Biodiversity Fund- Small Grants

The Biodiversity Fund Grant, offered by the Boreal Waters Community Foundation, aims to enhance biodiversity in the Duluth-Superior region. It supports projects focused on habitat restoration, species protection, and addressing climate change impacts. Eligible applicants include charitable organizations that serve specific counties in Wisconsin and Minnesota. This initiative seeks to promote ecological health and engage local communities in conservation efforts, ensuring the preservation of vital ecosystems for future generations.

The Biodiversity Fund supports projects that preserve and restore habitats, assist vulnerable species and ecosystems, plan for environmental change, and promote research and education in the Duluth-Superior region.
The fund aims to protect the region's biodiversity through conservation, preservation, and restoration of natural resources for the benefit of future generations.
Small Grants:
Awards may support one-year projects ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 for focused activities such as pilot projects, planning efforts, community engagement, research, or early-stage restoration work.
What We Mean by Biodiversity
‍Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth, encompassing the diversity of genes, species, and ecosystems and the complex relationships that sustain them. Biodiversity underpins ecosystem stability, climate resilience, and human well-being by providing essential services such as clean air and water, natural food systems, nature-derived medicines, and climate adaptation and regulation.
This grant recognizes that healthy natural ecosystems and sustainable native plant and animal communities are deeply interconnected — environmental degradation often exacerbates social inequities and instability of communities of habitats and ecosystems. Community-led solutions strengthen ecological outcomes.
Biodiversity Fund Priorities
Funded projects should demonstrate strength in several of the following areas. Not every project must address all principles, but competitive proposals will show clear alignment across multiple dimensions.
Upstream & Preventative FocusProjects address root causes rather than symptoms.Prioritize prevention, restoration, and long-term solutionsReduce risk and vulnerability for people, species, and ecosystemsAnticipate environmental and social change rather than reacting after harm occursCollaboration & Community VoiceProjects are grounded in authentic partnership.Build cross-sector collaboration (e.g., nonprofits, Tribal Nations, schools, governments, researchers, community groups)Center the expertise and leadership of people with lived experience, including Indigenous knowledge and local ecological expertiseShare power in design, decision-making, and implementationEquity-Centered ImpactProjects advance equity for both people and place.Prioritize historically marginalized communities and/or vulnerable species and ecosystemsFocus resources, decision-making power, or stewardship closer to impacted communitiesRecognize how environmental harm and social inequity intersectSystems, Policy & Practice ChangeProjects have transferability and relevance beyond a single site or program.Improve institutional practices, policies, land-use decisions, or resource flowsStrengthen community-level systems related to housing, food security, climate adaptation, education, or conservationDemonstrate potential for replication, scaling, or broader adoptionSustainability & Capacity BuildingProjects plan for impact that lasts beyond the grant period.Strengthen organizational, community, or ecosystem capacityBuild skills, infrastructure, stewardship, or long-term management plansPromote ongoing care, monitoring, or adaptive management of natural systemsEvidence of Change & LearningProjects contribute to shared learning and understanding.Use data, research, community knowledge, or storytelling to demonstrate impactMeasure ecological, social, or systems-level outcomesShare lessons learned to inform future equity-, resilience-, and biodiversity-focused work

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for funding, an organization must:Be classified as a charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or classified as an organization under Section 170(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code or have a fiscal sponsor classified as a charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or an organization under Section 170(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code
Be located in or provide service to residents within: Bayfield, Douglas and Ashland Counties in northwest Wisconsin; or Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake and St. Louis Counties in northeast Minnesota; or the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa/Mashkiiziibii, the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa/Atisokanigamig, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa/Nah-Gah-Chi-Wa-Nong, the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa/Gichi Onigaming, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe or the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa/Gaa-MiskwaabikaangEligible Biodiversity Activities (Examples)- Projects may include, but are not limited to:Habitat preservation, restoration, or protectionSupport for vulnerable species or ecosystemsCommunity-based environmental research and initiatingEnvironmental education rooted in local, native ecosystemsPlanning and adaptation efforts addressing climate and environmental change