MS. Foundation RFP: Women & Green Jobs

http://ms.foundation.org/grants/rfps

The passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in 2009 made hundreds of billions of dollars available for economic stimulus for infrastructure investment, job training and creation, and funds for extending unemployment and emergency benefits, just to name a few. Since then, states and municipalities have exercised wide discretion in choosing which reforms to implement and which funds to accept, and a lack of transparency and accountability has prevented dollars from reaching communities most in need.

The Ms. Foundation's priority is to ensure that women, particularly low-income women and women of color, who have been disproportionately impacted by the economic recession, benefit to the greatest degree possible from ARRA implementation.

In this Request for Proposals, the Ms. Foundation seeks to compliment our overall grantmaking for economic justice by supporting two specific areas of ARRA implementation, both with significant long term impact on the meaningful participation of low income women and women of color in the economy:

• Expanding the availability of affordable child care and improving the quality of child care jobs and
• Securing training and job set-asides for women in emerging green sectors

The deadline for all applications is Monday 29 March 2010, 2:00 p.m. EDT.

American Water Environmental grants

American Water state subsidiaries are accepting applications for the 2010 Environmental Grant Program.

The program offers funds for innovative community-based environmental projects that improve, restore, or protect the watersheds, surface water, and/or groundwater supplies in communities served by American Water in California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Participating states will award grants of up to $10,000 each to support diverse types of environmental sustainability activities such as watershed cleanups, reforestation efforts, biodiversity projects, streamside buffer restoration projects, and hazardous waste collection efforts.

To qualify for Environmental Grant funding, a proposed project must be located within an American Water service area; must be completed between May 1, 2010, and November 30, 2010; and must be a new or innovative community initiative or serve as significant expansion to an existing program.

The 2010 program brochure and specific state subsidiary information is available at the American Water Web site. Link to Complete RFP

Conservation Fellowships

[From Philanthropy News Digest:]
TogetherGreen, an alliance between the National Audubon Society and Toyota, is accepting applications for its Conservation Fellowships and Innovation Grants.

Through TogetherGreen Conservation Fellowships, forty promising individuals (half from the Audubon network and half from external organizations) will be chosen for their leadership potential, skills, and commitment to engaging people of diverse backgrounds in conservation action. Fellows receive a $10,000 grant, assistance launching a conservation action project, and specialized training. They also become part of an alumni network of conservation professionals from across the country. Fellowship candidates must have at least six years' experience in some aspect of the environment.

TogetherGreen Innovation Grants annually provide funding that enables the Audubon Society and its partners to support activities that engage people in conservation action and create healthier communities. Grant funds will be awarded to Audubon's broad national network — including Audubon chapters, programs, centers, sanctuaries, and independent Audubon groups — each working in partnership with one or more external organizations. Recipients will be chosen based on their innovative ideas for achieving conservation results focused on habitat, water, and energy. Selected grants will also need to demonstrate how they are reaching new and diverse communities and helping people get engaged in local conservation action.

Audubon will select a minimum of forty proposals and provide more than $1 million in total support. Grants will range from $5,000 to $80,000 each, with the majority averaging roughly $25,000.

Visit the TogetherGreen Web site for complete application information.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

Great Lakes Action Plan

FEB. 21, 2010 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Washington, D.C. – Governor Edward G. Rendell, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and members of the Council of Great Lakes Governors unveiled an ambitious action plan designed to address the most serious environmental challenges facing the Great Lakes ecosystem.

“The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative highlights the important and urgent cause of protecting and restoring this valuable natural treasure,” Governor Rendell said. “Pennsylvania may only represent a small portion of the Great Lakes basin, but we have strong ideas and plans on how to return the Lake Erie watershed to good health. This action plan is an unprecedented opportunity for state and local partners in Pennsylvania’s Great Lakes watersheds to take steps that will have a lasting benefit.”

In February 2009, President Obama proposed $475 million for a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The action plan unveiled today identifies goals, objectives and targets for programs and projects aimed at improving the Great Lakes ecosystem. The plan also outlines how the initiative’s measures will be implemented through 2014.

The plan addresses issues including toxic substances and areas of concern; invasive species; near-shore health and nonpoint source pollution; and protections for habitat and wildlife.

