2.  Creation of New Wetlands:  Conversion of a site that was not historically a wetland into a wetland by excavating, diking, flooding, and establishing native vegetation, thus resulting in a net gain in wetland acreage. 

3.  Enhancement of Existing Wetlands:  Altering the physical and/or biological characteristics or quality of habitat provided by an existing but degraded wetland, such that it permanently improves one or more specific wetland functions. Enhancement includes removal of invasive species (e.g., buckthorn, reed canary grass), or re-seeding an area with appropriate native species.

4.  Preservation of Existing Wetlands of Exceptional Value:  The protection or acquisition of ecologically important wetlands and related resources in perpetuity through the implementation of appropriate legal and physical mechanisms.  The high cost of land in the Chicago metropolitan area greatly limits the ability of this fund to assist with land preservation.  

            5. Wetland Education and Stewardship: Increasing the general public’s awareness, appreciation, and stewardship of wetlands through creation of  “on the ground” wetland demonstration areas, wetland interpretation materials, student stewardship programs, or other educational programs.  Proposals including education/stewardship components generally fare best when these were used to strengthen projects defined in 1-4 above.   

Note: The restoration, enhancement, and preservation of connected upland buffer, important for adjacent wetlands will be considered for funding if the proposal is part of a larger project that has direct wetland value.

Evaluation Criteria:  Projects proposed for funding will be evaluated based upon the following criteria, as applicable.  These criteria are not necessarily listed in order of priority.  Project sponsors should ensure that each criterion relevant to the proposal is addressed in the proposal narrative:

1.  Conservation impact of the proposed project, including benefits to fish and wildlife resources, biological diversity, and surface water quality;  

2.  Extent to which the proposal reflects sound principles of wetland science and restoration ecology, and likelihood of long-term success;

3.  Integration of appropriate upland buffers and other upland habitat support areas with project wetlands in order to improve their ecological value;  

4.  Project efficiency, measured in cost-per-acre of restoration or enhancement. NOTE: Please clearly state assumptions made in determining this calculation, and take care not to tabulate  the same acreages twice in different NON-TOTAL columns or rows.

5.  Extent to which the project site is part of an identified open space plan, watershed plan, conservancy district, protected riparian corridor or wetland complex, or other local and regional conservation land use plan;  

6.  Provision for perpetual legal protection and stewardship by a responsible party;  

7.  Contribution to public understanding and appreciation of wetlands through public access, interpretation, education, public involvement, or other means;  

8.  Extent to which project utilizes and promotes partnerships among public and private interests.  All listed partners should provide written commitments (on letterhead) that clearly state their intended contributions in a quantifiable and accountable manner.  

9.  Availability of matching funds and/or in-kind contributions.

Although not strictly required for funding consideration, proposals which include contributions from one or more partners will receive an added level of consideration.  The leveraging of project funds is strongly encouraged in order to support the partnership aspect of these guidelines.  Projects that would provide matching funds on at least a 1:1 basis will be viewed most favorably.  Matching contributions may be cash, quantifiable goods, or in-kind services.   

NEW - Timelines: Applicants should propose project timelines that are realistic and achievable.  Past ability or inability of one or more partners to complete NEIWCA-funded projects in a timely manner may be used as a deciding factor in selecting new projects.  We will also consider the status of active NEIWCA-funded projects in cases where applicants seek funding for new ones.  In the future, we will rarely grant requests for deadline extensions.  

Planning and other studies: The primary purpose of this grant program is to assist “on the ground” wetland restoration, creation, enhancement, preservation, and education/stewardship programs. Applicants are discouraged from requesting funds for “feasibility” or “planning” studies.  These studies would be more appropriately funded as part of the applicant’s cash or in-kind contribution, or with funds leveraged from other sources.  Applications should not be submitted for sites being considered for wetland mitigation banking.  In addition, studies to determine whether sites may be developed as wetland mitigation banks will not be considered.  

Who May Apply:  Governmental agencies, non-profit conservation organizations, and private homeowner associations, working in a partnership with a resource organization or alone, are eligible to submit a proposal for the use of NEIWCA funds. Proposal evaluation will include review of the technical and administrative capacity of the proposed implementation organization.  

How Much is Available:  Projects funded during past rounds have ranged from $650 to $200,000 with an average amount funded equal to approximately $38,000.  Beginning in 2004, projects requesting more than $60,000 are generally discouraged (only exceptional projects that request funds exceeding this amount will be considered). 

Proposal Process:  Proposals may be submitted at any time, but will be reviewed annually by a committee that includes staff of TCF and the Chicago Field Office of the USFWS.  Additional review may also be requested from independent reviewers familiar with wetland ecology in the upper Midwest or with other pertinent subject matter. 

