Register for this course at http://www.gcn.org/BasicGrantWritingAug07.aspx.

20. Savannah Rivers at Risk Meeting – Augusta
September 18, 2007 at the Savannah Rapids Pavillion – Augusta from 8:30-5:00pm

Visit http://www.naturalsciencesacademy.org/ or call 706-828-2109.

21. Resource: BoardnetUSA to Find Board Members
The Georgia Center for Nonprofits, in partnership with boardnetUSA, now offers a unique online tool designed for the express purpose of connecting nonprofit boards with new leaders. If you're an individual interested in board service or a nonprofit looking for a new board member, visit http://www.gcn.org/AboutUs/Partners/boardnetUSA.aspx.

22. What to Ask Every Prospective Board Member
This excerpt is from the second edition of Over Goal! What You Must Know to Excel at Fundraising Today can be found at http://www.guidestar.org/DisplayArticle.do?articleId=1149.

23. The Future of Fundraising

Some hints for bringing your fundraising efforts into the 21st century and beyond. Visit http://www.guidestar.org/DisplayArticle.do?articleId=1151.

24. Creating the Annual Report
For most nonprofits and foundations, the annual report is the flagship of communications. It allows an organization to tell its story, convey a professional image, educate readers about philanthropy, encourage new donors – the list goes on and on. Although many of us look forward to our annual report's release, few of us relish the hard work and long hours it can take to actually get there. Any project of this scale will have its ups and downs, its share of hurdles and headaches. But if you know where you're going and how to get there, you can make producing an annual report a much more manageable task. Visit http://www.gcn.org/CenterView807_1.aspx.

25. Fundraising Deadlines
The following foundations are either new to our list of grants or have upcoming deadlines to submit proposals. To view grant makers that give throughout the year, visit our website at http://www.garivers.org/resources/tools/grants.html.

Abelard Foundation East is a family foundation with a forty-year history of progressive funding. The Foundation is committed to supporting social change organizations which reflect, through membership or grassroots participation, the communities in which they are based; expand community control over economic, social and environmental decisions affecting the community's well-being; and build a strong informed voice on public policy issues. The Foundation's eastern office reviews applications for organizations east of the Mississippi. The eastern office accepts proposals throughout the year. However, applications mailed by March 15th will be reviewed for the spring meeting and applications mailed by September 15th will be reviewed for the fall meeting. Visit http://foundationcenter.org/grantmaker/abelardeast/.

AEC Trust Technical Grants are made to charitable organizations seeking technical assistance. Visit https://online.foundationsource.com/public/home/aec.

Deadlines: April 1 and September 1.

Beldon Fund - Beldon funds projects that emphasize "Human Health and the Environment". The Beldon Fund seeks to build a national consensus to achieve and sustain a healthy planet by supporting nonprofit advocacy organizations. The Fund's Human Health and the Environment program supports projects throughout the United States that engage new constituencies in exposing the connection between toxic chemicals and human health and in promoting public policies that prevent or eliminate environmental risks to people's health. Letters of inquiry will be accepted between September 26 and October 24, 2007. Visit www.beldon.org for more information.

BoatU.S. Foundation (Safe Boating Grants) is dedicated to promoting safe and environmentally sensitive boating. Grants of up to $4,000 are provided to local volunteer organizations for the promotion of boating safety education and clean boating education. Visit http://www.boatus.com/foundation/Grants/index.htm. Deadline: November 1 each year.

ConAgra Foods Foundation works to improve the quality of life in communities where ConAgra employees work and live. The Foundation focuses its resources in the areas of arts and culture; civic and community betterment; education; health and human services; and hunger, nutrition and food safety. Nonprofit organizations in communities with company facilities throughout the United States are eligible to apply. Consult your local phone directory or contact your Chamber of Commerce to find out if ConAgra Foods operates in your community. Applications are due the last working day of January, April, July and October. Visit http://www.conagrafoods.com/. Click "Corporate Responsibility". Click "Community".

Conservation Alliance funds projects that seek to protect a specific wild land or waterway for its habitat and recreational values. The campaign should engage grassroots citizen action in support of the conservation effort. They do not fund general education or scientific research projects. All projects should be quantifiable with specific goals, objectives, and action plans, and should include a clear measure for evaluating success. The project should have a good chance of closure or significant measurable results over a fairly short term (one to three years). To apply, you must have a member of Alliance first nominate you. Nominations due May 1 and November 1 annually. You can learn more at the website: http://www.conservationalliance.com/grants/how_to_apply.

