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 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 greater biodiversity, air and water filtration, carbon sequestration, aesthetic beauty, and many more. 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 or nonprofit organization. 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. Habitat Grant Application Criteria: The following list outlines the requirements of an application to be considered by the selection committee:
Each grant award will be provided in the form of plant materials, expert design plans, and installation assistance. Recipients will be announced in July 2021 on the WCCD newsletter, website, and Facebook. The WCCD staff and partners will provide the following:
A written Final Project 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, 2021 for fall installation, or June 30th, 2022 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. Recipients will also commit to submit a Habitat Update 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. 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 Grant:All grant applications must be submitted via email in a document or via the online application.
Emailed applications must be in a Word Doc or PDF format (.doc, .docx, .pdf) and emailed to doug@washtenawcd.org with subject line, “2021 School and Community Habitat Grant Application”. Emailed or online applications must be finished and submitted by the deadline. Application Deadline:
Friday, June 11, 2021 at 4 p.m. Grant Annual Timeline:
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. Grant Partners:
![]() 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 ComitteeThe 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. |