Local Environment Grants

The City of Evanston's "Sustain Evanston" Incentive Program is a funding tool designed to empower small business owners to implement sustainability measures. This initiative directly aligns with the City’s Climate Action & Resilience Plan, serving the foundational mission of fostering a more sustainable community. By offering financial assistance, the program aims to reduce operating costs for businesses while simultaneously enhancing their service to customers through environmentally friendly practices. This strategic alignment underscores the city's commitment to both economic vitality and ecological responsibility. The primary beneficiaries of this program include commercial property owners, tenants of commercial buildings, business districts, and coalitions of businesses within the City of Evanston. The impact goals are centered on improving the environmental footprint of local businesses, promoting sustainable infrastructure, and encouraging eco-conscious operations. Through these efforts, the program seeks to create a more resilient and environmentally sound local economy, benefiting both businesses and residents. The program prioritizes a broad range of sustainability measures, categorized into capital projects, equipment, services, and education materials. Key focuses include the adoption of heat pumps, EV charging infrastructure, solar PV, waste collection enclosures, green infrastructure like green roofs, and energy-efficient upgrades such as insulation and windows. Equipment priorities involve reusable containers, energy-efficient lighting, and appliances. Services like composting, recycling, energy/water benchmarking, and consulting are also emphasized, alongside educational signage and labels. These priorities reflect a holistic approach to sustainability, addressing various facets of business operations. Expected outcomes include a significant reduction in the operational costs for participating businesses due to increased energy efficiency and waste reduction. Measurable results will likely involve the number of businesses implementing sustainable upgrades, the amount of energy saved, the volume of waste diverted from landfills, and the expansion of green infrastructure within the city. The program's strategic approach is to incentivize tangible changes that collectively contribute to the City’s broader Climate Action & Resilience Plan, acting as a catalyst for widespread sustainable practices within the business community. This aligns with a theory of change where financial incentives drive behavioral and infrastructure changes, leading to a more sustainable and resilient urban environment.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations and government entities that aim to improve the quality of life for residents in Kossuth County, Iowa, through various community-focused projects.

The Ohio Animal Foundation is currently accepting applications for its grant program, which aims to support animal welfare initiatives across the state. While the foundation's overarching mission isn't explicitly detailed, the focus of this grant program on rescue and shelter services, as well as wildlife protection, education, and rehabilitation, strongly indicates an alignment with improving the lives of animals and protecting wildlife within Ohio. The target beneficiaries for this grant program are Ohio-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that are in good standing, specifically those involved in animal rescue, shelter services, or wildlife programs. The program intends to support services for domestic, companion, and farm animals, as well as feral and community cats. It also extends its reach to wildlife protection, education, and rehabilitation efforts. The impact goals are to provide essential funding to these organizations, enabling them to continue their vital work in animal care and protection. The priorities and focuses of the grant program are clearly defined. A significant emphasis is placed on "Rescue and Shelter Services," which includes a broad spectrum of animal care, from domestic animals to feral cat programs. Additionally, "Wildlife Protection, Education and Rehabilitation Programs" are a key area of interest, highlighting the foundation's commitment to both domesticated and wild animal populations. The typical grant range of $250-$500 suggests a strategy of providing smaller, impactful grants to a wider array of organizations. While specific expected outcomes and measurable results are not explicitly stated, it can be inferred that the foundation aims to see improvements in animal welfare metrics such as increased adoptions, successful rescue operations, effective rehabilitation of injured wildlife, and enhanced public education on animal care and protection. The modest grant size suggests a focus on supporting operational costs or specific, smaller-scale projects that can demonstrate tangible benefits within these fields. The foundation's strategic priorities and theory of change appear to center on empowering local Ohio-based nonprofits to directly address animal welfare needs. By providing financial assistance to established 501(c)3 organizations, the Ohio Animal Foundation likely believes that it can most effectively leverage existing infrastructure and expertise to achieve its goals. The exclusion of funding for individuals further supports this approach, focusing resources on organizations with a proven capacity for impact.

This grant provides financial support to San José-based nonprofit arts and cultural organizations that promote community engagement and contribute to the city's cultural vitality through diverse artistic programming.

The Charles County Forestry Grant Program, offered by the Chesapeake Bay Trust in partnership with Charles County, aims to implement cost-effective reforestation and afforestation projects. The program seeks to increase tree canopy, create forest habitat, improve water quality, and provide ecosystem services such as potable water and air quality. Eligible projects should be in Charles County, Maryland, and must place reforested areas under an easement for protection in perpetuity. Applicants can request up to $20,000, with typical requests being less than $4,500 per acre. Matching funds are encouraged but not required.

This grant provides funding to educators in Miami County, Ohio, for environmental education programs focused on solid waste issues, including recycling and waste reduction activities.

This grant provides funding to local nonprofit organizations and government entities in Grundy County to support projects that improve community life in areas such as arts, education, health, and environmental welfare.

This funding opportunity supports public agencies, tribes, and nonprofit organizations in California to restore coastal environments, improve public access, and enhance climate resilience, particularly for historically underrepresented communities.

This funding opportunity provides up to $5,000 to non-profit organizations in Portland for projects that address climate change while promoting racial and social justice.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to local organizations and communities in Boulder County to implement innovative projects that promote resource conservation and advance circular economy practices, ultimately helping to combat climate change.

This funding opportunity provides financial and technical support for installing electric vehicle charging infrastructure in multifamily buildings across Washington, D.C., with a focus on underserved communities.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to eligible nonprofit organizations in Cheyenne to assist low- and moderate-income residents through projects focused on housing, infrastructure, and essential services.

This grant provides funding to non-profit organizations, neighborhood associations, and local businesses in Bloomington to support projects that improve pedestrian and bicycle mobility and promote active transportation in the community.

This funding initiative provides financial support and mentorship for young people in Aspen to develop and implement community-based environmental and climate action projects.

This program provides financial support to organizations and event organizers in Vancouver, Washington, to promote tourism through cultural events, festivals, and the development of tourism-related facilities.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to non-profits, neighborhood associations, and community-focused organizations in Akron for projects that engage residents and improve local neighborhoods.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to public and nonprofit organizations in Lewiston to deliver essential services that improve the quality of life for low- and moderate-income individuals and families.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for organizations to develop training programs that prepare workers for energy efficiency jobs in small buildings, helping to meet upcoming energy performance standards in Washington, D.C.

This grant provides financial support to nonprofit organizations that deliver essential social services to residents of Claremont, California, focusing on both general community needs and critical issues like homelessness.

This program provides funding to public, private, and nonprofit entities for replacing high-polluting diesel or CNG vehicles with zero-emission alternatives to improve air quality and public health in Santa Barbara County.