The Governor said monitoring and evaluating the plan’s actions will help to ensure accountability, and that continuing clear and regular communications and strong partnerships will be critical to the plan’s eventual success.

“The priorities identified in the federal government’s 2010 spending plan and the multi-year action plan support Pennsylvania’s ongoing Great Lakes efforts,” Governor Rendell said. “One of our first cooperative tasks will be integrating the numerous existing federal, state and local restoration plans into a specific set of priorities and actions to create a blueprint for future action by both government and non-government organizations in Pennsylvania.”

For more information, visit www.epa.gov/glnpo/glri/.

President's Energy Budget Invests in Innovation, Clean Energy, and National Security Priorities

Washington D.C. --- U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu detailed President Barack Obama’s $28.4 billion Fiscal Year 2011 budget request for the Department of Energy, highlighting the Administration’s commitment to create jobs with the development of a clean energy economy, invest in advanced science, research and innovation, maintain a strong nuclear deterrent and secure nuclear materials both at home and abroad, and improve energy efficiency to help curb greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. The FY 2011 budget request also places an emphasis on DOE improving fiscal performance with the proposed creation of a new initiative on Management Reform.

Some additional highlights in the FY 2011 budget include:

• More than $217 million in new funding for science research and discovery, including an additional $40 million for the existing Energy Frontier Research Centers program and $107 million for Energy Innovation Hubs.
• $300 million for the Advanced Research Project Agency – Energy (ARPA-E);
• Lending authority to support approximately $40 billion in loan guarantees for innovative clean energy programs.
• More than $108 million in new funding to advance and expand research in the areas of wind, solar and geothermal energies.
• More than $550 million in new funding for NNSA's Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation program, which will accelerate the Department's efforts to implement President Obama's commitment to lead the international effort to secure vulnerable nuclear material around the world within four years.
• More than $624 million increase for the NNSA's weapons activities, helping maintain the safety, security and effectiveness of the nuclear deterrent without underground nuclear testing, renewing our investment in Science, Technology and Engineering programs, and funding major long-term construction projects needed to restore critical capabilities in plutonium and uranium.

For more information about the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget proposal for the Department of Energy, please visit Energy.gov's Budget and Performance page.

Green communities grants

[Philanthropy News Digest] Created by Enterprise Community Partners in partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council, Green Communities is a five-year, $555 million initiative to build more than 8,500 environmentally healthy homes for low-income families in the United States. The initiative provides grants, financing, tax-credit equity, and technical assistance to developers who meet Green Communities Criteria for affordable housing that promotes health, conserves energy and natural resources, and provides easy access to jobs, schools, and services.

Green Communities is now offering charrette grants of up to $5,000 each for green affordable housing developers who want to convene intense working sessions with the development team and others who share an interest in promoting health and livability.

A Green Communities charrette will involve an intense working session that brings together a diverse group of housing development professionals as well as funders, policy makers, and community stakeholders (where possible) to integrate sustainable green design principles into affordable housing developments. Enterprise will award grants to cover the cost of facilitating a charrette during pre-development and to cover the cost of facilitating a post-construction sustainability training session.

The charrette grant program is open to 501(c)(3) nonprofits, public housing authorities, and tribally designated housing entities; for-profit entities; and for-profit entities participating through joint ventures with qualified organizations.

Visit the Enterprise Web site for complete program information and application materials.

Nearly $130 devoted to energy efficieny, workforce issues

The Obama Administration recently announced a multi-agency initiative to spur regional economic growth while making buildings more energy efficient. Seven federal agencies today issued a combined Funding Opportunity Announcement of up to $129.7 million over five years to create a regional research center that will develop new building efficiency technologies and work with local partners to implement the technologies in area buildings. The Department of Labor press release can be viewed here.

The agencies are working together to leverage funding and resources to promote regional growth through an Energy Regional Innovation Cluster (E-RIC) that is centered around an Energy Innovation Hub focused on developing new technologies to improve the design of energy-efficient building systems. This Energy Innovation Hub, one of three proposed by the Administration and funded by Congress in the FY10 budget, will bring together a multidisciplinary team of researchers, ideally working under one roof, to conduct research and work to solve priority technology challenges that span work from basic research to engineering development to commercialization readiness.

