Rapid Response Fund

Rapid Response Fund is sponsored by Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment. Provides immediate grants for urgent, near-term opportunities to enhance, increase, protect, and defend California's public wildlands, support pivotal smart growth policies and funding measures, and stop land use policies that will result in the loss of California's wildlands an…

California Wildlands and Smart Growth Rapid Response Fund - Rose Foundation California Wildlands and Smart Growth Rapid Response Fund The Rapid Response Fund provides immediate grants for urgent, near-term opportunities to enhance, increase, protect, and defend California’s public wildlands, support pivotal smart growth policies and funding measures, and stop land use policies that will result in the loss of California’s wildlands and open spaces.

If invited to apply, applicants must demonstrate the urgency of the threat or opportunity their project will address, and clearly articulate why their project requires immediate funding to conduct activities that is beyond the scope of ongoing work and expected annual organizational expenses. Unsolicited applications are not accepted. Applications are invited on a rolling basis.

Have questions or want to book a consultation? Connect with Aurora Heying, aheying@rosefdn. org .

Eligibility and Priorities Organizations with 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) status from the Internal Revenue Service, or who are fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization. The Project must impact the state of California.

Issues and Activities We Support Near-term initiatives with a limited window of opportunity that are: Securing stronger protections and building new constituencies for public lands with wildland values Protecting landscapes of concern, including wildlands and open spaces with significant biodiversity attributes, from sprawling development Facilitating policies that promote denser patterns of development to protect open space with biodiversity attributes Safeguarding existing conservation protections on public lands Defending against projects significantly impacting National Forest, National Park, National Wildlife Refuge, and Bureau of Land Management lands Advocating for strong agency rulemaking standards Public outreach or organizing including phone banks, digital media strategies, or special events Advocacy, research, or other activities conducted by experts or consultants including media, communications, economics, outreach, or legal work Travel funds to allow staff, experts or members of the public to attend key administrative or legislative hearings or reach key decision-makers Short-term projects, generally 6 – 8 months maximum, that represent extra costs to the organization beyond the regular annual budget.

Projects involving time-sensitive opportunities to protect at-risk wildlands. Projects involving precedential and time-sensitive opportunities to advance smart growth outcomes through effective land use, transit or active transportation, and/or groundwater management policies.

Projects engaging community stakeholders, especially projects which build new constituencies for conservation and land stewardship, and engage non-traditional stakeholders, including communities of color. Projects in regions of California where local political power has been less than supportive of sound land use, transportation, groundwater management, and conservation policy.

Projects with easily identifiable goals, clear targets, effective strategies, and a means for measuring success. Projects leveraging partnerships with other organizations and tie-ins with coordinated campaigns and initiatives. Duration of Support and Grant Size Maximum grant award is $35,000 In general, grants are for a 6 - 8 month period Capital expenses, including equipment purchase.

General organizational expenses. This fund supports discrete projects and urgent campaigns that are a response to immediate opportunities and threats outside the expected organizational workplan. Long-range programs.

While your project may be part of a longer-range strategy, it must center around responding to an immediate threat or opportunity. Most core or permanent staff salaries. Funding of staff salaries for project-related activities is only eligible if the applicant clearly demonstrates why the project work is not part of their regular duties.

Lobbying activities as defined by IRS 501(c)(3). Educational activities targeting legislators are allowable, but grant dollars may not be used for lobbying. Projects focused on individual development proposals which do not have significant state or regional policy implications.

Application is by invitation only. Our goal is to make decisions within 2-3 weeks of receiving your proposal. What happens after I submit an application?

We will acknowledge the receipt of your application by email once it is submitted. If you do not receive this confirmation, please contact us. The goal of the Rapid Response Fund is to make a decision on your grant proposal within 2-3 weeks.

However, it is possible that the process will take longer if the application requires additional follow-up questions. What are the reporting requirements? If your group is awarded a grant, you must provide a final grant report one month after the end of your grant period.

Please log on to your online application system and submit your report there . From grassroots community organizers to groups with nation-wide reach, meet the changemakers supported by Rose grants. With its Rapid Response grant, Friends of the Eel River stopped a proposed coal train threatening endangered salmon.

They led the “No Coal In Humboldt” campaign, uniting 21 organizations to reject the rail line. Resource Renewal Institute A new plan for Point Reyes locks in ranching on public lands, ignoring climate impacts. This Rose grantee mounts a legal challenge, providing a blueprint to combat resource extraction.

Grantee | Sacramento Valley Tuleyome championed multilingual communications to protect Molok Luyuk (Walker Ridge) as a National Monument. Home to 30+ rare species, they secured support and tribal co-management from politicians, agencies, and businesses. Native American Land Conservancy Grantee | Southern Desert Increased visitation and climbing at Coyote Hole Preserve damaged Native American rock art.

With Rose support, Native American Land Conservancy cleaned and began monitoring the site to protect it. Do you still have questions about this application process or need additional support from Rose Foundation staff? Here are some helpful resources.

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