Land Stewardship Centre

Watershed Stewardship Grant Program Creative Sentencing Funding

October 2016

Introduction

$35,000 has beengranted to Land Stewardship Centre (LSC)by the provincial government for dispersal. These are creative sentencing funds which come from penalties administered by the Alberta court as a result of infractions under the Water Act.Through the Watershed Stewardship Grant (WSG) program, LSC is now making these funds available to eligible applicants. Applicants’ projects must be targeted to on the ground activities that protect, improve or restore aquatic and riparian habitat throughout the province. Activities may include but are not limited to riparian naturalizations, fish habitat enhancement, or wetland restoration.

Past experience has demonstrated that more complex and detailed projects have the potential to generate greater positive impact in the watershed. Keeping that in mind, in an effort to attract and support larger, more complex projects which could potentially cost more to implement, applicants mayapply for up to $35,000 for their project under this funding program.Project submissions will be assessed bya committee using merit based criteria, and partial funding of a project may occur if it does not hinder the ability to complete the project.

Within the application you must demonstrate that your group and your project meet all eligibility requirements.Ensure you complete the entire application form, providing all information as requested. The completed application form must be dated and signed.Incomplete or unsigned applications will not be considered.

If you have any questions regarding the application or the eligibility requirements, contact the Stewardship Program Coordinator at or 1-877-727-5276. Pleaseretain a copy of your application for reference.

Submit your completed application either:

By mail:Land Stewardship Centre
17503 – 45 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T6M 2N3
Attention: Watershed Stewardship Grant Program

By fax:(780) 486-9599

By e-mail:
Subject line: Watershed Stewardship Grant Program―Creative Sentencing

NOTE:Receipt of applications submitted by regular mail cannot be guaranteed. If you choose to send your application through the postal service, it is highly recommended you send it by registered mail.

Application Deadline

Complete signed applications must be received at the LSC office on or before16:30 MST, December 16. No calls will be accepted regarding the status of applications once the grant submission deadline has past or prior to the notification date of January 30.

Distribution of Grant Funding to Successful Applicants

Funding awarded to successful stewardship groups will be distributed in two phases:

  1. 75% of the total approved grant funding will be provided to successful recipients upon signing of the WSG Agreement.
  2. The balance of approved grant funding (25%) will be provided to recipients upon submission of a completedfinal report. The deadline for submission of the finalreport is October 31. Note:Grant recipients may receive the balance of approved grant funding (25%) prior to October 31 as long as theirinterim report has been submitted.

Project Completion and Reporting

All projects must be completed on or before October 31 in the year the grant funds were received. For example, if grant funds are received in January 2017the project must be completed byOctober 15, 2017.

The successful applicant(s) will be required to submit project status reports by April 30 and July 31. The successful applicant(s) will be required to submit a final written report by October 31, which includes before, during, and after photographs of the project and all receipts for expenses.

Eligibility

Only Alberta-based community stewardship groups are eligible to apply for and receive WSG funding.

Community stewardship groups may apply for funding under this program as either an:

A. Unincorporated group: a group applying in partnership with an eligible legal entity.The applicant is a group, organization or community-based partnership that supports environmental stewardship of the local watershed, but is NOT a legal entity (i.e. is NOT a registered society or non-profit organization). The partnering legal entity is prepared to accept all financial and legal responsibility for this project and manage the grant funds on behalf of the group.

B. Incorporated group: a group applying as a legal entity.The applicant is a legal entity (i.e. registered society or non-profit organization) whose purpose, mandate and activities support environmental stewardship of the local watershed. The applicant is prepared to accept all financial and legal responsibility for the project.

Individuals, for-profit businesses and corporations, fish and game associations, educational institutions or previous grant recipients with outstanding reporting obligations are NOT eligible to receive funding under this grant program.

Municipal governments, provincial and national non-profit corporate entities, and other Water for Life partners (e.g. Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils – WPACs) are NOT eligible to apply directly for this grant. They may, however, serve as the partnering legal entity for a group that does not have legal status.

Application Form (Schedule A)

Ensure you complete the entire application form, providing all information as requested. The completed application form must be dated and signed. Incomplete or unsigned applications will not be considered.

A. About Your Organization

The group/organization named in this application is applying as a (select one):

1. Group/Organization Name

2. Legal Status

Unincorporated group – applicantis not a legal entity and is applying in partnership with a legal entity (provide legal name of partner organization here):

Incorporated group – applicant is a legal entity (i.e. registered society or non-profit organization)

If incorporated, please provide your group’s society or non-profit registration number:

If your group is also a registered charity, please provide your charitable registration number:

If your group has a GST registration number, please provide it here:

3. Mailing Address

NOTE: All correspondence regarding the WSG program and this application will be sent to this mailing address.

