Community Gardens Mini-Grant Program

Community Gardens Mini-Grant Program is sponsored by New Castle Conservation District (NCCD). NCCD provides grants for community gardens to support infrastructure such as rain barrels, irrigation systems, tool sheds, and fencing.

Mini Grant Program – Delaware County Conservation District Click below for guidelines and application: DCCD Mini-Grant Application In order to promote conservation work in Delaware County, the Conservation District has established a mini grant program. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis. Grant requests should not exceed $500.

00. The Conservation District Board of Directors will annually allocate a sum of money to this program based on the prior year’s excess of income over expenses. To start the program in 1998, the Board allocated $3,000.

00. Applicants must be based in Delaware County.

Applications for mini grants will be accepted from the following groups: Locally Based Environmental Organizations School-based Environmental Clubs Homeowners Associations and Civic Associations Municipal Environmental Advisory Councils and Shade Tree Commissions Master Watershed Stewards and Master Gardeners of Penn State Extension in Delaware County Projects expected to result in the conservation of natural resources, education of a wide audience, and/or significant improvements to water quality will be funded.

Projects must be located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The following are examples of the types of projects that will be considered: Riparian forest buffer plantings Storm sewer stenciling / disks Wildlife habitat improvements Conservation practice installation or implementation approved by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (N. R.

C. S.)

on land open to the public without an access fee Special topic workshops or seminars for the general public on local environmental issues Stream monitoring / water quality testing programs Evaluation of new erosion and sediment control products on publicly owned construction projects The following expenses are considered ineligible: Applications are accepted semi-annually: Spring Deadline: April 1 st Fall Deadline: October 30 th Grants will be awarded at the Conservation District Board of Directors meeting following each deadline.

Project Completion and Reimbursement Requests The funds will be distributed after the grantee has expended the funds and completed the project unless the Board waives this requirement. Funds will be released from the Conservation District upon the group’s submittal of a report documenting proof of project completion, including expense records (receipts, invoices, etc.).

If the Board waives the requirement for payment after completion of the project, the group must still submit a report after the project has been satisfactorily completed. If the group fails to provide the necessary proof of project completion, they will be ineligible for future mini-grants and requested to return the funds. Electronic copies or hard copies of project completion materials will be accepted.

Supporting materials for project completion include: Brief summary of project accomplishments Copies of expense documentation, such as receipts or invoices Photographs of the project are encouraged, but not required Additional Terms and Conditions The grant applications must be submitted on the form developed by the Delaware County Conservation District.

The mini-grant program’s goal is to maximize environmental quality while minimizing paperwork as associated with other grants. The funds allocated to this program are non-tax dollar funding. The funds are a part of our affiliate membership program.

Donations are received from various sources, but the funds are primarily received as part of the emergency Erosion & Sediment Control Review Process. We will need to keep accurate records on the use of these funds, so a certain amount of documentation is required.