Planning and conservation › Natural areas, parks and trails › Protecting habitat and water › Restoration and enhancement grants
Metro funds projects designed to connect citizens to their watershed through hands-on restoration activities and environmental education.
Register now to attend Metro's free grant writing workshop 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. Call 503-797-1834 or send e-mail to kristin.blyler@oregonmetro.gov.
The Portland metropolitan area is set in an exceptional natural landscape. Laced with rivers and streams, surrounded by hills and mountains, it is a place where nature is always nearby. These distinct features help sustain residents' health, foster a thriving economy and connect people to where they live.
The protection and restoration of our region's natural inheritance and the integration of it into the urban environment exceeds what any one organization can accomplish. It requires resources dedicated for this purpose, and the coordinated and strategic action of many.
Metro's Restoration and Enhancement grant program supports hands-on activities and environmental education programs that protect and contribute to watershed health in the region. The program connects community-minded people to their neighborhoods, natural areas, backyards and beyond.
The funding cycle for Metro's restoration and enhancement grant program is from 12 to 24 months. Typically, an announcement about the availability of funds is made in the fall, free grant-writing workshops are offered in early winter and funds are made available beginning in July. Requests can range from $5,000 to $25,000; a 1:1 match is required.
A pre-application is the first step in the request process. Due in mid-January, the initial submittal gives Metro and the applicant a more complete understanding of the size, scope and feasibility of the request. Successful pre-applicants are notified in early February and invited to submit a final grant application that is due in March. Grant awards are announced in May.
Proposals are accepted from nonprofit organizations including, but not limited to, an individual, citizen or business group, schools, government agency, or charitable organization with 501(c)(3) status undre the Internal Revenue Code. This requirement can be fullfilled through an agreement with a fiscal agent. Applicants are required to have at least three partners on their project team.
Projects must take place within Metro jurisdictional boundary. In general, the target area encompasses the 25 cities located within Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties.
Projects must meet one or more of the project funding objectives (the order of the list does not imply ranking or weighting):
Metro has invested nearly $1.5 million in 74 local restoration and enhancement projects since the program was established in 2006. Grants have been used to actively engage residents in efforts to improve or enhance watershed health.
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Metro is proud to provide funds for local projects that help create livable communities. Find information about Metro grant opportunities for topics of particular interest to you.
Hundreds of local youth and adult volunteers planted 6,000 native trees and shrubs along a quarter-mile stretch of the Springwater Corridor in Lents. To date, 300 cubic yards of concrete, gravel and asphalt has been removed and recycled from the former lumber mill site in outer Southeast Portland.
