What's New @ Ramsar

U.S.A.'s National NGO Ramsar Committee announces small grants program

[The Ramsar Bureau is delighted to pass on the news of the inauguration of a new small grants fund for assisting Ramsar sites in the United States. The US National Ramsar Committee is composed of leading non-governmental organizations that are concerned with wetland conservation and wise use. The new initiative is not a programme of the Ramsar Bureau itself. -- Web Editor.]

U.S. National Ramsar Committee

Small Grants Program

The U.S. National Ramsar Committee offers a Small Grants Program to assist wetlands conservation and awareness at and adjacent to U.S. Ramsar sites. Grants will be made on a matching funds basis to local organizations for projects to support various needs at these wetlands.

Eligible Projects: Examples of such projects include (but are not limited to) the following:

• signage
• trails or boardwalks
• educational and outreach materials
• educational and outreach programs
• repairs or additions to the physical site – either to buildings or the wetland

Requirements:

A grant application must include the following elements:

• Name, location and description of Ramsar site that will benefit from the proposed project.
• Abstract summarizing the proposed project.
• Description of the proposed project for which support is requested and how the small grant will further conservation objectives at this site.
• Budget for the project, including the local match (5% minimum) and any other funding to be used. A sample form appears at the end of this announcement.
• Description of the requesting organization.
• Name, address, phone, fax and e-mail of the person responsible for managing the grant.

Preparation of the application:

• Submit only typed pages; do not send videos, scrapbooks or other such materials.
• Must not exceed 1,000 typed words.

Deadline for application submission: no later than COB November 1, 2000.

Notification of grant awards: December 1, 2000.

Once a grant has been awarded, the grantee must fulfill the following requirements:

• Account for expenditure of all funds, including the local match, within 30 days following completion of the project.
• Submit a Final Report, including photographs, if possible, within 30 days following completion of the project. This report should describe how the project was implemented, including achievement of objectives, unexpected successes/failures, and resolution of any problems encountered.

Limitations:

• Proposals should be in the $500 to $1,500 range, and must include at least a 5% nonfederal match secured by the local grantee. The match may include in-kind as well as direct financial contributions.
• Grants may not be used to pay salaries, transportation, or rental of space.

How to Apply: Submit your application no later than COB November 1, 2000, signed by the person responsible for managing the grant, to: U.S. National Ramsar Committee, c/o Terrene Institute, 4 Herbert Street, Alexandria, VA 22305; 703/548-5473.

Questions? Contact either Don MacLauchlan, 202/624-7890; donmac@sso.org; or Judy Taggart, 703/548-5473; jtaggart@erols.com.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has provided the grant to make the Small Grants Program possible.

Sample Budget Form

*Tasks will differ by type of project; use general categories specific to your project.

List of grants awarded in the first round, January 2001

For further information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ramsar@ramsar.org). Posted 23 August 2000, updated 17 January 2001, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.