[RWG] FUNDING: PCA's NPCI Grant Program

[Plant Conservation]

Information on the Plant Conservation Alliance's Grant Program
(administered by the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation) is now
available.  The timeline for the Request for Proposals (two yearly
cycles) is as follows:

For the first cycle,
Applications must be postmarked: December 1, 2003
Anticipated announcement of awards: March 31, 2004

For the second cycle,
Applications must be postmarked: July 15, 2004
Anticipated announcement of awards: November 30, 2004

Please see the flyer below and their website
(http://www.nfwf.org/programs/npci.htm) for applications and more
information.  The PCA website will be updated with this information soon.

Olivia Kwong
SER/PCA
http://www.nps.gov/plants/

------------------------------------------------

Grant Funding Available
For Native Plant and Pollinator Conservation Projects

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, in partnership with the Plant
Conservation Alliance, is pleased to announce a Request for Proposals for
the 2003-2004 Native Plant Conservation Initiative (NPCI). Through this
initiative, grants of federal dollars will be provided to non-profit
organizations and agencies at all levels of government* to promote the
conservation of native plants.

NPCI grants are modest, ranging from $5,000 to $40,000 with an average
grant size of $15,000.  It is expected that all grant funds will be
matched by non-federal contributions from project partners.  In-kind
contributions of goods or services are eligible as match for this program.
There is a strong preference for "on-the-ground" projects that involve
local communities and citizen volunteers in the restoration of native
plant communities.  Projects that include a pollinator conservation
component are also encouraged.

NPCI funds cannot be used for direct land acquisition costs or political
advocacy.  Basic research projects are unlikely to be funded unless of
direct relevance to the management of native plants by a participating
federal agency.  Projects that primarily involve the control of invasive
or noxious weeds should consider the Foundation's "Pulling Together
Initiative" (PTI), rather than NPCI.

Support for NPCI is provided by four federal agencies:

- U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service funds are available for native plant
conservation projects on National Wildlife Refuges and for projects on
private or public lands that directly benefit the conservation of U. S.
FWS trust species.

- Bureau of Land Management funds are available for native plant
conservation projects on BLM lands, or for work on non-BLM lands that is
of direct relevance to the management of BLM lands.

- USDA Forest Service funds are available for projects that directly
benefit the conservation of native plants on Forest Service lands, or for
projects on non-Forest Service lands that directly benefit the Forest
Service mission*.

- National Park Service funds are available to support conservation
projects conducted on NPS lands that benefit terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystems, and native plants and animals.

Applicants proposing to do work on federal agency lands are strongly
encouraged to obtain letters of support from agency program managers or
decision-makers who are familiar with their work.

For more information about the grants program and to download an
application form, please visit the NFWF-NPCI website,
http://www.nfwf.org/programs/npci.htm

*USDA staff are not eligible to receive NFWF grants directly, but are
encouraged to work with other eligible organizations to develop proposals.