Address
City/Town
Province
Postal Code
Phone
Email

4. Primary Project Contact

NOTE: You must provide at least two different contacts for your group/organization.

Name (first and last)
Title
Phone
Email

5. Secondary Project Contact

Name (first and last)
Title
Phone
Email

6. Signing Officer of Incorporated Group or Partnering Legal Entity[1]

NOTE:You must complete this even if it is a repeat of one of the contacts above.

Name (first and last)
Title
Phone
Email

7. Organization Profile

  1. Briefly describe your group’s vision, mission, goals and objectives.
  2. Please include when your group was formed/how long your group has been operating, number of members you have and major partnerships you have established
  1. For groups without legal status, which are applying in partnership with another legal entity, briefly describe the organization you are partnering with.

B. About Your Project

1. Project Title and Location

Project Title

Project Location(County or MD)

Nearest City/Town/Village

Watershed

Legal Land Description(optional)

GPS Co-ordinates(optional)

Google Map Link(optional)

2. Project Description

  1. Describe your project and how it aligns with the overall initiative or mandate of your group.
  2. Identify all partner groups and organizations that will be involved in the development and delivery of this project, and indicate how each will contribute to the project.
  3. Describe how volunteers and your local community will be involved in the project.
  4. Explain what watershed situation, question, issue or challenge this project will address (i.e. why is your group pursuing this project).
  5. List who have you consulted with to develop this grant proposal(i.e. other agencies, organizations, resources and information sources used).

3. Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils (WPACs)

WPACs are important stewards of Alberta's major watersheds. They are independent, non-profit organizations that are designated by Alberta Environment to assess the condition of their watershed and prepare plans to address watershed issues. They also conduct education and stewardship activities throughout their watershed. Within Alberta there are currently eleven WPACs.

  1. Please identify which is the active WPAC in your region (select one only):

Athabasca Watershed Council
Battle River Watershed Alliance
Beaver River Watershed Alliance
Bow River Basin Council
Lesser Slave Watershed Council
Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance
Milk River Watershed Council Canada
North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance
Oldman Watershed Council
Red Deer River Watershed Alliance
South East Alberta Watershed Alliance

  1. Have you discussed your project and/or WSG grant application with your WPAC?

Yes. If yes, please describe how your WPAC may provide support to your project.

No. If no, why not?

C. Project Outcomes and Evaluation

1. Project Objectives

Outline up to three objectives for your project and describe how these will be achieved.

Objective 1:
Achieved by:

Objective 2:
Achieved by:

Objective 3:
Achieved by:

2. Evaluation

  1. How will you evaluate the success and achievements of your project?
    (Quantitatively i.e. number of new volunteers engaged, participants at events, workshops conducted, trees planted, riparian assessments conducted, etc. and qualitatively i.e. improved water quality, enhanced riparian condition, less garbage in natural areas, decrease in invasive plants, etc.)
  2. Do you intend to continue this project when the WSG funding runs out?

Yes. If yes, please describe how you will keep this project going.

No. If no, why not?

D. Project Activities and Timelines

Please outline the specific activities you will carry out to complete your project, when you plan to complete these activities, and what final result or product will be associated with each activity.

Please note: Completion and submission of final reportis a requirementunder the WSG grant agreement and as such hasalready been included in this list.

Project Activity / Expected Completion Date / Expected Outcome or Product
Submit project status update / April 30 / Submitted to Stewardship Program Coordinator by April 30
Submit project status update / July 31 / Submitted to Stewardship Program Coordinator by July 31
Prepare and submit final WSG report / October 31 / Final report (including all receipts for expenses) completed and submitted to Stewardship Program Coordinator by October 31

E. Project Budget

Please read the section belowbefore completing the requiredIncome and Expenses tables.

Ineligible Expenses

The following will not be funded through the creative sentencing grant:

  1. Operating expenses not related to the project.
  2. Purchase of land or equipment.
  3. Regular activities of the organization.
  4. Out of province travel.

Eligible Expenses

Expenses such as materials and supplies (including trees and plants), salaries and wages, contract services, travel related to the project are considered eligible project expenses.To be considered for reimbursement, all eligible expenses (with the exception of mileage and travel meals – see below) MUST be accompanied by receipts.

