Earth Day Every Day Action Grant

The Rockfall Foundation is now accepting applications for its new offering of the Earth Day Every Day Action Grant, a new action grant funding project that directly impacts Earth’s well-being. Projects must actively preserve and protect the natural environment. They must take place in or include one or more of the focus towns: Chester, Clinton, Cromwell, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Lyme, Middlefield, Middletown, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland, or Westbrook. Applications and all required documents must be received electronically via email by noon on June 15, 2022, at grants@rockfallfoundation.org.

For further information on eligibility, what we fund and priority areas for funding, and grant requirements, please read below.

Download The Earth Day Every Day Action Grant

Continuing the philanthropic tradition of our founder Colonel Clarence S. Wadsworth, The Rockfall Foundation invites applications for grants through our competitive Earth Day Every Day Action Grant program in collaboration with cinder + salt.

Human induced climate change continues to threaten the finite resources of our planet. Action grants are intended to fund projects that directly impact Earth’s well-being, including, but not limited to, toxin & litter removal, reforestation, or habitat preservation in the Lower Connecticut River Valley.

Eligibility

Eligible projects will actively preserve & protect the natural environment.
Projects must take place in or include one or more of the focus towns : Chester, Clinton, Cromwell, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Lyme, Middlefield, Middletown, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland, or Westbrook.
Applications may be considered that focus on the Connecticut River corridor or Long Island Sound as long as there is a demonstrated impact in at least one of the focus towns.
Nonprofit organizations, schools, municipalities, or businesses are welcome to apply. Individuals seeking to apply must coordinate with an eligible entity. That entity must submit the application.

Priority Areas

Preservation: activities that protect ecosystems, species, and other irreplaceable elements of the region’s natural heritage.
Conservation: activities that minimize our use of finite natural resources and our negative impacts on ecosystems and communities.
Restoration: activities that help to re-establish the healthy functions of an ecosystem or parts of ecosystems.

What We Fund

Grant applications ranging from $200 – $2000 will be considered.

Applications must be submitted by noon on June 15, 2022. Awardees will be notified in July with funds available by August 1, 2022. Only electronically submitted applications will be considered. See instructions on application form.

Funding for materials, equipment, transportation, fees, and similar items are eligible. Items such as food, regular operating expenses (e.g. insurance, rent, and other overhead), indirect labor salaries and benefits are not funded. Funding must be applied to the items/activities described in the application form. Substitutions are not permitted unless prior approval has been obtained.

Applications are rated on the following criteria:

Direct benefit to the planet.
Likelihood that activity will be completed.
Implications beyond the immediate purview of the proposal.
A clear and reasonable budget.

Grant Requirements

Experienced supervision for the proposed project should be demonstrated in the application.
Projects should be for a single activity or a series of activities that will be concluded within 12 months.
No specific grant match is required, but monetary or in-kind matches will be considered when evaluating the commitment of the applicant to the project.
Funding must be applied to the item/activity described in the application. Substitutions are not permitted unless prior approval has been obtained.
If the applicant is a recipient of a past grant, the grantee must be in compliance with the terms of the prior grant agreement.
Grantees must detail expected results and agree to submit a final report, in the format provided by the Foundation, that details the project’s outcomes, and must provide The Foundation with electronic photos related to the project and with copies of any resulting publications and/or maps of activities and/or results.
Grantees may be asked to prepare a tabletop or photographic exhibit about the project at The Rockfall Foundation Annual Meeting, Grants, and Awards Celebration in the Fall.
Grantees may be asked to facilitate a site visit to observe the project in action.
Grantees must recognize The Rockfall Foundation’s grant publicly. Methods of public acknowledgment include, but are not limited to: newsletters, website, press releases, physical signs, printed program.

Preparing Your Application

Download and save the “Earth Day Every Day Grant Application” fillable PDF document to your computer. Avoid working on the file in your internet browser.

Required Attachments:

For business applicants:

A copy of the first two pages of the most recently filed 990. For those not required to file a 990, a copy of Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet statements of the most recently completed year;
A letter of good standing with the Secretary of the State;
A list of the business owners and members.

For non-profit organizations:

A copy of the first two pages of the most recently filed 990. For those not required to file a 990, a copy of Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet statements of the most recently completed year as approved by applicant’s board;
A list of the applicant’s Board of Directors, including name and professional affiliation.

Timeline:

Wednesday, June 15, 2022, 12 Noon: Application Deadline – Applications and all required documents must be received electronically by The Rockfall Foundation by noon. Completed applications should be submitted by email to grants@rockfallfoundation.org. Applications received after the noon deadline, incomplete applications, and paper applications will not be considered.

Grant awards will be announced at the end of July with funds available in early August.

Contact the Foundation:

Please contact Tony Marino at 860-347-0340 or via email to grants@rockfallfoundation.org with questions about the process, required documents, or to discuss project ideas.