Department of Agriculture: Solid Waste Management Grant Program This program supports projects to reduce or eliminate pollution of water resources in rural areas, and to improve planning and management of solid waste sites in rural areas. Applications will be accepted from October 1 through December 31 of each calendar year. Visit http://www.usda.gov/rus/water/SWMG.htm.

Foster's Community Grants, a program of the Foster's Group, a global company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, provides support to nonprofit organizations in the U.S. and Australia for community-building projects. Grants are provided in the following focus areas: wellness, including both physical and mental health; culture, including artistic, sporting, and educational activities; and the environment, including all aspects of the natural environment. For the second funding cycle in 2007, applications will be accepted from August 1 to September 19. Visit http://www.fosters.com.au/about/fosterscommunitygrants.htm.

The Fund for Southern Communities is a publicly supported foundation established in 1981 to provide grants and technical assistance to progressive grassroots social change organizations working in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The Fund invites applications from organizations fighting discrimination based on race, sex, age, religion, economic status, sexual orientation, ethnic background, or physical and mental disabilities; struggling for the rights of workers; promoting self-determination in low-income and disenfranchised communities; protecting the environment; promoting and/or creating non-traditional arts and media; promoting peace. Regular grant deadlines are March 1 and September 1. Further information is available at the foundation’s website http://www.fundforsouth.org/.

The Fund for Wild Nature provides grants to grassroots projects in the United States, Canada, and Mexico for campaigns to save and restore native species and wild ecosystems, including actions to defend wilderness and biological diversity. The Fund seeks proposals with visionary as well as realistic goals to create tangible change. Special attention is given to ecological issues not currently receiving sufficient public attention and funding. The Fund supports advocacy, litigation, public policy work, development of citizen science, and similar endeavors. The remaining application deadlines for 2007 are April 27 and November 2. Visit http://www.fundwildnature.org/.

The Georgia-Pacific Foundation supports a wide range of organizations that improve the quality of life in communities where Georgia-Pacific operates, and where company employees live and work. (A map of the Georgia-Pacific facilities and locations is available online at: www.gp.com/facilitydirectory/index.asp.) The Foundation’s areas of interest include: education, community enrichment, and the environment. Grant applications are accepted between January 1 and October 31, annually. Visit http://www.gp.com/center/community/index.html.

Ittleson Foundation supports innovative pilot, model and demonstration projects that will help move individuals, communities, and organizations from environmental awareness to environmental activism by changing attitudes and behaviors. Initial letters of inquiry due by April 1st or September 1st. Visit http://www.ittlesonfoundation.org/enviro.html.

Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation funds grant requests to support fair and balanced environmental education in Georgia. It is anticipated that the average grant awarded will be $2,000. Apply by September 28, 2007. Visit http://www.kgbf.org/.

The mission of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation is to support efforts that promote a just, equitable, and sustainable society. The Foundation's grant programs focus on the following areas: poverty, civil society, the environment, and Flint, MI. Organizations seeking grants should begin the application process at least four months before the start of the proposed grant period. Foundation staff must finalize grant recommendations for any given calendar year by August 31 of that year. Proposals received between September 1 and December 31 will be considered in the following calendar year. Visit http://www.mott.org for more information.

The Laura Jane Musser Fund supports nonprofit organizations nationally in the areas of solving environmental problems/encouraging environmental stewardship and promoting intercultural harmony. Support in all three categories is generally provided for projects that are new, or within the first three years of operation. Grants typically range from $1,000 to $35,000. The application deadline for the environment category is November 28, 2007. Visit the Fund's website for detailed information on each funding category at http://www.musserfund.org/stewardship.php.

Acres for America, a partnership between Wal-Mart Stores and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, was established to provide funding for projects that conserve important habitat for fish, wildlife, and plants through acquisition of interest in real property. The goal of the program is to offset the footprint of Wal-Mart’s domestic facilities on at least an acre by acre basis through conservation of critical habitats. Preference will be given to acquisitions that are part of published conservation plans (North American Waterfowl Management Plan, Partners in Flight, etc.), State Wildlife Action Plans, or Endangered Species Act Recovery Plans. The annual pre-proposal deadlines are April 1 and September 1. Visit http://www.nfwf.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Browse_All_Programs.

