Columbia, SC--Faculty and staff members of public, private, and alternative schools in Richland County are eligible to apply for up to $500 in funding to support campus conservation projects and youth environmental education initiatives through Conservation Education Mini-Grants and Clean Stream Columbia Awards.  Two award cycles are available: applications received by October 7, 2016 October 12, 2016 (deadline extended due to Hurricane Matthew) will be considered for fall 2016 funding; applications received by February 3, 2017 will be considered for spring 2017 funding.  Project work and the expenditure of funds must be completed by June 15, 2017. 

Mini-Grants may be used to support conservation-related student projects including, but not limited to, outdoor classrooms, school gardens, nature trails, wildlife habitats, rain barrels, composting initiatives, air quality campaigns, litter clean-ups, rain gardens, erosion control, and stream bank restoration.  Awards are competitive and proposals will be evaluated on the project’s conservation impact, feasibility, student and community involvement, and educational outcomes. 

All schools located in Richland County (including the City of Columbia) are eligible to compete for Conservation Education Mini-Grants; schools located in the City of Columbia are also eligible to compete for Clean Stream Columbia Awards for certain projects that promote, protect or improve water quality.  Funding for these awards is provided by the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District and the City of Columbia.  For more information, contact Chanda Cooper at (803) 576-2084 or cooperc@rcgov.us.

Application (available in three formats):
Fillable .pdf
Non-fillable .pdf
MS Word .doc

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Conservation Districts are political subdivisions of state government under the local direction of five-member Boards of Commissioners.  The Richland Soil and Water Conservation District promotes the wise use of natural resources for the benefit of the citizens of Richland County.

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