BREAKING NEWS: $4 Million in Open Space Funding Hits the Table
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Four million dollars in state open space bond money was put on the table today in a surprise announcement by new Department of Environmental Management Director Janet Coit at the 2011 Land & Water Conservation Summit. The total amount leveraged will be $8 million when the required 50 percent match is included.
Coit, recently appointed by Governor Lincoln Chafee, is highly credentialed in the area of open space protection, having been director of the RI state chapter of The Nature Conservancy until being tabbed by Chafee for the DEM post.
Perfect Audience
Before an enthusiastic crowd of 300 attendees, including members of the RI Land Trust Council and RI Association of Conservation Commissions, who were holding their business meetings as part of the Summit, Coit opened the door for applications for the open space funding beginning on March 28. The deadline for proposal submissions is May 27.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe grants are available with the one-to-one match to muncipalities, land trusts and non-profit organizations. The funds come from as-yet unspent money from the voter-approved 2004 and 2008 state open space bonds. The grant ceiling will be $400,000 for a project.
Creating a Buzz
Coit described the land preservation grants as "a catalyst for raising even more money for your projects."
"I know from my experience at TNC that you can usually leverage much more than the grant amount," she told GoLocalProv. "Minimally, for a single maximum grant this funding will provide $800,000, given the match, but it is usually more than one-to-one."
"This kind of opportunity creates a lot of buzz and interest," Coit said. "It doesn't come around that often."
Additional Support
In addition to the grants, the DEM has funding available in its no-interest loan program to help assist the preservation projects. The department can also provide overhead funds to accepted projects to help pay for appraisal, title and survey searches, above and beyond the grant financing.
An environmental bond has never failed to be passed when put before Rhode Island voters, harking back to the first Open Space, Clean Water Bond in the mid-1980s. They also enjoy overwhelming suppport from this environmentally-conscious state, coming in at an average approval rate of over 65 percent.
For information on grant applications, rules and regulations, the DEM web site for the program is at: www.dem.ri.gov/programs.
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