IPN Small Grant Program

IOWA PRAIRIE NETWORK SMALL GRANT PROGRAM

The IPN Small Grant Program is focused on providing help for Iowa's native prairie remnants. Grants of up to $250 are available. The Small Grant Program has three main purposes:

(I) To help native prairie remnants, especially those that would otherwise be unlikely to receive help.

(II) To support research and management work that benefits native prairie remnants.

(III) To educate the public about the value of native prairie remnants and about effective ways to help them.

GUIDELINES FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS:

The following factors will increase a project's likelihood of getting one of our small grants:

(1) The project will benefit a native prairie remnant, rather than a reconstruction or planting.

(2) The prairie remnant to be helped by the grant is an "orphan" prairie that is not owned by a conservation organization and is not likely to get help from another public or private group. An example would be a grant given to volunteers for management and restoration of a prairie cemetery which is under the management of township trustees.

(3) The project will provide prairie remnant management information to a number of people, and/or will benefit several remnants. An example would be a grant for controlled burn equipment awarded to a college class on prairie management. The students used the equipment to learn how to do controlled burns by doing controlled burns on local prairie remnants.

(4) The project involves prairie remnant management research. An example would be a grant for exclosure fencing for a prairie remnant pasture which helped to determine how excluding cattle from small paddocks affected the prairie plants in those paddocks.

(5) The project, if it involves management of a privately owned remnant, will benefit a remnant that is under permanent protection. An example of permanent protection would be a conservation easement designed to help ensure that the remnant will be managed and protected into the future.

(6) The project, if it involves restoration seeding of a degraded remnant, will use local-ecotype seed from the remnant itself and/or seed from other nearby remnants and/or seed from another appropriate local-ecotype source.

(7) The project will include a public education component. An example would be a newspaper story about a local IPN small grant that helped to inform readers about the value of prairie remnants.

(8) The proposed cost of the project and the amount requested from IPN are reasonable and realistic in terms of the objectives to be achieved.

List of past Iowa Prairie Network Small Grants

To apply for a small grant, please submit a written proposal containing the following information to a board member in your region. The information you provide can be fairly brief, as long as it covers the points below.

1. Applicant Information: Name, address, phone number, email. If an organization is involved, include contact information for that organization.

2. Purpose and Goals: State the purpose and goals of your project.

3. Site Description: Describe the location and size of the project site and the legal description if possible. Describe any site conditions that explain the need for your project.

3. Process: Explain how and when your project will be accomplished.

4. Evaluation: Explain how you will evaluate the success of your project.

5. Public education. Explain how your project will help educate the public about prairies.

6. Budget. Include the amount of money you are requesting and how it will be used.

Please direct any inquiries to one of the board members in your region.

IPN also has a Prairie Heritage Grant program that assists in the acquisition of prairie remnants and surrounding lands