The School Ground Greening Coalition (SGGC) is pleased to announce Mini-Grant funding available in January 2017 for school ground greening projects around greater Portland.   Thank you for reading the guidelines below and answering the following questions to help us get a sense of your needs for the upcoming year.  Please see our Flickr page and Virtual Tour of East End Community School's grounds for some project examples. We look forward to hearing about your project! 

2017 SGGC MINI-GRANT GUIDELINES 

Projects funded by the SGGC improve children's connections with the natural world, and enhance their learning & play experiences on the school ground.

PROJECTS MAY INCLUDE: outdoor classrooms, natural play features, habitat & food gardens, trails, outdoor art installations, landscaping that children will interact with (not just decorative), seating, and other natural features that support healthy learning and play.  All projects receiving SGGC Mini-Grant funding are strongly encouraged to use NATIVE, durable, low-maintenance plant material whenever possible.  

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:  Has your school gone through a charrette (community workshop) planning process that engages everyone in designing the future of your school ground? The SGGC works with local landscape architects to run these very informative planning sessions. The "master plan" that results will be a critical and effective piece of guidance for your school moving forward.

DESIGN and CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT: Mini-Grant funding may be used for design support from landscape architects and/or construction services for larger projects. The SGGC can help help match projects with local professionals.  

SITE BASED LIAISONS (SBL's) are individuals who lead and facilitate the projects, with support from the SGGC and a team of other SBL's. In order to apply for Mini-Grant funding, schools must identify a SBL for the project. SBL's are expected to attend 4 project planning meetings between January-June. SBL's may be teachers, parents, or other school community members. SBL time commitments fluctuate over the course of the year and include meetings, email communications, project planning and facilitation.

SBL STIPENDS: Some SBL's are able to use work time to facilitate their projects, or choose to request project funding only, while other SBL's need stipends to cover their time. Decide with your team what will best support your school's greening work this year. SBL's can apply for stipend funding up to $1,000, depending on the size and scope of the project. For example, a SBL might apply for a stipend of $500 for a mid-sized project, and $1,000 for a larger project that requires substantial support.

1. Deadline: January 6th, 2017 (If you are having any trouble answering questions, feel free to contact us!)

2. We hope to fund between 5 & 10 projects at schools in greater Portland (including Portland, Westbrook, South Portland, Cape Elizabeth & Falmouth)

3. Applicants may request up to $2,000 total, including both projects and stipends.

4. Applicants who are able to find additional sources of funding are more likely to receive support from the School Ground Greening Coalition.

5. Meetings with our staff to assure feasibility and quality of project plan may be required prior to receiving Mini-Grant funding. Note: project checks are written to school activities accounts; stipends are written to individuals.

6. All projects need initial approval from the school pr

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* 1. Contact Information

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* 2. Please provide a 2-paragraph description of your project idea for 2017.

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* 3. What are your needs for this project? Select all that apply.

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* 4. BUDGET & SUPPORT REQUESTED FROM SGGC

What is your estimated project budget?
What amount of SGGC Mini-Grant funding are you requesting (up to $2000)?
Are you requesting a Site-Based Liaison Stipend (up to $1000)?

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* 5. BUDGET & OTHER (NON-SGGC) SOURCES FOR $, MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT USE OR PROFESSIONAL LABOR

If you have a budget for your project, please email it to Sheila separately at sheila@trails.org. (A sample budget is attached to the email with this survey link.)

If you don't have a budget, but have (or expect to get) other funding sources/donations for this project, please estimate the following for each funding source, below.

Give an estimated value (your best guess) to materials, equipment use or professional labor donations.

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* 6. Project Team:
Projects are most successful when there is both staff & parent representation on the team. Please list your team below, and indicate who will be acting as the Site-Based Liaison. Please include others involved, such as neighbors, community members or community groups, such as scouts, Rotary, PTO, or local businesses.

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* 7. Administrative Support:
Please describe the nature of your administrator's support for this project. We understand that this varies from school to school. The SGGC can provide resources to help make a strong case to your school's leadership.  

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* 8. Maintenance:
Finally, please let us know who will help maintain this project over time and what kind of annual maintenance is anticipated.

Thank you for submitting your application! We will be in touch in late January about Mini-Grant decisions.

Sheila & Laura :)

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