Step behind the scenes and see what’s happening with our Grant programs here! We will be updating this section with Grants news and highlighting certain grant projects here.
What does $1M buy today? 26 new Partners in Conservation projects
2024-05-21 17:47:59Supporting community efforts is the key to meeting our mission. At EMSWCD, we are investing in local efforts that underscore the importance of healthy rivers, outdoor and environmental education, local food production using sustainable practices, and resource access for underserved, lower-income, and/or Black, Indigenous and people of color. Many of these projects also further critical climate action. By providing $1,050,000 million in Partners in Conservation (PIC) grants to non-profits and community-based organizations, EMSWCD is empowering our local communities to self-organize for a brighter future.
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- Photo courtesy of 2024 PIC grantee Kindness Farm
In May our Board of Directors approved funding for 26 PIC grant proposals recommended by a community review committee. These grants further agricultural development, bridge economic disparities, provide youth and adult education, and restore our natural resources and environment. Organizations are addressing community disparities and advancing equity by creating benefits for underserved communities through project design, partnerships and organizational practices. See the full list of PIC 2024 grantees here.
This year’s PIC Grant Review Committee reviewed 48 grant applications requesting more than $2.3 million in funding. Outreach for our program is growing, with 12 first-time applicants receiving grants this year with an average grant of $40,000. Learn more about the committee members who helped review and recommend grants here.
Together we’ve invested more than $12 million in 175+ 2024 Partners in Conservation Grants to organizations that help advance our mission. Find out if your organization might be eligible and find support for your community project. Learn more.
EMSWCD invests $1 million in new Partners in Conservation grants
Grants supporting local efforts help us meet our mission and tackle some of today’s most pressing challenges. We’re investing $1,050,000 million into efforts led by non-profits and community-based organizations addressing key issues such as access to land, warming waterways, and the lack of trees in low-income and historically red-lined neighborhoods.
See the list of PIC 2023 grantees here.
In May our Board of Directors approved funding for 24 grant proposals recommended by our 13-member Grant Review Committee for sustainable agriculture and community gardens, habitat restoration, water quality improvements, and job opportunities for youth in the green workforce. Organizations are addressing community disparities and advancing equity by creating benefits for underserved communities through project design, partnerships, and organizational practices.
This year’s committee reviewed 42 grant applications requesting nearly $1.9 million in funding. Learn more about the committee members here.
Since 2007 we’ve invested more than $11 million in 150+ Partners in Conservation grants to organizations that help advance our mission.
Visit this page for the full list of 2023 Partners in Conservation Grant projects.
Apply for a Partners in Conservation grant!
Want to grow healthy food, improve water quality, restore fish and wildlife habitat, and support strong and sustainable communities? Partners in Conservation (PIC) Grants support conservation projects that are located within the District service area (all of Multnomah County east of the Willamette River) or serve its residents. The 2024 application period will open in the fall with applications due around Dec. 15, 2023. Funding areas include:
- Soil health and water quality
- Reducing and addressing climate impacts
- Sustainable agriculture and community gardens
- Outdoor and garden education programs
- Fish and wildlife habitat restoration
Announcing our 2022 Partners in Conservation grants!
East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District awarded 2022 Partners in Conservation (PIC) grants totaling $700,000 in new funding. The funds are awarded to 14 nonprofits, schools and local governments for fish and wildlife habitat enhancements, urban agriculture, community garden and conservation education projects in the EMSWCD service area (all of Multnomah County east of the Willamette River). Please see the list of the PIC 2022 grantees below.
Since it was created in 2007, the District has awarded $10 million to more than 130 organizations through the PIC grant program. Projects restore habitat for native fish, get kids outside to learn about and care for nature, give people opportunities to learn to garden and grow food close to home, and support more healthy, sustainable communities.
Board member Jim Carlson, who served on the Grant Review Committee this year, says, “as a new member of the Board of Directors, I learned a great deal about the diversity of programs and projects we fund through our Partners in Conservation Grant Program. These investments play an important role in helping us achieve our mission.”
Visit this page for the full list of 2022 PIC Grant projects!
Apply for a 2022 Partners in Conservation (PIC) grant!
EMSWCD is happy to announce that we are again conducting our normal PIC grant application process after last year’s “PIC Pause” due to COVID. The PIC program awards grants annually from $5,000 to $100,000 to non-profits, local governments and educational institutions for conservation projects, environmental education, school and community food gardens, and participation of diverse communities in conservation work.