Additional notes regarding eligible expenses:

  • To be eligible, any travel expenses claimed (i.e. mileage) must be directly associated with project implementation and delivery and within the province of Alberta. A maximum of 25% of the total WSG grant funds received can be used to cover project travel expenses. Eligible mileage and travel meals must be appropriately documented and will be reimbursed at current Government of Alberta rates.
  • Mileage $0.50 per kilometer
  • Breakfast $9.20
  • Lunch $11.60
  • Dinner $20.75
  • Up to 75% of the total WSG funds received can be used to cover the cost of salaries and wages for project coordination and administration.
  • Up to 100% of the total WSG funds received can be used to cover the cost of eligible contract services. Contract services are any services (technical, equipment or professional services) provided by an independent contractor and may include diagnostic services, heavy equipment operation, labour, etc. This does NOT include services provided by an individual hired as a Project Coordinator or Administrator.
  • GST is NOT an eligible expense and will not be covered by WSG funds.

In-Kind Contributions

In-kind contributions are services or items which ordinarily would be paid for by your organization but which are being voluntarily contributed to help carry out your activities. These can include use of equipment, supplies, materials, the donation of facilities or rent, as well as volunteer services provided by individuals.

The test for in-kind contributions is this: if the service or item was not being donated (i.e. received at no-charge), would your organization pay for that service or item? If the answer is yes, then it is a valid in-kind contribution that you may claim.

Estimates for the value of in-kind services should be calculated using the following rates:

  1. Volunteer time – $20 per hour
  2. Technical services (i.e. lab or field technician) – $30 per hour
  3. Equipment services (i.e. tractor and operator) – $40 per hour
  4. Professional services (i.e. biologist, caterers) – $50 per hour

Estimates for the value of in-kind or donated items (i.e. materials and supplies, capital assets, food, hall or equipment rentals, etc.) should be requested from the person or organization supplying the item to the project and should reflect the current market value of the item being donated

1. Income

Please identify all sources of income (cash and in-kind) for your project including the amount of WSG funds being requested in this grant application and indicate if funding from that source has been confirmed or not.

Funding/Income Source / Amount
Cash / Amount
In-Kind / Total / Funding Confirmed?
Watershed Stewardship Grant Requested / N/A / Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Total Income
(cash and in-kind)

2. Expenses

Identify all estimated expenses for your project in the table below.

PLEASE NOTE:While your group may have to pay GST on products and services, and as such it may be an expense to your group, GST is NOT eligible to be covered by/paid for with WSG funds. GST must be paid for from funds other than the Watershed Stewardship Grant.

Item or Service / Total Cost / Portion of Total Paid from WSG Funds* / Portion of Total Paid from Other Sources: Cash / Portion of Total Paid from Other Sources: In-Kind or Donation
Total Estimated Expenses

F. Additional Information

  1. If you wish to provide any additional comments in support of your application, please enter them here:
  2. Include any relevant supporting documents (i.e. photographs, maps, drawings, letters of support, etc.)you feel will add value to your application. Please limit these to no more than two additional pages of attachments.

G. Funder Recognition

Explain how you plan to acknowledgethe funders and sponsors (cash and in-kind) of your project, including LSC and the Watershed Stewardship Grant Program.

H. Previous WSG Funding Recipients

NOTE: Complete this section ONLY if your group has received WSG funding in the past.

Year Funding Received / Project Name / Amount of Funding Received
  1. If you receive funds under this grant application, please describe how these new funds will contribute to projects previously funded by a Watershed Stewardship Grant.
  1. If your proposed project is similar to or the same as previous projects, how will this new project grow, evolve or advance your group’s stewardship efforts?

I. Declaration

I, on behalf of (insert group/organization name here) , declare that:

  1. All information provided in this application is complete and accurate to the best of our knowledge.
  2. My group/organization's financial procedures include adequate safeguards against fraudulent or corrupt actions.
  3. No changes will be made to any of the project details without first notifying the Stewardship Program Coordinator.
  4. Our group/organization will comply with the criteria for appropriate acknowledgement of Land Stewardship Centre for receipt of WSG funding.
  5. We have read and understood the eligibility requirementsoutlined in Watershed Stewardship Grant Application document and have based our application on the guidance notes contained within it.

Date:

Name:(first and last)

Signature:

Watershed Stewardship Grant Program | Creative Sentencing Funding 2016 | Application Form (Schedule A) | 1

[1] This is the person responsible for signing grant agreements on behalf of the applicant as outlined in the WSG Grant Application Process.