Environmental Initiative - Planning Grants is sponsored by Laura Jane Musser Fund. This grant program supports public and nonprofit entities in enhancing the ecological integrity of open spaces, promoting community involvement in planning and implementing projects. Planning grants are specifically for the initial stages of project development, which can include visioning and strategic planning related to environmental initiatives.

Environmental Initiative Program – Laura Jane Musser Fund THE LAURA JANE MUSSER FUND assists public or not-for-profit entities to initiate or implement projects that enhance the ecological integrity of publicly owned open spaces, while encouraging compatible human activities.

The Fund’s goal is to promote public use of open space that improves a community’s quality of life and public health, while also ensuring the protection of healthy, viable and sustainable ecosystems by protecting or restoring habitat for a diversity of plant and animal species.

FOCUS on protecting/restoring a sustainable ecosystem that is a defined, public open space Promote PUBLIC ACCESS to and use of the defined open space INVOLVE ACTIVE PARTICIPATION of local community members, with a particular appreciation for volunteer and youth engagement and stakeholder contributions CONTAIN measurable outcomes within the first 12-18 months Include a PLAN for the long term financial and environmental sustainability of the proposed program we encourage the use of .

. . A COMMUNITY-BASED approach with broad and active local stakeholder participation in both planning and implementation stages of projects concerning the environmental preservation and sustainable use of public open spaces.

It has been our experience that projects designed through this process have a greater chance of acceptance and lasting success. ONLY programs in Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Wyoming, and limited counties in North Carolina may apply.

Eligible counties in North Carolina are located in the Mountains Region: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Clay, Cherokee, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey counties. funds will be available for . .

. PLANNING (up to $8,000) Planning grant applications must demonstrate commitment to a broad-based, active community process for the design and use of local publicly-owned open spaces. NOTE: This stage is optional and not a required phase prior to applying for or receiving an implementation grant.

If an organization receives a planning grant from the Musser Fund, this in no way implies a commitment on the part of the Musser Fund to provide the organization with any subsequent implementation grant. But organizations that receive a planning grant may apply for subsequent implementation support after their planning activities are completed.

IMPLEMENTATION (Up to $35,000) Implementation grant applications must demonstrate clear evidence of local community active participation and support.

Projects will be eligible for either planning or implementation funds during any one grant period Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations (organizations with fiscal sponsors are not eligible) Local units of Government Building or repair of parking lots, driveways, or other facilities for auto use. Designing, constructing or repairing buildings located in public open spaces . Projects requesting funds for land acquisition costs.

The online application will be available September 8 – October 8, 2026 . Funding decisions will be announced by February of 2027. The Musser Fund is likely to make a total of 5 to 7 grants in the Environmental Initiative this year.

This is a very competitive granting initiative. Please construct your application carefully. We suggest you read through the questions and grant inclusions below PRIOR to going to the online application.

Only complete and qualifying proposals will be accepted. The Laura Jane Musser Fund requires all of its grantees to provide evidence, through current policies or acknowledgement, of their anti-discrimination policies or practices. ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND Describe your organization’s background, including specific experience the organization has in this area.

OPEN SPACE OVERVIEW Please identify the name and location of the open space for which you are seeking support. OPEN SPACE CHARACTERISTICS Describe the open space for which you are seeking support, including critical characteristics. RESPONSIBLE PUBLIC ENTITY Please identify and provide a description of the public entity that owns the open space and is responsible for maintaining it.

If the open space is located on an easement, or on land governed by any other arrangement where the land is not directly owned by a public entity, please describe the details of that arrangement. PUBLIC ACCESS Please describe how the open space is accessible to the greater community. PROJECT NEED Provide a synopsis of the ecological or environmental need for this project (in a short-term and/or long-term time frame).

GOALS Describe the overall goal(s) of the project. ACTIVITIES & TIMELINE Describe the specific activities planned to reach your goals. Provide the timeline for the project activities that includes the schedule and completion date for the project.

