Five Star Restoration Matching Grants Program

The Five Star Restoration Program seeks to develop community capacity to sustain local natural resources for future generations by providing modest financial assistance to diverse local partnerships for wetland, riparian, and coastal habitat restoration. The National Association of Counties, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Wildlife Habitat Council, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Southern Company, and our newest partner Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), are pleased to solicit applications for the Five Star Restoration Program.

FUNDING AVAILABILITY:

Currently funding is available from our two corporate sponsors in several southeast states and most of northern and central California to supplement funds from US EPA for projects anywhere in the United States.  

Corporate Sponsors provide:

• $200,000 in grant funding from Southern Company and its operating companies (Georgia Power, Alabama Power, Gulf Power, and Mississippi Power) is available for projects located in portions of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida
• $266,667 in grant funding from PG&E’s Nature Restoration Trust Program is available for projects located in the PG&E service area of northern and central California.

Elements of a Five Star Project

• On-the-Ground Restoration. Projects must include on-the-ground wetland, riparian, in stream and/ or coastal habitat restoration.
• Environmental Education. Projects must integrate meaningful education into the restoration project either through community participation, and/or integration with K-12 environmental curriculum.
• Partnerships. Projects must involve a diverse set of community partners to accomplish the projects objectives.
• Measurable Results. Projects must result in measurable ecological, educational/social benefits.

Grant Guidance

• The Five Star Restoration Challenge Grant program is open to any public or private entity.[1]
• Projects should be completed within one to two years of award.
• Requests must be for $10,000 to $40,000. Grants will vary in size, duration and scale. In general, smaller-scale, one-year projects will be eligible for grants up to $20,000. Two-year larger-scale projects will be eligible for grants up to $40,000. The average award for 2008 grantees is about $25,000.
• Partnerships should include at least five organizations (“Five Stars”) that contribute to project success through funding, land, workforce support, technical support and/or other in-kind services.These partners often include:
  • Government agencies: State, Local and/or tribal governments (e.g., boards of county commissioners, departments of planning, environment or parks and recreation, and government natural resource and environmental agencies of all levels of governance);
  • Youth groups: schools, youth conservation corps, Boy and Girl Scouts, civic and environmental clubs; etc.
  • Academics, universities and local cooperative extension districts;
  • Resource Conservation and Development Councils and Soil and Water Conservation Districts;
  • Local, regional, and/or national businesses or corporations;
  • Conservation organizations or local citizens groups;
  • Local environmental consultants, ecologists, and others that offer technical and design expertise, and;
  • Foundations or other funders.
• While partnerships are encouraged to include state and federal agencies, they should only serve as the grantee if the community partners demonstrate that the state or federal agency is best suited to coordinate the community-based project.Organizations or projects that have received funding under this program are eligible to reapply; however, preference will be given to those that have not previously received support.

What is not eligible

• Projects involving only research, monitoring, or planning are not eligible for funding.
• Projects involving only environmental education are not eligible for funding.
• Projects that are part of a mitigation requirement, compliance agreement requirement, or otherwise required by law, are not eligible for funding.

How to apply

Applications are available through the National Fish and Wildlife Website at www.nfwf.org/fivestar.  For questions, call Carrie Clingan at 202-942-4246 or email cclingan@naco.org.

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