Norman Foundation supports efforts that strengthen the ability of communities to determine their own economic, environmental and social well-being, and that help people control those forces that affect their lives. Support is provided for efforts to promote economic justice and development through community organizing; to prevent the disposal of toxics in communities, and to link environmental issues with economic and social justice; and to promote civil rights by fighting discrimination and violence and working for equity. Current civil rights priorities are education equity and criminal justice reform. Letters of inquiry are due November 15, 2007 in the area of environmental justice. Nonprofit organizations throughout the Unites States are eligible to apply. Visit http://www.normanfdn.org.

Patagonia funds projects that are action oriented, build public support and involvement, are strategic and accomplish specific goals and objectives. Patagonia supports small, grassroots activist organizations with provocative direct-action agendas. They look for innovative groups that produce measurable results, and like to support efforts to force the government to abide by its own - our own - laws. Patagonia helps local groups working to protect local habitat. Most grants are in the range of $3,000 to $8,000. Proposals must be postmarked no later than April 30 and August 31 each year. For more information, visit the Patagonia website at http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/contribution/patagonia.go?assetid=2927. You can also apply for grants from the Atlanta Patagonia store which gives grants in the amount of $1,000 - $4000 with applications due each May. Contact Leigh Bost at 404.266.8182 or leigh_bost@patagonia.com for more information.

Project AWARE Foundation is committed to the conservation and preservation of the aquatic environment and its resources throughout the world. The Foundation will consider funding projects that focus on its priorities: coral reef conservation, shark protection, aquatic ecotourism, aquatic education (particularly for youth), and direct conservation activities in both marine and freshwater for up to $10,000. Projects which incorporate public education, grassroots involvement, and research that leads to conservation are examples of the types of projects the Foundation supports. The application deadlines are March 15, June 15, September 15, and December 15, annually. Visit http://www.projectaware.org.

Sapelo Foundation's Environmental Protection Program addresses such issues as water and air quality, sprawl and sustainable development, corporate effects on rural communities, and the protection and management of natural resources. Currently, the primary focus is a strategic campaign addressing water resource management and policy in Georgia. The Trustees meet to consider grants twice each year. Deadlines for submission of proposals are September 1 and March 1. Grants range from $1,000 to $75,000. The average award is between $10,000 and $25,000. Visit http://www.sapelofoundation.org for more details.

Temper of the Times Foundation promotes the use of standard marketing concepts to increase environmental awareness. Recognizing that organizations working to protect the environment generally have limited access to paid media, the Foundation provides funds to underwrite advertising designed to promote the conservation and restoration of native wildlife, plants, and ecosystems in the United States. Projects with measurable short-term effects on wildland ecosystem conservation will be prioritized over those that are purely educational in nature. Grants may be used to fund the production of print, radio, or television ads; to pay for advertising space or airtime; or to produce or distribute pamphlets, books, videos, or press packets. The application deadline is October 15, 2007. For more information, visit http://www.temperfund.org.

Tom's of Maine Corporate Giving Program provides support for nonprofit organizations nationally and internationally, with priority given to organizations impacting Maine. The company's areas of interest are the environment, human needs, the arts, and education. They are shifting their grant focus away from project-based grants (although they will still fund some projects) towards core mission and leadership grants. Application deadline is October 15. Visit http://www.tomsofmaine.com/toms/community/grant_guidelines.asp for more information.

Town Creek Foundation - The Foundation supports programs that engage citizens in challenging the unsustainable use of natural resources and in protecting biological diversity. Strategies supported are grassroots activism, monitoring the enforcement of environmental laws, public policy advocacy, collaborative opportunities, media outreach, and model or demonstration projects fostering sustainable policies and practices. Deadlines are November 19, 2007 and March 14, 2008. Visit www.towncreekfdn.org.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and North American Wetlands Conservation Council seek proposals for small grants for wetlands-associated conservation projects. Deadline: November 30, 2007. Funds: $2 million for 40 awards of up to $75,000 each. Eligibility: Individuals and organizations, such as higher education institutions. Areas: Activities include wetlands acquisition and restoration. Visit www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NAWCA/index.shtm.

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