"The Department of Labor will engage local and regional networks of Workforce Investment Boards and One-Stop Career centers to ensure that workers reap the maximum benefit from this initiative," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "This alignment of federal agency resources will allow us to have an even greater positive impact along the full economic spectrum. It will also help reduce the energy costs of buildings while spurring the creation of new jobs in green and energy efficient industries."

"Regional innovation clusters create jobs and increase our global competitiveness. Through the Energy RIC, the SBA will help entrepreneurs and small business owners take the best research and commercialize it to grow the 'green building' industry into an economic powerhouse that will put people to work, save consumers money and help our environment," said U.S. Small Business Administrator Karen Mills.

Increase Your Green for teens

[Philanthropy News Digest] DoSomething.org and Hewlett-Packard have announced an initiative designed to challenge teens to find new and innovative ways of conserving energy while reducing waste in their schools.

More than a hundred thousand teens are expected to participate in the Increase Your Green campaign, which will run from February 15 through Earth Day on April 22. In addition to traditional "green" projects such as recycling programs and community gardens, teens will be encouraged to explore ways of using technology to save energy.

A panel of judges, including actor and campaign spokesman Nick Cannon, will evaluate the entries based on creativity, innovation, reduction in waste, energy saved, and number of students involved. Each winner will receive up to $5,000 in funding and an HP Artist Edition laptop computer. In addition, the National Grid Foundation will award $1,500 prizes to select students in their service area.

Energy Efficient Building Systems Regional Innovation Cluster Initiative

This joint FOA invites Proposals from Consortia that can demonstrate collaboration among their members, with other regional partners, and with federal government agencies to support the development and growth of an energy regional innovation cluster. The E-RIC must operate within a defined geographic region that includes a geographically-bounded, active network of similar, synergistic or complementary organizations engaged in or with the energy efficient building systems and design industry, with active channels for business transactions, communications, and dialogue, that share specialized infrastructure, labor markets and services. The E-RIC region may cross municipal, county, and other jurisdictional boundaries. The E-RIC must include the Hub and should encompass local universities, government research centers, and other research and development (R&D) resources, which shall serve as catalysts of innovation and drivers of regional economic growth. In addition, participants in the E-RIC may have strategic partnerships with entities outside of the geographic region. The E-RIC should leverage the region’s unique competitive strengths and seek to nurture networks for business financing, business-to-business sales, education, and workforce development.

More information can be found here.

WREN Community Watershed Education Grants

The Water Resources Education Network (WREN) has funding available up to $5,000 to help launch community projects. See the terrific projects we've already funded to get some creative ideas at http://wren.palwv.org/local.html. Use these ideas to develop your own project - No need to re-invent the wheel!

Eligible projects include watershed education projects that build awareness and educate Pennsylvania citizens about their role as environmental stewards to protect, improve, or remediate the watershed from the impacts of polluted runoff, or nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. We give priority to projects that incorporate social marketing concepts and encourage individual or public policy action that will protect and improve local water resources.

Eligible applicants are Pennsylvania partnerships comprised of watershed associations, civic groups, community/public water systems, educational entities such as schools or universities, government entities like cities, townships, boroughs, Environmental Advisory Councils, or municipal authorities, or other governmental or non-governmental organizations. To encourage local leaders to get involved, a municipality is required as a partner.

Grant Applications Due: March 26, 2010
Download Application at: http://wren.palwv.org/grants/local.html

Beginning Farmer/Rancher grant

USDA is accepting grants for their Beginning Farmer and Rancher program. The U.S. agricultural population is poised to make a dramatic change - half of all current farmers are likely to retire in the next decade. According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, the average age of farm operators was 57 years. Farmers over the age 55 own more than half the farmland in the U.S. But the number of new farmers and ranchers over the age of 35 is increasing, as does the number of smaller farms and ranches nationwide. To address the needs of this changing generation, Section 7410 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Pub .L. No. 110-234) amended Section 7405 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 and made available in Fiscal Year 2009, $17.2 million to fund a Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). According to these legislations, a beginning farm is considered to be one that is operated by one or more operators who have 10 years or less of experience operating a farm or ranch. In 2007, approximately 21 percent of family farms met that definition.

