| Small Grant Applicants |
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| General Information |
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Before applying to OWEB for a Small Grant, you and your project must meet these basic requirements:
Applicant Eligibility
A Small Grant applicant may be a tribe, watershed council, or soil and water conservation district. These entities may act on behalf of private landowners, not-for-profit institutions, schools, community colleges, state institutions of higher education, independent not-for-profit institutions of higher education, local agencies, state agencies, or federal agencies.
Project Eligibility
The project must be an on-the-ground restoration project in Oregon. Monitoring, education, and outreach projects are not eligible. The project must demonstrate benefits to aquatic species, wildlife, or watershed health. The project must be designed to treat the source of watershed health problems through “tried-and-true,” technically sound techniques, using approved Small Grant Technical Guides and Resources (see below). The project must be consistent with the Small Grant Team’s priority watershed concerns and current list of eligible project types (you can determine this by getting in touch with your local Small Grant Team Contact).
Secured Match
You must show evidence of at least 25 percent secured match, based on the total OWEB award, prior to disbursement of grant funds. Match may include: Cash on hand, or cash that is pledged to be on hand, prior to commencement of the project; secured funding commitments from other sources; or pending commitments of funding from other sources.
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| How Do I Apply? |
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If you’re able to meet these three requirements, download a Small Grant Application. OWEB recommends that you work with your local Small Grant Team Contact to get assistance with completing the application. You may be the grantee for your project, or you may choose to have the local watershed council, soil and water conservation district, or tribe be the grantee on your behalf. You’ll want to discuss the pros and cons with your local Small Grant Team Contact.
Each team sets its own application deadlines and review periods, so be sure to confirm those dates with the team contact. Submit your completed application to your local team contact. Teams have up to 30 days, following the application deadline, to act on your application. If the Team recommends your application for funding, it forwards the application to OWEB, which has another 20 working days after receipt to verify that the application is consistent with the Team’s local priority watershed concerns and eligible project types, as well as with OWEB’s statute and administrative rules.
OWEB requires the grantee, Small Grant Team Contact, and the project’s Fiscal Agent to sign a standard OWEB grant agreement. Among other things, the signatories agree to complete the project within 24 months of the local team’s recommendation to OWEB for funding.
Your project may officially begin once all parties have signed the OWEB grant agreement. As a grantee, you’re entitled to up to a 60 percent advance of your award amount to help you get started on your project. You will need to work closely with your Fiscal Agent throughout the project.
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| Teams and Contact Information |
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Twenty-eight small grant teams around the state — composed of representatives from watershed councils, soil and water conservation districts, and tribes — work in partnership with OWEB to solicit, review, and recommend restoration project grants of up to $10,000 for eligible projects.
To find the Small Grant Contact for your Small Grant Area, refer to the Small Grant List of Contacts and Area Map page. The location of your project, and not where you live, determines your contact.
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| Technical Assistance Projects |
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The Small Grant Program is designed to treat the source of watershed health problems through “tried-and-true,” technically sound techniques. It is not designed to fund technically complex projects, requiring expensive technical design and project oversight.
To demonstrate reliance on “tried-and-true,” technically sound techniques, applicants must cite at least one of seven approved Small Grant Technical Guides and Resources (see below) in the Small Grant Program Application. These sources are:
Small Grant Technical Guides
The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Field Office Technical Guide, and local cost share list.
A Guide to Placing Large Wood in Streams
(Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 1995)
The Oregon Road/Stream Crossing Restoration Guide
(Oregon Department of Forestry 1999)
Forest Practices Technical Note No. 4: Fish Passage Guidelines for New and Replacement Stream Crossing Structures
(Oregon Department of Forestry, May 10, 2002)
Forest Practices Technical Note No. 5: Determining the 50-Year Peak Flow and Stream Crossing Structure Size for New and Replacement Crossings Structures
(Oregon Department of Forestry, May 10, 2002)
The Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Guidebook for Local Government
(Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development 1994)
Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual Series #4: Urban Stream Repair Practices
(Center for Watershed Protection, November 2004)
Link connects you to the Center´s Web page where you can either order or download the manual (8.8MB).
Small Grant Technical Resources
The Oregon Aquatic Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Guide
(The Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, May 1999)
The Oregon Department of Forestry Technical Practice Codes and Component Codes. Call for the most recent copy of the document (503) 945-7386.
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