The Conservation Fund

Resourceful Communities Program

Creating New Economies Program 2016 Pre-Proposal

DUE SEPTEMBER 1, 2015 to

Contact Information

Organization:

Contact Person and Title:

Address:

Phone:

Fax:

Website:

Email:

Project Administrator: Email:

Organizational Information

Type of organization: __ 501(c)(3) __ Government Agency __ Other (Please explain.)

Federal ID Number of applicant organization (or sponsor organization):

If a different organization will serve as fiscal agent, please provide contact information (name, address, phone, email) here:

Project Information

Amount Requested:

Project location, including county:

One of Resourceful Communities’ goals is to create a network of engaged and informed local partners who frequently connect and learn from each other. We provide opportunities to come together through workshops, convenings and other offerings. Please describe how your organization has and will continue to participate in the Resourceful Communities network and how this participation has affected your organization. ***NOTE: Participation at Resourceful Communities’ events is considered during review of CNEF applications.

In one page or less, please:

  1. Provide a **brief** overview (3-5 sentences) of your organization, including programs your organization provides and stakeholders you are engaging.
  1. Please provide a brief overview of your proposed project, including what you hope to accomplish and what you will do to achieve results.
  1. Describe how this project will advance triple bottom line goals: sustainable economic development, social justice and environmental stewardship. (See attachment for examples.)

Economic:

Social Justice:

Environmental:

  1. Please explain how your proposed project will increase access to healthy food and/ or increase active living opportunities.

What’s The Triple Bottom Line?

Resourceful Communities’ “triple bottom line” integrates environmental stewardship, sustainable economic development and social justice to address community challenges. Rather than confronting challenges as isolated issues, the triple bottom line provides an integrated approach to create lasting solutions to age-old challenges such as poverty, racism, and resource loss.

Proposed Creating New Economies Fund (CNEF) projects must meet the “triple bottom line.” This means your project must result in environmental, economic and social justice benefits/ impacts.

Results of “triple bottom line” efforts might include:

 Economic

Economic impacts can be direct:

  • creating a new job
  • increasing income
  • launching a new business

Economic impacts can also be indirect:

  • building new job skills
  • reducing poverty
  • developing new income opportunities through agriculture, heritage or eco-tourism or similar projects

 Environmental

  • improving water quality
  • protecting land
  • planting trees
  • providing environmental education
  • implementing sustainable agriculture practices
  • reusing or recycling products and/ or materials
  • reducing energy use and consumption

 Social Justice

Do not confuse “social justice” (trying to achieve equitable economic, political and social rights and opportunities for everyone) with “social” (simply bringing people together). Examples can include:

  • meaningfully engaging people of color or low wealth
  • overcoming barriers to participation
  • addressing racism or other injustices

Triple bottom line approaches help address the real issues in our communities. The key to planning and carrying out triple bottom line projects is to design the project to include goals in all three areas. For example:

Single Bottom Line Project / Double Bottom Line Project / Triple Bottom Line Project
Economic: Start a business to create jobs. / Economic and Social Justice: Start a business to create quality jobs for low-income workers, paying livable wages. / Economic, Social Justice and Environmental: Start a business that trains low-income apprentices for quality jobs in the recycling industry, paying livable wages.
Economic: Help farmers earn additional income by starting a farmers market where their produce can be sold. / Economic and Environmental: Help farmers earn additional income by starting a farmers market where their produce can be sold. Help farmers access USDA funds and training to help them grow food in more environmentally-friendly and sustainable ways. / Economic, Social Justice and Environmental: Help farmers earn additional income by starting a farmers’ market. Help low-income farmers access USDA funds and training to help them grow food in more environmentally-friendly and sustainable ways. Provide transportation and accept EBT/ SNAP benefits at farmers market so that low-income residents can purchase healthy food at the market.
Social Justice: Provide cooking classes for low-income and elderly people to help them eat healthier and prevent diabetes. / Social Justice and Economic: Provide healthy “heritage” cooking classes that emphasizes traditional dishes and skills like canning, taught by elders (who are paid). Products created in class are sold to generate revenue. / Environmental, Economic and Social Justice: Provide healthy “heritage” cooking classes that emphasizes traditional dishes and skills like canning, taught by elders (who are paid). Products are also sold. Most of the food used is sustainably grown by local farmers.
Environmental: Protect salamander habitat in an urban creek. / Environmental and Social Justice: Create the first public park in a low-income neighborhood that protects salamander habitat in an urban creek. / Environmental, Social Justice and Economic: Provide summer jobs for low-income youth to clear a city lot and create the first public park in a low-income neighborhood that protects salamander habitat in an urban creek.
Economic: Promote and help develop tourism in your region. / Economic and Environmental: Promote your region as an eco-tourism destination for hunting, fishing, paddling, hiking, etc. / Economic, Environmental and Social Justice: Promote your region as an eco-tourism destination for hunting, fishing, paddling, hiking, etc. Train low-income and unemployed residents to become tour guides or develop businesses related to eco-tourism.

CNEF Pre-Proposal 2016

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