Grassroots Network Seeks Grant Proposals for 2014 Projects

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Grassroots Network seeks grant proposals of to $12,000 to Club entities working to engage new people, build new leaders, and win conservation victories. (However, the more you ask for, the more scrutiny your budget will receive.) The expectation is that grant funds will be spent within 1 year of approval, though teams can ask for extensions. Please also noteexpectationsfor all charged teams and funded projects. Failure to comply with these may impact future opportunities for funding.

Below is the grant application form for 2014 Grassroots Network projectsand the schedule and instructions. Please respond to the following questions, following the format below. You can also download the grant proposal application here.

Grant Application | Schedule and Instructions | Team Expectations

[GRANT APPLICATION]

1. Goals

(a) Conservation
What measurable (conservation) outcomes are you aiming to achieve in the world?
(Example: Stop new nuclear plants and close down existing plants.)

(b) Organizational
How will this project engage new people, build new leaders, grow your team and strengthen the Sierra Club? (Example: Will recruit ten people to host house parties, and add two new leaders.)

(Leaders are individuals who can speak for the team, recruit and engage volunteers, and coordinate team efforts. Activists are individuals who participate in on-the-ground activities promoted by the Team.)

2. Target
Who has the power to achieve this outcome? How will you influence this target? Who are your secondary targets (those who can influence your primary target) and how will you influence them?
(Example of Primary Target: Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has the power to sign off shore wind lease agreements. Example of Secondary Target: John Barry is a Club member and serves as the Treasurer of the O’Malley for Maryland PAC.)

3. Message
What is your message in two sentences or less?
(Example: By designing our streets for everyone, no matter who they are or how they travel, we make our communities safer, more convenient, and more comfortable, and we reduce our dependence on fossil fuel.).

4. Strategy and Tactics
What activities will you do to spread your message, influence your target, build power for your campaign and achieve your goals? How do your tactics add up to a winning strategy?
(Example: We will continue to show our film Wild vs. Wall at forums and film festivals, to raise awareness of the impacts of border walls. We will also sponsor two exhibitions of the International League of Conservation Photographers images of borderlands that have been impacted by walls.)

(Strategy is how you use the resources you have to get the results you seek. Tactics are those activities you engage in to realize those results. Please show how your tactics are part of a realistic strategy.)

5. Budget
How much do you anticipate spending? (Please be as specific as possible, including any fees for consultants, travel. meetings, and memberships.)

6. Workplan with Benchmarks & Assignments (optional)
(You improve your chances of a grant if you include a timeline with proposed activities and benchmarks. For each assignment, list the name of the person(s) who is bottomline responsible for implementation of that assignment.)

—

[SCHEDULE AND INSTRUCTIONS]

Dec 5: Solicit proposals.
Jan. 20, 2014: Deadline for proposals.
February 24, 2014: Announce awards

May. 1: Solicit proposals.
June 15: Deadline for proposals.
Aug. 1: Announce awards.

Oct. 1: Solicit proposals for 2015.

Any Sierra Club entity is welcome to apply. We encourage creative projects and reaching out to new communities. Maximum grant allocation is $12,000 per project — however, the more you ask for, the more scrutiny your budget will receive.

Please send proposals to Kirstin Dohrer at , Gwyn Jones at , and .