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Open Lands Small Grants for Community Partnering

Mission and Intent | Grant Selection Criteria | Application Process | Award Selection Process | If Your Project Is Awarded a Small Grant

Loveland Youth Gardeners
Photo by Ernst Strenge

The mission of the Larimer County Open Lands Program is to preserve and protect significant open space, natural areas, and wildlife habitat and develop parks and trails for present and future generations. These open lands provide opportunities for leisure, human renewal and protection of our natural and cultural resources.

Mission and Intent of the Small Grants for Community Partnering

The Larimer County Small Grants Program was an initiative of the Larimer County Open Lands Program with the intent of dispersing Open Lands sales tax dollars throughout the County for a variety of projects related to the protection and enhancement of open space on public and private lands. The Program is in accordance with the mission and intent of the Open Lands Program as outlined in the 1995 and 1999 extension of the Help Preserve Open Spaces quarter-cent sales tax initiative.

The Small Grants Program was formalized in the 2001 Open Lands Master Plan, which was adopted by the Larimer County Planning Commission and the Board of County Commissioners and subsequently incorporated into the Larimer County Land Use Code. The following section from the 2001 Master Plan describes the Small Grants Program:

The Small Grants Program will continue to provide financing to projects nominated by individuals, nonprofit organizations and others for the protection or enhancement of open space, trails, natural areas, wildlife habitat, river areas and wetlands on private or public land. Currently, $10,000 annually has been awarded for grants up to $2,000 each for these projects. Selection of a project is made if it meets one or more of the following criteria:

Consistent with the Open Lands Master Plan
Provides or enhances natural areas, including wildlife habitat, river areas and wetlands
Provides linkages with existing open lands
Provides opportunities for environmental education, outdoor recreation or nature interpretation

In 2009, the Open Lands Advisory Board renamed the program to Small Grants for Community Partnering, and increased funding to $20,000 to be awarded for grants up to $2,000 each. The program was expanded to include projects which connect people to the land in agriculture, increased access to open lands, and research on open spaces.

The intent of the Small Grants Program as established by the Open Lands Program and Open Lands Advisory Board is:

To add to the protection and enhancement of public and private open spaces
To connect people to the land
To empower citizens by giving them the financial support necessary to implement projects that support the mission of the Open Lands Program and meet the criteria of Small Grants for Community Partnering
To reach segments of our communities with which the Open Lands Program has not historically interacted
To recognize efforts of Larimer County citizens who seek to enhance and protect public and private open spaces
To make available funding for the protection and enhancement of small scale projects on public and private open spaces
To provide citizens direct access to Open Lands sales tax dollars
To allow citizens to leverage dollars by providing them with the seed money necessary to begin implementation of a project
To encourage partnerships among citizens, the County, and other groups associated with the protection and enhancement of open spaces, agriculture, increased access to open lands, and research on open spaces
To increase visibility, support, and appreciation for the Open Lands Program

Small Grant Selection Criteria

North Fork Weed Coop
Photo by Ernst Strenge

The following selection criteria were developed by the Open Lands Program and the Open Lands Advisory Board. These criteria will be used by the Small Grants for Community Partnering subcommittee and Open Lands staff during an initial assessment of the grant applications to determine whether a project shall be retained for further consideration.

Grant applicants should carefully review these criteria to be sure their projects meet all of the selection criteria. If you have questions about the grant selection process or the criteria, please contact Sue Burke, by phone (970-679-4566) or by e-mail.

A proposed project seeking Small Grants for Community Partnering funding must meet all of the following criteria to be retained for consideration:

The proposed project must be in accordance with the mission of the Larimer County Open Lands Program, which states:
"The mission of the Larimer County Open Lands Program is to preserve and protect significant open space, natural areas, and wildlife habitat and develop parks and trails for present and future generations. These open lands provide opportunities for leisure, human renewal and protection of our natural and cultural resources."
The proposed project must meet one or more of the Small Grants for Community Partnering criteria:
1. Provides or enhances natural areas, including wildlife habitat, river areas, and wetlands
2. Provides linkages with existing open lands (Linkages may be either trails or wildlife habitat.)
3. Provides opportunities for environmental education, outdoor recreation, or nature interpretation
4. Provides opportunities for people to connect with the land through agriculture, increased access to open lands, or research on open spaces
Proposed projects must be land or water-based. Preferences will be given to projects associated with protected land.
Proposed "Agriculture" projects must meet the following criteria:
1. Provision of local food production, including community gardens, CSAs, etc., with a preference for projects which:
  - are community minded (connecting a community and its people to an area)
  - are conservation minded, and
  - have local distribution.
Proposed "Increased Access to Open Lands" projects must meet the following criteria:
1. Getting people out into designated open spaces or natural areas having a nexus with the open spaces sales tax dollars. Projects may include
  - nature-based education
  - nature-based health and wellness programs
  - nature-based recreation
  - transportation to open spaces and natural areas
2. Project must be approved through the special event process.
Proposed "Research on Open Spaces" projects must meet the following criteria:
1. Provision of new information about or a better understanding of Larimer County Department of Natural Resources' properties (which have a nexus with the open spaces sales tax dollars) or the people who use those properties. Projects should encourage intellectual curiosity about our natural world and/or how people connect to it. Research projects may be:
  - ecological (examples: species, plants, etc.);
  - behavioral (example: relationships of people to open spaces, etc.);
  - cultural (examples: barriers to use of open spaces, historical use of open spaces, etc.)
2. Project must be approved through the special event process.
To the extent possible, the Larimer County Open Lands Program will strive to distribute grant dollars throughout Larimer County.
Small Grant monies are for project implementation only and may not be used for salaries and/or project planning expenses, except for projects categorized as "Research on Open Spaces."
Government agencies including local, state, and federal agencies may not receive Small Grant funding. However, an individual, private group, or non-profit organization may apply for a Small Grant as a contributing partner or lead organization with an agency.
Projects receiving Small Grant funding may be on publicly owned land, including lands owned and managed by Larimer County. However, the project applicant must be a private individual, group, or organization, or a non-profit organization, and may not be a government agency. In order to be considered for a Small Grant, the applicant must include a letter of support from the managing agency in the application
Projects located within city or town limits are permissible under the Small Grants Program.
Small Grant funds will not be given to institutions (e.g. a university) or for-profit businesses for projects that occur on property owned and managed by the institution or business, except for projects categorized as "Agriculture." A private group or organization may apply for a Small Grant on behalf of these establishments. In addition, funding may be granted if the proposed project is located on land not owned and managed by the institution or business.
School groups or other organizations that may have changes in personnel or policies that may affect the long-term care and maintenance of the proposed project will typically not be funded, except for projects categorized as "Agriculture," "Increased Access to Open Lands," or "Research on Open Spaces."
Tools and other equipment (e.g. GPS units, weed sprayers, etc.) may be funded by the Small Grant Program with an acceptable justification of why these items are required for the project. A disposition plan for the tools and/or equipment following their use should be provided with the application. Requests for funds to purchase tools and/or equipment that will be donated to a public agency or organization after their intended use will be looked upon more favorably.
Transportation expenses will be funded only for projects categorized as "Increased Access to Open Lands" or "Research on Open Spaces."
All affected land owners must agree in writing with the project prior to the grant application.
Projects must have a minimum match of 50% of the requested Small Grant dollar amount. The match may be from in-kind services, private dollars, and/or other funding sources (e.g. other grants).
Regular, on-going maintenance efforts will not be funded by the Small Grants for Community Partnering.
A multi-phased project may be funded over multiple years. Requests for new funding will be partially dependent on past project accomplishments. If money received in previous funding years has not be spent at the time of the new request, new dollars will not be granted to the project until that money has been spent on its dedicated purpose. A project applicant must submit a complete application during each grant cycle that funds are being requested.
Projects that include planting and/or habitat improvement must use native and/or non-invasive, drought-resistant plant species that are appropriate for the selected environment, except for projects categorized as "Agriculture."
Providing public access and/or benefit are important features of a project that would be looked upon more highly by the Small Grants subcommittee, but is not required to receive Small Grant funding.
A final report will be required for all projects. Project will be monitored up to one (1) year following project initiation; and, some may be monitored again in Years 2-5, dependent on the opinion of the subcommittee and Small Grants coordinator. Multi-year projects will be monitored annually until the final year of funding at which time it will be determined by the subcommittee and Small Grants coordinator whether additional monitoring is necessary. If a project is found to be in unsatisfactory condition by the subcommittee and Small Grants coordinator, the grant applicant will not be eligible to receive future grants awards.
If applicable, a long-term maintenance plan may be required and should be included in the Small Grant application.

Following an initial screening of proposed projects, a pre-grant selection site visit will be conducted by Open Lands' staff and the Open Lands Advisory Board subcommittee members to all project sites that meet the above criteria.