The average age of farmers in Northwest Pennsylvania is 57 years old.

Growing America's Fuel Innovation

President's Biofuel Interagency Working Group report---Vision: "New jobs and greater economic vitality in rural America, increased energy independence, reduced economic vulnerability to volatile oil prices and uncertain supplies, technological and industrial leadership in renewable biofuels, and reduced global warming pollution – all will be achieved by fulfilling the President’s commitment to meeting Congressional biofuels goals. Strategy: Supporting the existing biofuels industry, while accelerating the commercial and sustainable establishment of the advanced biofuels industry, by using the best skill and knowledge across many Federal departments, as well as public-private partnerships."

PA Green Jobs Report

February 4, 2010 -- The Pennsylvania Green Jobs Report - Part 1 provides a detailed look at green careers and the industries they are in. The report also examines how government - state and federal - is working with the private sector to make good policy and wise investments to help speed economic recovery and position Pennsylvania as the green economic leader it should be.

Clorox Announces 2010 Green Heroes Grant Program

[Philanthropy News Digest] With assistance from Roots & Shoots, the Jane Goodall Institute's global environmental and humanitarian youth program, Green Works, the Clorox Company's line of natural cleaners, has announced the 2010 Green Heroes Grant Program. The program will award six grants, totaling $60,000, to individuals, organizations, and schools across the United States that are making their communities a greener place to live.

People can nominate green community projects and their leaders for a Green Heroes grant by submitting a photo and short essay about the project or person at the Green Works facebook page. Nominations will be accepted between January 19 and February 18, 2010.

A $15,000 first prize and a $5,000 runner-up grant will be awarded in each of three categories: Youth Leader/Organization — individual youth leaders between the ages of 13 and 17 working with youth-led nonprofit organizations; Adult Leader/Organization — individual leaders age 18 and over working with nonprofit organizations; and School Organization — innovative environmental programs that are coordinated by a school or a teacher. Programs in the School Organization category can receive grants to help further develop their projects along with a special educational experience from Roots & Shoots for their school.

Green Investing 2010

"In a report released on January 28, 2010, Green Investing 2010: Policy Mechanisms to Bridge the Financing Gap, the World Economic Forum revealed that investment in clean energy has held up better than expected during the financial crisis and resulting recession, but a considerable gap still exists between current levels of investment and what is needed to begin reducing the world's carbon emissions. The report's authors, Anuradha Gurung and Max von Bismarck from the World Economic Forum, and Chris Greenwood and Michael Liebreich from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, state that "as a result of the continued financing gap, there is an urgent need for policy-makers around the world to implement measures at the regional, national and sub-national level, which will encourage investment in clean energy technology and projects. With this in mind, the report provides policy-makers with a toolkit consisting of 35 different policy mechanisms, which can be used to promote various clean energy sectors. The mechanisms can be chosen based on stage of technological development – R&D/proof of concept, demonstration and scale-up, commercial roll-out, diffusion and maturity – and also on stage of economic development."

Pollution Control Technology Grants

From the PA Bulletin: Section 304 of the Alternative Energy Investment Act of 2008 (73 P. S. § 1649.304) (Act 1 or Act) authorizes the Department of Environmental Protection (Department) to award a total of $25 million for ''pollution control technology projects'' installed on electric generating units (EGUs) and cogeneration units that have an installed capacity of less than 500 MWper unit which utilize coal, as defined under 25 Pa. Code § 123.202, as their primary fuel. The Act specifies that each unit owner or operator that applies for a grant is eligible to receive a pro rata share of the moneys allocated for pollution control technology projects based on criteria developed by the Department.

The revised eligibility criteria and comment/response document are available online at http://www.depweb. state.pa.us (Keyword: Air Quality). When the grant funding is available, an announcement will be made in the Pennsylvania Bulletin and the grant application packet will be placed on the Department web site. Persons who have questions or need additional information, contact Dan Husted by e-mail at dhusted@state.pa.us or by telephone at (717) 772-3995.