Environmental Stewardship Program

The Musser Fund seeks to support programs:

• That work to manage resources (whether of ecological, economic or aesthetic values) where a broad range of community members and stakeholders are involved in both planning and implementation of the program; and


• Especially those programs that involve local citizens in a hands-on grass-roots approach to stewardship that helps to develop a common vision of the future and harness their energies to make that vision come true.

To apply for a grant under the Environmental Stewardship section of the program:
Please construct your application on the following format, and include a cover sheet when you submit it. The proposal body can be no more than 5 pages. Complete proposal packets must be received in the Musser Fund office by February 18, 2009. Funding decisions will be announced June 2009.

1. SUMMARY: Provide a three sentence summary of your project's goals at the beginning of the application;
2. BACKGROUND: What is your organizational background? What is your organization's experience in this area?
3. ENVRONMENTAL RESOURCE IN FOCUS: Please describe clearly the environmental resource that is the focus of your project.
4. GOALS AND ACTIVITIES: Describe the overall goal of your program. Describe in detail the activities that will accomplish these goals.
5. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Describe the engagement of the community to be involved. Please attach letters that demonstrate this community's interest.
6. STAKEHOLDERS: Describe the stakeholders who will be involved. Please be specific and include letters of support from these stakeholders in the appendix to your application.
7. PROCESS: Describe the process you will employ. Will you use an outside facilitator? Why or why not? If you will, please elaborate on that person's credentials to perform these tasks. Why did you choose to work with this person or organization?
8. COMMUNITY IMPACT: Describe the impact this project will have on the economic and ecological health of the community involved.
9. OUTCOMES: List outcomes and a timeline for proposed activities.

The Directors of the Laura Jane Musser Fund continue to be interested in the replicability of projects requesting funding.  If you have plans to share your project results, please include them in your proposal.

• BUDGET: Include a budget for the project with projected income and expenses; also include a budget for your organization for the current year.
• MAP: Include a map that indicates the location of your project and local community, and which places your project in the context of the larger community or state.
• LETTERS OF SUPPORT: Please include letters of support from at least two (but not more than six) community members and institutions involved in your proposed project. In addition, please provide a letter of support from the local government entity that is most closely involved in your project. The Fund is only able to consider letters that arrive in the same packet with your proposal and before the submission deadline.

Please include a copy of your 501(c)(3) statement, or if you are a unit of local government, please provide a letter on letterhead stationary, signed by a head officer of your unit of government, indicating awareness of and support of this proposed project.

PROPOSAL FORMAT: Electronic proposals will not be accepted. Please send your application packet in single-sided, unbound format. Please only send one copy. No materials other than those listed above will be included in the proposal review process. Only complete application packets will be considered.