Application Process

How to Acquire an Application

A Small Grants for Community Partnering application can be obtained by one of the following methods:

Download an application AND supporting documentation:
- Application Information
- Budget Worksheet: PDF version or Excel version
- Example Budget
- Financial Terms Disclaimer (IMPORTANT! This details tax ramifications for applicants who apply as individuals rather than as an entity.)
Contact Sue Burke by phone at 970-679-4566, by e-mail, or by mail at:
Small Grants for Community Partnering
c/o Sue Burke, Coordinator
Larimer County Department of Natural Resources
1800 S. County Road 31
Loveland, CO 80537
Pick up an application packet at Larimer County Department of Natural Resources' Administrative Offices at the Bison Visitor Center, 1800 S. County Road 31, Loveland

Application Timeline

Applications are due on Wednesday, October 14, 2009, by 3:00 p.m. Applications may be mailed to Small Grants for Community Partnering or hand delivered to the Bison Visitor Center (1800 S. County Road 31, Loveland, CO 80537).
Review of applications will be completed by Open Lands staff and the Open Lands Advisory Board between November 2009 and December 2009.
Following an initial screening of proposed projects, a pre-grant selection site visit will be scheduled with all grant applicants whose proposed projects meet all of the Selection Criteria. These site visits are mandatory and will be conducted by Open Lands staff and the Open Lands Advisory Board subcommittee members. Final selection of grant awards will be determined following site visits to all projects.
Proposal acceptance letters (including contracts) will be sent to grant recipients in February/March 2010. Letters will also been sent at this time to those applicants who have not been selected to receive a Small Grant.
Awards will be granted at the March meeting of the Open Lands Advisory Board, usually the fourth Thursday of the month.

Application Requirements

Thoroughly read the "Mission & Intent" and "Selection Criteria" to ensure Small Grants for Community Partnering is appropriate for your proposed project. If you have questions about the program or application, call or e-mail Sue Burke (970-679-4566).
Submit an original application and 4 copies by 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 14, 2009. Applications may be hand delivered at the Bison Visitor Center (1800 S. County Road 31, Loveland) or mailed to:
Small Grants for Community Partnering
c/o Sue Burke, Coordinator
Larimer County Department of Natural Resources
1800 S. County Road 31
Loveland, CO 80537

Award Selection Process

photo of High Plains Environmental Center

High Plains Environmental Center
Photo by Ernst Strenge

Following the application deadline, the Small Grants for Community Partnering coordinator will review all applications to ensure that they are complete and meet all of the Selection Criteria. Applications that are not complete or do not meet all of the Small Grant Selection Criteria will be eliminated from consideration.

Following the initial screening of proposed projects, a mandatory pre-grant selection site visit will be scheduled with all grant applicants whose proposed projects meet all of the Selection Criteria. These site visits will be conducted by Open Lands staff and the Open Lands Advisory Board subcommittee members. At the site visit, the applicant will show the location of the proposed project and discuss the details and benefits of the project and why it should be funded.

A "Small Grants for Community Partnering Project Score Card" will be used by each subcommittee member and the coordinator to assess each application. The scores of each subcommittee member and the coordinator will be combined to determine the top scoring applications.

Once the subcommittee finalizes their recommendations for projects to fund, the coordinator will present the recommendations to the Open Lands Advisory Board. The Open Lands Advisory Board will make the final selection of grant awards.

Note: The grant selection process is highly competitive and not all grant proposals will be funded.

If Your Project is Awarded a Small Grant

Once a project is selected to receive an award, a contract and Declaration between Larimer County and the grant recipient will be prepared by the coordinator and sent to the grant recipient for review and signing. These items will provide the amount of the grant award, what specific items may be purchased with the funds, the timeline for project completion, monitoring and reporting requirements, and other conditions. The contract and Declaration must be signed by both parties before the award may be granted.

The Small Grant awards will be presented to award recipients at the March meeting of the Open Lands Advisory Board, the last Thursday of the month. The Larimer County Board of County Commissioners will award the grant checks at the ceremony.

Small Grant award recipients must keep track of all project expenditures (including in-kind services and donations) and must save and submit all receipts for items purchased with Small Grant funds. A Final Report (which will include a summary of the project, before-during-after photos, and a financial summary with copies of all receipts) is due to the Small Grants for Community Partnering upon project completion. Failure to submit the Final Report will result in automatic disqualification for future awards.

A site visit will also be conducted following project completion, and follow-up monitoring visits may occur in subsequent years depending on the level of monitoring required for a particular project. Larimer County Open Lands' staff and Open Lands Advisory Board members will conduct the site visits with the award recipients.

Past Small Grant Applicants

"My 100 neighbors and I strongly support the leadership efforts of the Larimer County Open Lands Program to preserve open spaces in Larimer County. The Small Grants program provides important incentives to enlist private landowners as partners in preserving and managing open spaces at a minimal cost to the taxpayers." Bob Streeter, Trapper's Point Home Owners Association

	"This type of project is perfect for giving the kids something to do on a Saturday morning that is both meaningful and lasting." Master Naturalist Kathleen MacRill, Trees, Water and People

"By the end of the summer, our students had grown like the seeds they planted." Joann Wride, Loveland Youth Gardeners

	"Having completed the shelter to this point has greatly enhanced our ability to provide a comfortable, albeit rustic, camping and retreat opportunity for other organizations and individuals who wish to enjoy the scenic beauty and peaceful privacy that Blue Moon Mountain Ranch can now offer them." Linda Best, Blue Moon Mountain Ranch