The Healthy Watersheds Consortium (HWC), a partnership between the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, has called for 2018 Request for Proposals. The goal of the HWC Grant Program is to “accelerate strategic protection of healthy, freshwater ecosystems and their watersheds”, with primary focus on prevention of land deterioration in the watershed by:
- Developing funding mechanisms, plans, or other strategies to implement large-scale watershed protection, source water protection, green infrastructure, or related landscape conservation objectives;
- Building the sustainable organizational infrastructure, social support, and long-term funding commitments necessary to implement large-scale protection of healthy watersheds; and
- Supporting innovative or catalytic projects that may accelerate funding for or implementation of watershed protection efforts, or broadly advance this field of practice.
Applications are due February 1, 2018 at 8 p.m. Eastern and up to $3 million is available.
Additionally, two webinars have been scheduled to help those interested to get more information about the HWC Grant Program.
- On September 26, 2017, 2-3 p.m. Eastern — Peaks to People Water Fund: Lessons learned in the proof of concept phase and demonstration of the Watershed Investment Tool. Learn about work to accelerate forest restoration in Colorado to reduce the threat of severe wildfire in watersheds. The Peaks to People Water Fund received a Healthy Watersheds Consortium Grant Program award in 2016.
- On October 11, 2017, 2-3 p.m. Eastern – An informational webinar that will provide an overview of priorities for the 2018 program and a forum to answer questions about the program and the application and selection process.
For more information on the Healthy Watersheds Consortium Grant Program, resources that will help develop your proposal, and to register for the webinars, visit: http://www.usendowment.org/healthywatersheds.html