Stewardship Grants

The Central Puget Sound Chapter has awarded stewardship grants since 2003 to help support projects that restore, protect, maintain and / or educate the public about native plants and native plant habitats. Funding for these grants is made available from the Chapter’s annual plant sales proceeds.

Applications are due in mid-March of each year and awards announced by June 1. Grant program announcements and applications are available on the WNPS home page www.wnps.org. Look for this information under “What’s New” beginning in February each year.

In the past, we have funded over 25 successful stewardship grant projects that include: native plants and materials for public habitat restoration projects, education gardens in schools, 6 public native plant demonstration gardens, and one research project.

If you or your group would like to submit a proposal to help fund your project, please obtain a grant application from the WNPS web site home page (http://wnps.org - look under “What’s New”) or by contacting me at the address given below. Applications are due by March 14 for awards to be announced in May. In order to fund several worthy projects every year, proposals must not request more than $500. Applicants must be members of WNPS Central Puget Sound Chapter to apply. Grants are available to all Chapter members. Proposals received after the deadline may be considered later if any funds remain after the first round of awards.

To qualify, projects must be in areas open to the public and must demonstrate an improvement to native plant habitat and / or the public’s understanding and appreciation of Washington’s native plants. Proposals should clearly describe the:

goals and benefits of the project,
specific tasks to be completed including any deliverable end products,
the project’s timeline,
the total amount requested including an itemized budget estimating how the money will be spent,
the total cost of the project (if known) and
any other resources available to the project (volunteers, in-kind donations, other grants, staff time, etc.).

Activities supported by the grant must be completed within one year of receiving the award. If the grant will be used as part of a larger project, a statement of how the larger project is being supported and how this grant will be integrated with other means of support will be required. See the Stewardship Grant Application on the WNPS website or contact me for further details.

One person must be designated as the grant administrator who will be responsible for turning in receipts for expenses and submitting a short final report at the end of the grant period. Grants will be awarded as reimbursement for authorized expenses. Up to one half of the award can be paid in advance; the balance will be paid at the completion of the project and submission of a final report and authorized receipts. The final report should include photos documenting the project and be suitable for printing in the Chapter newsletter or the Society’s quarterly journal Douglasia.

For information concerning the grant program and application requirements, please contact me at:

Gary Smith, Stewardship Chair
Central Puget Sound Chapter
jgary.smith@yahoo.com
(425) 672-1370