School & Community Habitat Grant
Our Mission: To assist residents with and provide leadership in the conservation, management, and wise use of natural resources in Washtenaw County.  The Washtenaw County Conservation District (WCCD), a local government agency, assists Washtenaw County residents through countywide resource assessments, conservation resource distributions, conservation education, one-on-one technical assistance, and resource programs including this grant.

Purpose of this Grant Program: The WCCD School and Community Habitat Grant is designed to assist schools and community organizations with accessing plants and establishing wildlife habitat. Restoring wildlife habitat creates natural ecosystems providing benefits to residents (human or otherwise) including purpose and connection to local ecology, greater biodiversity, air and water filtration, carbon sequestration, aesthetic beauty, and many more ecological services.

Grants will be awarded in the form of tree, shrub, native plant material through the WCCD distributions and technical assistance from WCCD and partners. Grant fund availability is dependent on donations made to the WCCD for this purpose and grant selections and awards will be made based on the amount donated.

Eligibility: Applicants must represent or be affiliated with a local school, nonprofit organization, or community group. The proposed site location must be a public or semi-public space in Washtenaw County. The applicant must be able to demonstrate ownership or permission in perpetuity at the proposed location. The application must demonstrate a benefit to local communities, natural and human.  Applicants need not be experts in ecology but demonstrate a willingness to learn!

Application Submission & Deadlines: All grant applications must be submitted by the deadline and requirements outlined on the application.

Habitat Grant Application Criteria:
The following list outlines the requirements of an application to be considered by the selection committee:
  1. Completed application submitted by deadline, June 10, 2022.
  2. Project’s site location
    1. Site must be contained within land owned by the applicant’s organization, or applicant must demonstrate a written contract of agreement with the landowner.
    2. The proposed area for the project must be clearly defined and dedicated for the project. The site should have adequate protection from (or resilience to) potential damage (human traffic, deer, etc.).
    3. Consideration for site location in a high use and visibility area accessible by the public or community.
    4. Extra consideration for locations without existing natural areas or habitat projects, or for projects that are part of a larger vision or initial phased plan of conservation projects.
  3. Project must demonstrate ongoing plan for support to maintain the site, including summer months.
    1. Plan must include dedicated person to coordinate and conduct maintenance.
    2. Plan must include secondary contact to assist and assume coordination/contact if the primary person leaves.
    3. Plan must include a COVID-19 health policy. This could be the organizations’ COVID-19 policy or adopt the WCCD policy (see website resources). The policy must meet current health orders by Washtenaw County’s Health Department and be adjusted accordingly and adhered to at the time of the project’s installation.
  4. Demonstrate Benefits
    1. Plan must demonstrate detail on how the project will benefit the school or community
      1. This should include a community engagement plan that could be through permanent educational signage, annual educational engagements in the space, etc.
    2. Must demonstrate in detail how the plan will provide natural and wildlife benefits.
      1. It is encouraged for plant selection to be primarily plants native to Michigan.
        See “What is considered Native?” and the WCCD distribution plant lists below.

GRANT AWARD:
Each grant award will be provided in the form of plant materials, expert design plans, and installation assistance. Recipients will be announced in July.

The WCCD staff and partners will provide the following:
  • Site visit for assessment & consultation: Consultation support for final site selection and developing a design plan (if requested).
  • Site design plan & maintenance plan: A consultant will work with recipient to finalize plant order per design plan (if requested).
  • Site materials: Provide native plants, trees, and/or shrubs and planting aids (tree shelters, etc) for the project. (Total value limited to grant award budget.) Requested materials will be available to pick up at a WCCD plant distribution event.
  • Site installation: Assist with installation day by providing tools and volunteer outreach (if requested).

Grant Awardee Responsibilities:
  1. Follow the Grant timeline to meet recipient’s requirements and complete the installation.
  2. Pre-installation:
    1. Submit list and quantities of requested tree, shrub, and native plant species to be provided by WCCD. Or otherwise demonstrate their plan to source necessary materials.
    2. Schedule a site visit for assessment, soil test, and planning.
    3. Schedule the project installation date according to the Grant Timeline.
  3. Post-installation:
    1. Install the provided WCCD Habitat sign at the site location.
    2. Document installation of materials and submit a Final Project Report. See “Reporting” below.
  4. Ongoing:
    1. Follow the final maintenance plan for the site.
    2. Update the WCCD if the site coordinator changes or if contact information changes.
    3. Provide a follow up report 1 year after the installation (see “Reporting” below).

Reporting & Documentation
Final Project Report – Post installation
After planting, a final report, including pictures, is required of all grant recipients. The report should outline the project’s installation, challenges, and plan for the first year. This report should be submitted no later than October 31, 2022 for fall installation, or June 30th, 2023 for spring installations. The report should have at least 3 good quality photos that the WCCD may use on our website and in publications to display and share the grant projects. The report and photos should be submitted digitally to the WCCD Resource Coordinator.

One Year Project Report
Recipients will also commit to submit a report one year from the date of the initial installation. This should include photos and an update of how the organization engaged with and maintained the space, and any significant successes/challenges. The goal is to ensure continue success for the project and inform future cycles of the grant.

What is considered Native?
We use the Ann Arbor Natural Areas Preservation description of native plants as “plants that were here before Europeans settled in Michigan in the 1700s”.  For more information about what is considered a native species, please visit the Michigan Natural Features Inventory at https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/

WCCD Program Contact
Please email the application form and all other supporting documents or questions to the WCCD Resource Coordinator, Doug Reith: doug@washtenawcd.org (734) 302-8713.

Apply to the 2022 Grant!

Applications must be submitted by the deadline with subject line “2022 School and Community Habitat Grant Application” to:
doug@washtenawcd.org 

Applications are accepted in the form of Word documents (.doc, .docx), PDF (.pdf), or a word document compatible format.

Please reach out if you need support to access or edit this document and submit in those formats. If necessary, printed hand-written applications can be submitted by request. 
Application Deadline: 
​Friday, June 10, 2022 at 4 p.m.
Grant Annual Timeline:
  1. October 2021 – September 2022: Donations accepted during WCCD resource distributions.
  2. March 2022: Grant application period opens.
  3. June 11, 2022: Grant application period closes.
  4. July 2022: Grant Recipients selected & notified.
  5. Aug-Oct 2022: Recipients schedule site assessments / design planning support visits as necessary.
  6. Sept-Oct 2022 OR April-June 2023: Recipients receive plant materials and support with installation.

Support Local Habitat Projects:

All donations will go to plant materials and support services for Schools and Communities to install wildlife habitat.
The grant's funds are dependent on these donations and grant selections will be made based on the amount donated.
All donations are tax deductible. A donation receipt will be provided at pick up or mailed to you.

2021 Grant Partners:

PlantWise - Native Landscapes & Ecological Restoration
PlantWise is a local business dedicated to creating, restoring, and interpreting native ecosystems and plant communities throughout Michigan, Ohio and northern Indiana. They will be contributing design plan and technical expertise to Grant Awardees.
     www.plantwiserestoration.com/

Grant Selection Comittee

The grant awards will be determined by a committee of local experts and community members. Are you interested to join the committee or would like to nominate someone else? 

We'd love to hear from you. Please contact our WCCD Resource Coordinator, Doug Reith:
doug@washtenawcd.org (734) 302-8713.
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Washtenaw County Conservation District
(734) 302-8715
info@washtenawcd.org
​ 705 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Copyright 2020
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