Applications must be received by 4:30 pm on January 20, 2012

Grant Application Guidelines

Application Due Date: January 20, 2012

The program has 1 grant funding cycle per year. An original application plus one (1) electronic copy, with all attachements, must be received at the following address by 4:30 PM on the day of the deadline. A DELIVERY SERVICE POSTMARK ON THE DEADLINE DATE IS NOT ADEQUATE.

Loess Hills Alliance

318 East Iowa Avenue

Onawa, Iowa 51040

Loess Hills Alliance Protection Committee Mission Statement:  Protect and Preserve the Natural and Cultural Resources of the Loess Hills while Assuring Economic Viability and Property Rights

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

1.  BE THOROUGH, BUT AS CONCISE AS POSSIBLE - Projects are scored and ranked based entirely on the information presented in application. Applicant will not have an opportunity to present their proposal to the Committee prior to scoring. Site visits for acquisitions and/or easements projects are not conducted. It is important to thoroughly describe the project, keeping the scoring criteria listed on Page 5 in mind.

2.  INCLUDE HIGH QUALITY MAPS AND PHOTOGRAPHS, IF APPROPRIATE – We all know the adage "a picture is worth 1,000 words." Include a good set of maps and photos with the original and each copy of your application to allow all scoring committee members to thoroughly review them.

3.  MAKE REFERENCE TO PERTINENT LOCAL AND STATE PLANS, BUT DO NOT INCLUDE THE PLAN WITHIN APPLICATIONS – It is important to describe the relationship of the grant project to any state and local plans. Inclusion of the entire plan is not necessary to verify relationships. Use selected excerpts and references for that purpose.

4.  FOLLOW THE OUTLINED FORMAT EXACTLY – An outline is provided for the project narrative portion of the application. Use the exact headings and reference numbers in the order presented in the outline. The entire application format may be set up on a word processor, so long as the same headings and their order are maintained. The project narrative portion many not exceed four (4) pages.

5.  MATCH REQUIREMENTS – The LHA Protection Committee requires a 3 to 1 match of funds (3 parts non-LHA and 1 part LHA) with in-kind contributions constituting no more than 10% of the required matching funds.

6.  INCLUDE ALL REQUIRED SIGNATURES – This application must be signed by the applicant under authority of their agency.

7.  APPLICATIONS MUST BE IN 8-1/2" BY 11" FORMAT – Text of the application must be on 8-1/2" by 11" paper. Oversized pages for maps and other graphics must be folded to that size. Applications should be stapled together.

8.  APPLICATIONS RETURNED ONLY UPON REQUEST – Applications may phone or write the Loess Hills Alliance after grant awards are announced and request their application be returned. Unsuccessful applications will not automatically be consider during the next funding cycle.

9.  REMOVE THIS TITLE/INSTRUCTION SHEET BEFORE SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                                                                                                                    Project No.

                                                                                                                    Date Received

                                                                                                                    (For Office Use Only)

LOESS HILLS ALLIANCE

PROTECTION COMMITTEE GRANT APPLICATION

1. A. Applicant(s)_____________________________________________________________________________________

B. Contact ___________________________________________________________________________________________

C. Address:__________________________________________________________________________________________

D. City & Zip Code:___________________________________________________________________________________  

E. Telephone Work:___________________Home:____________________Fax:_________________Email:_______________________

F. Signature of person with legal authority to obligate:___________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

2. A. Project Title:____________________________________________________________________________________ 

B. Is the project for this grant request a portion of a larger, overall project to be implemented over a multi-year period?

                                                   Yes______________ NO_______________

If yes, write the number of years and estimated overall project cost in the spaces provided below.

                                                   _____________________ $_________________________

                                                           (# of years)            (estimated overall cost)

NOTE: The information requested in this section is for the activities involved in this particular grant request only.

3. A. Estimated Project Costs:              $_____________________________________________________________

                                 Total:              $_____________________________________________________________

B. Amount of grant requested:_______________________________________________________________________

C. Amount of Private/Government match money*:_____________________________________________________ 

         * 3 to 1 minimum match is required of which not more than 10% of the match can be in-kind.

