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2024 Grant Guidelines

Background

The purpose of the Eagle River Fund (ERF) is to provide financial support to eligible entities for projects that protect, enhance and maintain the quality, quantity and temperature of water within the Eagle River Watershed. This document defines eligible submission entities and the projects eligible to apply for ERF funding.

 

Any project eligible for funding from the ERF Grant must:

  • be submitted by a 501c3-status organization or a governmental entity for charitable purposes (documentation is required); and

  • advance work outlined, named, or described within existing Water Plans (see appendix) for the Eagle River Watershed, and;

  • already have identified and/or secured funding outside the ERF grant. It is the intent of the Fund to provide initial or supplemental funding to eligible organizations that will enable such organizations to leverage the ERF grant to obtain funds from other organizations and sources.

 

Projects should meet one or more of the following objectives:

  • Water Quantity: water efficiency and water conservation strategies that protect or increase functional stream flows;

  • Natural Infrastructure: restoration and natural infrastructure actions that protect or increase functional stream flows, improve water quality, and improve streamside and instream wildlife habitat and ecological services; and

  • Water Quality: water quality improvement strategies that maintain the natural temperature regimes of local waterways, reduce erosion or discharge of suspended solids or total dissolved solids, and mitigate the impacts of stormwater runoff in the Eagle River Basin.

 

Submission Criteria

Submissions will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Submissions will be evaluated on responses to items 1 and 2 below.

  • Submissions will be evaluated on items 3 through 5 (Water Quantity, Restoration / Natural Infrastructure and/or Water Quality), as applicable.

 

Submission Materials

Submissions should include:

  • Statement of need

  • Responses to items a-d of Item 1. Foundational Criteria

  • Financials, including budget and matching funds

  • Monitoring and evaluation plan

 

Project Name:

Contact Name:

Contact Information:

Proof of 501c3-status or entity for charitable purpose:

Collaborating Entities:

Letters of Support:

Amount of Funding Requested:

Current Secured Funding Sources and Amounts:

Project Summary:

Budget Summary:

Timeline Summary:

Monitoring and Evaluation Plan:

References to Project in Existing Plans:

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Area of Focus

Description of Objectives

Water Quantity

Water efficiency and conservation strategies that work to reduce consumptive water usage within the Eagle River Watershed and/or increase functional streamflows in the Eagle River and/or its tributaries.

 

  • Strategies that decrease system loss within a diversion system.

  • Strategies that reduce irrigation and outdoor water use.

Natural Infrastructure

Strategies that protect or increase functional streamflows, natural hydrology, improve water quality and improve streamside and instream wildlife habitat and ecological services

  • Actions to protect and/or restore ecologically important lands that critically support functional flows and water quality.

  • Soil health improvement efforts that reduce irrigation needs and result in a more resilient and drought-resistant ecosystem.

  • Noxious weed mitigation projects, with a focus on tamarisk and Russian olive

Water Quality

  • Strategies that maintain the natural temperature regimes of local waterways.

  • Strategies that reduce erosion/discharges of suspended solids or total dissolved solids. 

  • Urban runoff mitigation strategies that reduce the impacts of stormwater.

  • Strategies that reduce erosion or sediment, suspended solids or total dissolved solids discharges into the Eagle River or its tributaries. 

  • Strategies that reduce the speed of stormwater runoff.

  • Strategies that reduce known water quality exceedances, especially those that occur within the drainage of a 303(d) listed waterway.

  • Strategies that occur within proximity to drinking water supply intakes that may protect or benefit infrastructure or access.

 

 

 

Item 3. Watershed Improvements                                                                                                                                                                 X pts

 

 

Item 4. Water Quality                                                                                                                                                                 X pts

Item 5. Criteria

  1. Submission incorporates meaningful education and outreach strategies that measurably reduce outdoor water use. (Y/N): If yes, please expand:

 

  1. Submission advances policy change that is specifically focused on reducing outdoor water use. (Y/N): If yes, please expand:
     

  2. Submission advances efforts to boost streamflows during critical low-flow periods. (Y/N): If yes, please expand:

 

  1. Submission benefits stream reaches with notably valuable aquatic and/or riparian resources and/or ecological services, enable recreational activities and/or that have known water quality standard exceedances. (Y/N): If yes, please expand:

 

To evaluate proposals, the ERF may score proposals based on the criteria presented in the attached scoring matrix and more fully described above. The total project score includes the score from Item 1, as well as the score(s) from Item(s) 2, 3 and 4, as applicable.

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I seek support for education and outreach efforts?

  • Project concepts may incorporate meaningful education/outreach efforts, especially those that focus on a reduction in outdoor water use

Can I seek support for policy efforts?

  • Strategies that advance policy change specifically focused on reducing outdoor water use

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