Deadline: May 25, 2012
Our nation’s public lands need our support every day. With stretched budgets and limited staff, land managers at federal, state and local public lands need all the help they can get. That help often comes from nonprofit organizations whose missions are focused on serving public land sites in the nation and the improvement and responsible use of those sites.
Sometimes these organizations are called Friends Groups, sometimes Cooperating Associations, sometimes, simply a partner. They are invaluable in supporting, promoting and helping maintain public lands.
These volunteer organizations, while dedicated and passionate, are often underfunded and understaffed. The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), with generous support from Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc., seeks to strengthen these organizations and unleash their potential to serve their public lands. NEEF’s Every Day Grants will strengthen the stewardship of public lands by strengthening Friends Groups through funding for organizational capacity building.
If a Friend Group can better engage the public, it can attract more volunteers. If it can attract more volunteers, it has a larger base of individuals to ask for support. If it can gain more support, it can offer more volunteer events.
For 2012, there will be two rounds of Every Day grants awarded. The first round of 25 grants will open for application in the fall of 2011. The second round of 25 grants will open for application in the spring of 2012. Applicants not awarded a grant in the first round, will be considered again in the second round.