2023 Biodiversity Conservation Grant: Enhancing Pollinator Habitats

Overview

With major support from Toyota Motor North America, the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) is excited to announce $200,000 in grant funding to support shovel-ready pollinator habitat enhancement projects on America’s public lands.

Habitat enhancement projects should directly support the creation, restoration, remediation, improvement, and/or protection of habitats for important pollinator species such as butterflies, bees, bats, and more. The project should impact pollinators on at least 150 acres of public land. Additionally, projects should incorporate community outreach and engagement activities designed to educate and empower the public to help enhance pollinator habitats.

FUNDING PRIORITIES

Habitat Enhancement Projects: Projects must implement on-the-ground activities designed to increase the quality, quantity, and connectivity of pollinator habitats. Applicants must define a step-by-step plan including site preparation, size of the project area, and description of target pollinator. If preparing a proposal that includes collecting seeds or cultivating native seedlings, applicants should describe the intended use of the seed or seedlings. The project should be shovel-ready, meaning ready to implement the proposed project within 3 months of the award date. 

Community Engagement: Projects must provide opportunities for public engagement through education or volunteer focused events. Projects should aim to collaborate with a diverse group of community partners to achieve engagement and educational outcomes. Grantees will be required to report on the number of events implemented and the number of participants engaged during the grant period. 

PROJECT METRICS
To better gauge progress on individual grants and to ensure greater consistency of project data provided by multiple grantees, NEEF has provided a list of recommended project metrics. All applicants must commit to collecting and reporting on key project metrics listed below. 

Acres Enhanced: 

• Number of Acres (minimum 150 acres)
• Number of Acres of Monarch Habitat
• Number of Individual Project Work Sites

Biodiversity Enhanced: 

• Number of Pollinator Species Promoted
• Number of Imperiled Species Protected
• Number of Native Plant Species Installed
• Number of Milkweed Plants Installed

Community Members Engaged: 

• Number of Individuals Engaged in Volunteer Activities 
• Number of Individuals Engaged in Outreach Activities 
• Number of Landowners Engaged
• Number of Toyota Employees Engaged
• Number of Individuals Engaged from Underserved Communities

APPLICATION PROCESS AND TIMELINE
The grant competition will be a two-part process. Those interested in applying must first submit a Letter of Intent (LOI). NEEF will then select and invite LOI finalists to submit a full application for review. From that pool, NEEF will then choose its grantees. 

The timeline is as follows:

LOI deadline: March 10, 2023
Finalists invited to submit Application: April 10, 2023 
Application due: May 10, 2023
Grants awarded: June 9, 2023
Grant period: July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024