SITKA: Ecosystem Grants

SITKA: Ecosystem Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: W.L. Gore & Associates Inc
Amount: US $3,000 - US $20,000
Last Updated: November 05, 2025

Summary

SITKA Ecosystem Grants support projects that enhance ecosystems and promote conservation efforts. These grants encourage both grassroots initiatives and larger organizational projects, aiming to improve habitat restoration, biodiversity, and the hunting experience. With funding ranging from $3,000 to $20,000, applicants must be 18 years or older and have relevant experience. The review process is ongoing, and projects should emphasize collaboration and measurable impacts on environmental goals, benefiting both society and ecosystems.

Overview

NOTE: Applications for SITKA Ecosystems Grants are by invitation only. To inquire about support for your work, please submit a short summary (200 words maximum) of your funding request (See Letter of Inquiry Deadline above). You will be notified upon review of your inquiry how to submit a full proposal.SITKA Ecosystem Grants are accepted and reviewed on an ongoing basis, though most are funded between April and June annually. Please note that we will reach out to you if and when your grant is awarded. What is Ecosystem Thinking? Humans are an integral part of the ecosystem, and living in consistent connection with the natural world is good and healthy. Everything is connected. The decisions we make have upstream and downstream effects. A healthy bull elk is part of a much larger story. His existence reflects an intricate food web supported by everything from soil and water to songbirds and predators. This is Ecosystem Thinking. What are Ecosystem Grants? We believe extraordinary impacts can be made not only by large organizations but also by grassroots efforts led by passionate individuals. SITKA Ecosystem Grants fund proposed projects that improve the state and function of an ecosystem, allow for the growth of the hunting experience through access and education, and create opportunities for collaborative conservation. Our Funding Priorities Nurturing Natural SystemsHabitat Restoration, Biodiversity, Conservation, Working LandscapesEncouraging the Hunting ExperienceMentorship, Access, Education, Well-BeingShared StewardshipPrioritizing Whole Ecosystems Through Collaboration Examples of Funded Projects Supporting efforts to remove fencing that prohibits or threatens ungulate migrations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and efforts to install wildlife friendly fencing in key migratory areas. Supporting research efforts to better understand mallard duck overwinter habitat use and population dynamics in the Mississippi River Flyway. Supporting a scholarship fund for a Montana backcountry hunting course tailored to youth and first time hunters. Supporting a local trail crew who, on their personal time, maintain and restore public trails.Supporting efforts to restore the Mississippi River Delta by planting native trees to help capture downstream transported sediment, strengthen existing freshwater ecosystems and reduce the rate at which critical habitat and land is lost due to sea level rise, increase frequency and severity of storms, saltwater encroachment and a reduction of land building downstream sediment transport. Supporting efforts by leading scientific groups and universities to research CWD with hopes of curbing its spread, and lobbying efforts to pass legislation that can increase CWD education, advocacy and awareness. Funding Amount and Duration SITKA Ecosystem Grants vary in amount depending on significance of the project, though most range between US $3,000 and $20,000. However, we do not have a cap on individual grant funding requests. Each grant request is reviewed on a case by case basis. SEG funds often serve as complimentary support, which is why we encourage applicants to seek additional, concurrent funding, and disclose supporting funds and partners within the SEG application. Typically, SITKA Ecosystem Grants support projects for one year. However, in certain circumstances, we support grants on a multi-year basis.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Applicant must be 18 years or older.At this time, funding is restricted to United States and Canadian citizens and projects.Must have a record of prior experience in the fields of research, conservation or exploration, which should be submitted as it pertains to the proposed project.Sitka Ecosystem Grants have been supported groups including but not limited to:Non-Profits, Both local and national University researchers and research groups State and Federal Government Individuals (not affiliated with a University, non-profit or formal organization)All SITKA Ecosystem Grant projects should be of the highest quality and have the potential to advance and transform the confluence of the environmental and social landscape as it relates to wildlife, stewardship and conservation. Projects should contribute to achieving environmental goals principally, where by doing so, society at large and the ecosystems we are inextricably bound to benefit.This includes wild, suburban and/or urban ecosystems alike. Potential impacts and success metrics must be qualified and quantified through research and data, grassroots and community efforts, management efforts and outcomes, media and content, and activities that are supported by and or complimentary to the supported project.

Ineligibility

SITKA Ecosystem Grants may not be used for indirect cost expenditures, overhead, and other expenses not directly related to this project. Fringe benefits are also excluded, as are salaries. Funds may not be used for: travel to scientific / professional meetings or conferences, tuition, vacations, study abroad programs, volunteer activities, legal actions, land acquisition, endowments, or publication of research results. Grantees are expected to provide SITKA with the rights of first refusal for popular publication and other media coverage of their project, efforts and findings.