NOTE: First-time applicants, or previously unsuccessful applicants are strongly urged to schedule  a field/technical assistance meeting from NEIWCA field representatives well in advance (generally, field visits will not be made later than February 22, 2008) of the application deadline.  The purpose of such visits is to alert prospective applicants of activities that would not fit well with the objectives of the NEIWCA grant.  Thus, while such a meeting is not required, projects with which NEIWCA field representatives are unfamiliar may not perform as well in the ranking process, and may thus not be as competitive.  The NEIWCA field representatives are Dr. Michael Sands, of TCF (847-548-4062 ext 10) for projects in Lake County, and Mr. Michael Redmer, of USFWS (847/381-2253 ext 16) for projects in Cook, DuPage, Kane, McHenry, and Will counties.

Deadline for submittal of proposals is 4:30PM, Friday March 7, 2008.  Funding recommendations and decisions will be made, and applicants will be notified of the status of their proposals in writing, usually within 45-60 days of the submittal deadlines.  Since recommendations of the NEIWCA committee are subject to ratification by the Conservation Fund's Board of Directors, applicants should not contact members of the NEIWCA committee to inquire about the status of their project(s).   

Electronic submission (in either Adobe® Acrobat/"PDF" or Microsoft® Word format) is preferred.  Files should be appropriately compressed, and entire proposal size should not exceed 10MB. Electronic submissions should be emailed to: NEIWCA_Grant@fws.gov.  Applicants not submitting by email should prepare six paper copies of the grant application and forward them to:  

Field Supervisor
Chicago Illinois Field Office
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1250 South Grove Ave., Suite 103
Barrington , Illinois 60010  

All proposals must conform to the following format and guidelines.  Proposals that do not meet these guidelines will be returned for modification.  

A. Cover Sheet:  Should include the following items (1-7):

1. Proposal title

2. Applicant: This is the person who will be sent information concerning proposal status, and who will act as the project manager.  Please include: Name and title, Organization, Address, Telephone and FAX numbers, and email address(es). 

3. Partners (provide name, title and organization for each)

4. Abstract of proposal (a one-paragraph synopsis of the proposal)

5. Project timeline (Start date - Proposed completion date)

6. Acreage table (Do not double-count same acreages in same column or row, except in TOTAL)

	Restored*	Enhanced	Created	Protected	TOTAL
Wetland
Upland
other
TOTAL

* Restored refers to wetland areas that would not meet all jurisdictional wetland criteria prior to the project being completed

7.    Amount requested  

B.  Proposal and supporting materials (maximum 10 pages total, excluding budget table and commitment letters from project partners), should include the following:  

1.         Project Description.  Should include statements of purpose, goals, and objectives.  For habitat-based projects, clearly describe the existing and proposed landscape conditions, including wetland size, type, and boundaries; plant and animal communities; hydrology; soils; and general wetland functions. 

2.         Location.  Identify if project is part of a larger or phased effort.  Clearly describe location of project, if appropriate, and provide detailed location map.  NOTE: Map or description should include common location (e.g., distance/direction to nearest street intersection), or (preferably) GIS-based coordinates of the project center expressed in either decimal degrees (latitude and longitude) or UTM, if available. 

3.         Supporting Materials.  Include appropriate soil survey map, National Wetland Inventory map, and recent aerial and ground photographs.  Identify specific benefits and objectives for target resource groups.  Identify the mechanism for long-term protection and management of affected properties.  

4.         Authorizations and permits required.  List any permits required to implement the proposal and the status of permit reviews.  If land or easement acquisition is proposed, provide a statement from the land owner(s) that clearly documents their willingness to sell property interest.  

5.         Work plan.  Describe methods and tasks to accomplish project goals and objectives, including timetable for initiating and completing project.  Describe partner responsibilities.  Identify the current land owner and manager of any properties affected by the proposal and (if different) the owner and manager responsible for the property after project completion.  

6.         Products. Describe the results and products that will be generated from this work.   

7.         Collaboration.  Provide detailed information regarding individuals, agencies, and organizations collaborating on this project, including documentation of each partner's anticipated role and commitment to the planning and implementation of this project.  All listed partners should provide written letters that clearly state their intended contributions in a quantifiable and accountable manner.  

8.         Evaluation.  Describe any short-term and long-term evaluation process for this project.  

9.         Monitoring/Maintenance. Describe long-term plan for monitoring and management.  

C.  Budget (maximum 3 pages) 

1.         Narrative.  Provide budget narrative to explain costs and basis for costs.  For each partner's matching contribution, explain how values of goods and services were calculated.  For proposals that include land to be acquired in fee or easement, describe the method used to develop the land cost estimate.  No funds will be awarded for land acquisition where the purchase price exceeds the fair market value as established by an appraisal approved by the USFWS.  

2.         Budget Table.  Show proposal costs and partner contributions in the form of the table below.

3.         Other funding sources.  Identify each funding source that has been or will be contacted for project support and the status of each.  Identify all current and past supporters of the project.