(Please note that the project must be completed within 18 months of the grant award.) UTILIZATION OF GRANT Describe specifically how a grant from the Musser Fund would be used. (Note: Specific line items allocations for Musser grant funds should be included in the project budget attachment.)

PROMOTING USE OF OPEN SPACE Provide an overview of how the project will promote public use of the open space while improving the community’s quality of life and public health. Additionally, describe the specific expected project outcomes and the anticipated community impact of this project.

PROTECTION OF SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEMS Provide an overview of how the project will ensure the protection of healthy, viable and sustainable ecosystems by protecting or restoring habitat for a diversity of plant and animal species. Additionally, describe the specific expected project outcomes and the anticipated ecosystem impact of this project.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Identify the community members and key stakeholders actively involved in this project and describe how they are engaged in the project. (Planning projects must demonstrate commitment to a broad-based, active community process for the design and use of local publicly-owned open space. Implementation projects must demonstrate clear evidence of local community active participation and support.)

STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT Identify the contributions (financial or other) key stakeholders are making toward the project goals. (Note that signed letters of support from key stakeholders are required in the attachments section.) PROJECT LEADERS Identify the leaders of the project and their qualifications.

(An organizational chart must be uploaded in the attachments section.) SUSTAINABILITY Explain your plan for long-term financial and environmental sustainability of the proposed project. REPLICABILITY Please describe any plans for replicating your project or sharing your outcomes.

PREVIOUS GRANT UPDATE (if applicable) If you have received a Musser grant in the past year, please provide a brief update on the grant DIVERSITY COMPONENT Please provide a description of any diversity component of your proposed project. ANTI-DISCRIMINATION Please indicate whether your organization has anti-discrimination practices or policies.

STAFF Please include a staff list identifying the organization’s leaders and the experience they bring to the organization. ORGANIZATIONAL CHART Please include an organizational chart. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Please include a list of the Board of Directors, their affiliations and their terms.

Please include letters of support from at least two (but not more than four) community members and institutions outlining their involvement in your project. Letters of support must be specific to the project. These letters should not be from individuals who are paid or unpaid staff, contractors, or Board members of the organization.

Please include a letter of support from the local government entity that is most closely involved with your project. (This is in addition to the 2-4 community letters of support.) Please ensure the letters are signed, and when appropriate, on letterhead.

Letters of support must include the writer’s name, phone number, email address, and organizational affiliation or relationship to the applicant organization or project. All letters of support must be dated within 6 months of the application. The Fund is only able to consider letters that are attached to the proposal when it is submitted.

Please include a map of the “open space” site as it relates to your community. Please provide any plans for the “open space” site, if applicable. If there is other information you feel would be helpful in reviewing your proposal, you may enter or upload it in the proposal.

If you submit a supporting document, please explain why you have chosen to include it in your application. The following budget attachments must be submitted as pdfs: PROJECT BUDGET please include expense and revenue detail, also include revenue sources, amounts, and what is secured and what is pending. ORGANIZATIONAL BUDGETS (or if a public entity, departmental budgets) – for the previous year and for the current year.

For the previous year, please submit your actual budget expenses and revenue detail. For the current year, please submit a year-to-date budget that includes expense and revenue detail revenue sources, and what is secured and what is pending. BALANCE SHEET Please provide your organization’s balance sheet from the most recent completed year.

990 Please provide your organization’s most recent 990 tax form. ANTI-DESCRIMINATION POLICY If your organization has a written anti-discrimination policy, please provide it. Local Unit of Government Letter Please include a copy of your 501(c)(3) letter from the IRS.

If you are a unit of local government, please provide a detailed letter of endorsement for the project on agency letterhead, signed by a head officer of your unit of government. Please ensure that the letter indicates awareness of and support of the proposed activities and is addressed to the Laura Jane Musser Fund. Environmental initiative granting history final report requirements