D. Match (non-LHA ) in form of (check one): Cash ________Land Value _______ Letter of Credit_______________

E. Source of Private/Government Match (list all known and anticipated match amounts):

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

F. Amount of and description of in-kind contributions (In-kind contributions are limited to 10%):

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

G. Have you received Loess Hills Alliance (LHA) funding in the past two years? If so, what committee, project name and how much?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

H. Is this project seeking grant funds from another Loess Hills Alliance committee? If so, what committee and how much?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PROJECT NARRATIVE

The outline must be followed exactly on separate sheets of paper to be attached to the previous two pages of this application. Make sure the bold numbers and headings are used in the order shown. The print that is not bold is a guideline to help organize your application. Do not retype in your project narrative. The project narrative portion is limited to not more than four (4) pages.

This section of the application is what the project review and selection committee will primarily be used for scoring applications. So remember be thorough, but as concise as possible. It is important that you keep the scoring criteria in mind while organizing and preparing the project narrative. The criteria are listed at the end of this section.

1.  PROJECT OBJECTIVE:

Briefly describe in 75 words or less. Do not include justification and support statements in this summary.

2.  ROJECT LOCATION:

Describe the location of the project relative to the county and nearest city. Include section, township, and range if rural; give specific street location if urban. If the project is not an acquisition or easement, describe where the project will focus its activities and where the project base or individual will be located. All acquisition and easement projects must contain a project location map that highlights the project area and has sufficient details to allow the area to be easily located by vehicle for on-site grant monitoring inspections.

3.  PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Describe concisely what your proposal plans to do, how you plan to accomplish your goals, who will be effected and how will you measure success and accomplishment. For projects that contain land acquisitions and/or easements, include acres affected and describe the resources and existing facilities/improvements on and adjacent to the property. Also, describe its prospective use and management goals. If rare, unique, or high-quality representative plant and animal species and communities occur on site, provide a listing of them. If this application is for the continuation of a project that previously received other funding, provide a status report of the project. Explain relationships (both positive and negative) between the project and any existing nearby local, state, and federal areas. Do not put project justification and benefit statements in this section---- save them for Section 4.

4.  PROJECT BENEFITS, NEEDS, JUSTIFICATION AND URGENCY:

Describe project justification and need. Make references to local Long Range Comprehensive Land Use Plans, REAP Plans, Iowa Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) and Iowa Open Spaces Plan that help direct conservation and recreation programs including priorities of the Loess Hills Alliance. Do not include entire plans in the application. Identify benefits to be derived from the project in terms of populations being served (users) and resource management/protection. For acquisition projects, provide a prediction of what will happen to the parcel(s) if not acquired. Explain any urgency for acquisition action that may exist.

5.  ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL IMPACTS OF PROJECT:

Describe permanent and temporary environmental impacts of the proposed project and future related actions, if any are contemplated. "Impacts" are defined as direct or indirect changes in the existing environment, whether beneficial or adverse. This discussion should also include expected impacts caused by users, as well as impacts on economic, cultural, aesthetic and social conditions.  Particular attention must be given to any action that will affect flood plains, prairie or woodland resources, terrain alterations and wetlands.  

6.  ITEMIZED COST ESTIMATE AND PROJECT BUDGET:

List all items and their costs to be included in the proposed project. The itemized cost listing will be the basis for determining what items are eligible for assistance when funds are distributed to applicants awarded a grant. Items not listed will not be eligible for assistance under this grant agreement.

7.  ESTIMATED PROJECT TIME TABLE:

List an anticipated project start date and completion date. Projects are expected to be completed and closed out within two years of project start date.

8.  IF PROJECT IS LAND ACQUISITION OR CONSERVATION EASEMENT:

Please complete that attached the attached page for all acquisitions/easement projects.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ACQUISITION SCHEDULE:  This section does not apply to projects that involve only development.

Note:  If you need additional space to list all parcels, reproduce the chart on a separate sheet of paper.