Grant INFORMATION

• GRANT ELIGIBILITY

  Applicant must be 18 years or older.
  
  At this time, funding is restricted to United States and Canadian citizens and projects.
  
  Must have a record of prior experience in the fields of research, conservation or exploration, which should be submitted as it pertains to the proposed project.
  
  Application must be submitted with all required documents, supporting materials and references.
  
  Grants will not be limited to enrolled graduate students, scientific researchers or individuals with non-profit affiliations, but these groups will be favored. Individuals not associated with the aforementioned groups will be required to specifically outline in sufficient detail how their personal work has prepared them for, and will dovetail with, broader regional and local efforts surrounding their area of interest as it relates to the grant proposal.

• GRANT AMOUNT

  SITKA® Ecosystem Grants vary in amount depending on significance of the project, though most range between US $3,000 and $20,000. However, we do not have a cap on individual grant funding requests. Each grant request is reviewed on a case by case basis. SEG funds often serve as complimentary support, which is why we encourage applicants to seek additional, concurrent funding, and disclose supporting funds and partners within the SEGapplication.

• WILL SITKA® ECOSYSTEM GRANTS SUPPORT GRANTS OVER A MULTI-YEAR PERIOD?

  Typically, SITKA® Ecosystem Grants support projects for one year. However, in certain circumstances, we support grants on a multi-year basis.

• GRANT RESTRICTIONS

  SITKA® Ecosystem Grants may not be used for indirect cost expenditures, overhead, and other expenses not directly related to this project. Fringe benefits are also excluded, as are salaries.
  
  Funds may not be used for travel to scientific / professional meetings or conferences, tuition, vacations, study abroad programs, volunteer activities, legal actions, land acquisition, endowments, or publication of research results.
  
  Grantees are expected to provide SITKA with the rights of first refusal for popular publication and other media coverage of their project, efforts and findings.

• CURIOUS IF YOUR PROJECT FITS?

  As we review grants, we initially consider each through the lens of our Ecosystem Thinking framework. Does the proposed grant fit? Does the proposed grant touch on one or more of the nodes within the Ecosystem Thinking wheel? If so, you’re on the right track.

• TIMING

  SITKA® Ecosystem Grants are accepted and reviewed monthly on a rolling basis. Please note that we will reach out to you if and when your grant is awarded. This is a highly competitive grant, and therefore we must be thorough in our review and prioritization of grant applications.

• WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS AND EFFORTS THAT HAVE BEEN FUNDED?

  Supporting efforts to remove fencing that prohibits or threatens ungulate migrations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and efforts to install wildlife friendly fencing in key migratory areas.
  
  Supporting research efforts to better understand mallard duck overwinter habitat use and population dynamics in the Mississippi River Flyway.
  
  Supporting a scholarship fund for a Montana backcountry hunting course tailored to youth and first time hunters.
  
  Supporting a local trail crew who, on their personal time, maintain and restore public trails.
  
  Supporting efforts to restore the Mississippi River Delta by planting native trees to help capture downstream transported sediment, strengthen existing freshwater ecosystems and reduce the rate at which critical habitat and land is lost due to sea level rise, increase frequency and severity of storms, saltwater encroachment and a reduction of land building downstream sediment transport.
  
  Supporting efforts by leading scientific groups and universities to research CWD with hopes of curbing its spread, and lobbying efforts to pass legislation that can increase CWD education, advocacy and awareness.

• SITKA® ECOSYSTEM GRANTS HAVE SUPPORTED GROUPS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

  Individuals (not affiliated with a University, non-profit or formal organization)
  
  University researchers and research groups
  
  State and Federal Government
  
  Non-Profits, both local and national

• WILL WE REACH OUT TO YOU IF YOUR GRANT IS NOT AWARDED?

  Due to the growing interest in the SITKA® Ecosystem Grants program, we will no longer be reaching out to grant applicants whose grants will not be supported at this time. That being said, we encourage interested individuals and groups to re-apply down the road. Our goal is to support as many grants as possible each year. While your grant may not have been awarded this time around, that does not preclude your grant from being awarded in the future.

• IF YOUR SITKA® ECOSYSTEM GRANT IS FUNDED, WILL SITKA® PROMOTE YOUR PROJECT THROUGH DIGITAL AND PRINT

  SITKA® will, for certain grants, work with grantees to create content and storytelling assets to showcase a particular project and the important efforts underway. In this case, members from our creative team will reach out to you to explore these opportunities.

• CONTACT INFORMATION

  Please reach out to [email protected]

Grant Criteria

• The Basic Requirements

  All SITKA® Ecosystem Grant (SEG) projects should be of the highest quality and have the potential to advance and transform the confluence of the environmental + social landscape as it relates to wildlife, stewardship and conservation.
  
  SEG projects should contribute to achieving environmental goals principally, where by doing so, society at large and the ecosystems we are inextricably bound to benefit. This includes wild, suburban and/or urban ecosystems alike.
  
  Potential impacts and success metrics must be qualified and quantified through research and data, grassroots and community efforts, management efforts and outcomes, media and content, and activities that are supported by and or complimentary to the SEG supported project.

• Application Assessment

  Assessment and evaluation of proposals will lean on a desired balance between the effect of broader impacts and resources provided to implement the project.
  
  Application must be submitted with all required documents, supporting materials and references.
  
  Grantees are expected to be accountable for carrying out the activities and methods described in the funded project. To accomplish this, grant applicants should include clear and defined goals, descriptions of activities, timelines, benchmarks and an established plan in place to document (e.g., photo or video) the process and results of those activities. Applicant must have documentation of 501c3, 501c4 or tax deductible academic institution affiliation, if applicable.