American Wilderness Coalition: Rapid Response Grants

Grantmaking Focus

Rapid Response requests must focus on local, state or regional efforts to expand and protect our National Wilderness Preservation System, such as efforts to designate new Wilderness Areas, efforts to protect threatened wilderness quality lands or citizens' proposed wilderness areas, or efforts to protect or expand existing Wilderness areas. AWC will make every effort to fund a variety of projects and organizations from geographically diverse areas.

AWC's Rapid Response Funds will be granted to organizations, projects or campaigns that fulfill all of these important criteria:

Are working on wilderness protection proposals for legislation or existing legislation (these can be offensive or defensive efforts);
Respond to rapidly emerging opportunities or threats facing America's wilderness areas and proposed wilderness areas;
Are in need of (c)(4) dollars for a specific purpose where (c)(3) dollars are not available or can't be used due to a group's lobby limits;
Are time sensitive or don't fit into other regular grantmaking schedules; and
Include a concise project plan that contains specific outcomes, tasks, a timeline and a budget.

The types of activities that AWC's Rapid Response Grants could fund include (but are not limited to):

Paid media (radio, print ads, TV ) to address immediate legislative opportunity/challenge;
Action alerts/mailings (membership mailing, list purchase, etc.) to address immediate legislative challenge/opportunity;
Campaign materials with direct or grassroots advocacy message;
Staff or consultant time for advocacy work related to legislative opportunity/challenge;
Paid polling; and
Volunteer or staff travel to Washington, DC for specific lobbying purpose.

The maximum grant for any one project or campaign is $15,000 in one calendar year.