Riverscape Restoration Initiative Grant

Our Mission & Approach
The Biophilia Foundation is dedicated to advancing biodiversity conservation on private lands by fostering systemic change through people, their communities, and direct action. We approach our mission by offering grants to nonprofit organizations, administering in-house programs, and serving as a strategic partner and fiscal sponsor for organizations with which we collaborate.
Riverscape Restoration in the Western United States and Northern Mexico
Two types of grants are available:
Grants of $50,000 to $100,000 are available for projects that implement low-tech, process-based, and/or beaver-based restoration of upland streams and rivers.Grants up to $25,000 are available for:Capacity building: Assistance with the development of watershed plans, place-based networks, or preparation of proposals for federal or state grants.Engagement: Outreach to landowners and land managers to improve the availability of information and make implementation achievable.
The Biophilia Foundation also welcomes enquiries regarding capacity building for riverscape restoration, research (primarily carbon sequestration, climate change adaptation, and other riparian ecosystem services), innovative finance, and improving the availability of information available to landowners and land managers.
Funding Categories
Grants provided through this initiative will include the categories described below. Eligible entities can apply for funding from one or more categories.
Implementation GrantsImplementation grants of $50,000 to $100,000 are available for riparian restoration projects using low-tech, process-based restoration (LTPBR) techniques, such as RDS, BDA, PALS, grass plugs, etc., and supporting practices, such as tree planting and exclosures. Implementation grants can also support restoration for the purpose of beaver translocation or beaver recolonization. Grants for this purpose may include practices for nonlethal management of beaver conflicts (e.g., pond levelers). Where financially beneficial, the Biophilia Foundation supports integration of carbon finance and/or other payments for ecosystem services into restoration projects.Implementation grants will be evaluated based on ecological and social criteria, including appropriateness of LTPBR to the context, biodiversity and ecological value, project scale, partnerships, and financial viability. Only projects in the target geography will be considered for implementation grants.In general, funded projects may apply for funding for one or two years, depending on scale and scope.Capacity-Building and EngagementGrants of up to $25,000 are available to assist with capacity-building and engagement.Capacity-building includes the development of watershed plans, creation of place based networks, or preparation of proposals for federal or state grants. Funds may also be used for projects to increase the capacity of the system, such as addressing training and workforce development.Engagement grants fund efforts to reduce barriers to LTPBR implementation by landowners and land managers. Examples include videos, websites, hosted workshops, or targeted outreach marketing to candidate landowners. Topics could include guidance on practices, permitting, financing, benefits, and risk mitigation.Research and FinanceIn addition to the grants currently available, the Biophilia Foundation welcomes enquiries regarding:Research to address data gaps on the benefits and risks of riparian restoration.

Eligibility

The target geography for these grants includes arid or semi-arid regions of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Nuevo León.Proposals may be submitted by registered nonprofit organizations, civil society organizations, and Native American tribes in the geographic area described above. Proposals may be for implementation grants, capacity building / engagement grants, or both, and proposals may be submitted by a single entity or partnerships of multiple entities.