Update: The 2022 PIC Grant application cycle ended on December 15th, 2021. Applications will be reviewed by EMSWCD staff and our PIC Grant Review Committee. The final decision on the 2022 PIC grant awards will be made by the EMSWCD Board of Directors in the spring of 2022. Learn more about our PIC Grant Programs and how to apply on our PIC Grants page. We are making some changes this year. Some highlights:Equity-focused evaluation of the PIC grant program
2021-10-20 17:53:52A new report on our equity initiatives is now available!
EMSWCD recently conducted an evaluation of the Partners in Conservation (PIC) grant program focused on our efforts to address equity through the grant funding we provide to local organizations. The evaluation was conducted by an independent consultant. We are pleased to share the final report: “EMSWCD Partners in Conservation (PIC) Grants Program Evaluation Report” by Jamie Stamberger, which can be found here. This report is the product of an online survey and interviews that were conducted in spring of 2021 with the participation of recent PIC grantees and other partners.EMSWCD takes a “strategic pause” for the 2021 PIC Cycle (updated)
To EMSWCD grantees, partners, and supporters: We know how deeply all of you have been affected this past year by the upheaval and uncertainty that surrounds us. Here at EMSWCD, we have continued to do our work the best we can and to look for ways to support our communities. Ironically, it is in these extraordinary times that we are presented with a rare opportunity to consider how we may want to do things differently, to move in a direction that responds to the weight of this historic moment.
In this vein, EMSWCD has decided to take a “strategic pause” for the 2021 Partners in Conservation (PIC) Grant cycle – suspending the competitive grant opportunity for one year. While we will forgo the normal application process for PIC 2021, EMSWCD is committed to supporting our grantees and partners through this challenging time, and we intend to do this by extending some current grants and offering non-competitive new grants for our regular grantees for the fiscal year 2021/22. We have developed our initial criteria for this continued funding (please see below). The SPACE grant program will continue to operate as usual. During this time, our staff will have the opportunity to address many aspects of our grant funding program with an eye toward greater equity and more strategic funding. We plan to conduct an evaluation of EMSWCD’s grants program in light of changes in the context of our regional funding, to implement new DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and other strategic initiatives, and to more fully engage with partners, grantees and other stakeholders about the future of our grants program.Announcing our 2019 Partners in Conservation grants!
The East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District announces its 2019 Partners in Conservation (PIC) grants totaling $622,362 awarded to 20 conservation and environmental education projects in the EMSWCD service area (all of Multnomah County east of the Willamette River). PIC funding for 2019 will also leverage more than $3 million in additional support through matching in-kind and cash contributions!
EMSWCD received 29 PIC applications this year, representing projects in each of its five primary grant program areas: restoration and monitoring, stormwater management and naturescaping, urban gardening and sustainable agriculture, environmental education, and equitable access to conservation benefits. To ensure a thorough and fair evaluation of the applications, the grant review committee included an EMSWCD Board Director and others from a diverse range of backgrounds and expertise, including members of the community and staff from non-profits and public agencies. The EMSWCD Board of Directors awarded 20 grants, including support for three two-year projects. A wide variety of projects were funded this year, including a $50,000 two-year grant to Outgrowing Hunger, an organization focused on nurturing connection to nature, food and community among immigrant and refugee populations. Outgrowing Hunger currently operates 12 community garden sites in East Multnomah County, provides supplies and tools, and offers culturally relevant and language specific garden workshops and education to its gardeners. Funding will provide access to sustainable, watershed-friendly urban agriculture and gardening, provide education and technical support, and build a new community garden.We've changed our SPACE Grant Program deadline!
An important update for anybody applying or considering applying for a SPACE Grant: EMSWCD has just changed the monthly deadline for SPACE (Small Projects and Community Events) applications. Starting now, any applications received by the 1st of the month will be reviewed and a decision made by the following month. The 2019-2020 SPACE Application is now open in ZoomGrants.
Important information on applying for the SPACE Grant Program
Are you considering applying for a Small Projects and Community Events (SPACE) Grant? Please see the SPACE Grant webpage for detailed information about grant requirements and eligibility.
Check out our new online application system for SPACE grants! Applying for a SPACE grant is now done online through ZoomGrants, an online grants management system.
Visit the SPACE Grants
page to learn more
We hope you will find ZoomGrants easy to use and we are here to help if you have any questions. For all queries, please contact our Grants Manager, Suzanne Easton: Suzanne@emswcd.org.
updated October 2nd, 2018