South Carolina Natural Resources Grants

This funding initiative provides financial support to graduate students conducting herpetological research focused on the conservation and management of reptiles and amphibians in the southeastern United States.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to U.S. states, territories, and eligible Indian tribes for implementing approved plans to prevent and manage invasive aquatic species.

This grant provides funding to organizations, community groups, and schools in Upstate South Carolina for projects that protect and educate about native plants and ecosystems.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to state and local governments, tribal organizations, and nonprofits for projects aimed at managing and controlling invasive and noxious plant species on public lands across the U.S.

The Anderson County Watershed Protection Council is offering grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 for projects that protect or restore water quality in the Savannah River watershed, increase citizen awareness, and empower communities to collect and share water quality data, with priority given to proposals closest to the spill site.

Anderson Water Council is now accepting applications from the plaintiffs for the protection and remediation of Anderson County water resources. Donor Name: Anderson Water Council State: Georgia, South Carolina County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 08/29/2024 Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: 3 Years Details: The Anderson County Watershed Protection Council is to assist Savannah Riverkeeper and Upstate Forever in identifying, prioritizing, and funding projects that empower citizens to take action on existing and emerging threats to water resources and to restore water quality in the Savannah River watershed’s impacted areas. The Water Council is particularly interested in funding projects that empower local communities to collect and share water quality data publicly Funding Information Average individual grant awards range between $10,000 to $50,000 for citizen empowerment and education projects, and up to $100,000 for water restoration projects, with occasional opportunities for multi-year awards, when necessary, not to exceed three (3) years. Eligibility Criteria  Entities eligible for grant funding include:  A not-for-profit charitable corporation or trust authorized to do business in South Carolina or Georgia  whose mission aligns with the goals of the Anderson Water Council. The Georgia and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources; Forestry Commissions; Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism. Educators, municipalities, and school systems in the impacted areas. Any agency, commission, or instrumentality of such a municipality. For more information, visit AWC.

Education Grants allow applicants to conduct education and outreach activities for the benefit of the greater sustainable ag community, and promote efforts in farmer innovations, community resilience, business success, ag diversification, and best management practices. Donor Name: Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education State: Selected States County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant | Reimbursement Deadline: 08/02/2024 Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: 2 Years Details: Education Grants are open to academic institutions and organizations, such as non-profits and non-governmental organizations, who are interested in conducting education and outreach activities for the benefit of the greater sustainable ag community, and promote efforts in farmer innovations, community resilience, business success, agricultural diversification, and best management practices. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and 1890 land-grant university faculty/extension cooperators are especially encouraged to apply for this grant for their education and outreach activities. SSARE also considers proposals from organizations/institutions whose projects involve farmers from indigenous agriculture that produces products for community food systems. These enterprises may be eligible where the production activity has an annual value of less than $1,000, even if products are not sold due to cultural factors. Education Grants should focus on a topic area of sustainable agriculture relevance that meets SARE’s program goals. In addition, the proposed project should comprise education/outreach efforts/activities that support the research/education foundation of the institution/organization, and must clearly articulate how those education/outreach efforts/activities will be implemented and evaluated. Examples of Education Grant projects can include one or more of the following, but are not limited to: Experiential (Demonstrations, on-farm tours, field days, workshops, trainings, case studies); Integrative (Conferences, seminars, course curriculum) Reinforcement (Fact sheets, bulletins, books, manuals, videos, online technologies, guidebooks) SARE encourages proposals on quality of life topics that focus on the social health of a farming system. These can include, but are not limited to: Heirs property; Farmers’ markets; food hubs; locavores; CSAs; Local/regional processing/slaughter; Food sheds and food circles; Direct marketing and value-added; Beyond organics value chains; Farm to School/Institution; Civic agriculture, agritourism; Denominations of origin/geographic indications; Non-GMO movement, Slow Food, chef collaboratives; Urban ag systems; Food policy councils, governance structures; and Local/regional certification/branding. Funding Information Education Grant project maximums are $50,000, limited to two (2) years. Education Grants are paid by reimbursement of allowable project expenses. Who can apply? Researchers from public and private institutions, such as 1862 and 1890 land-grant universities or other colleges and universities; government agencies, such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service or USDA-ARS; non-governmental organizations; and community-based organizations. Education Grants strictly fund education and outreach activities related to sustainable agriculture whose outcomes are intended to benefit farmers and farming communities. There is no research involved in these grant projects. Southern SARE accepts proposals from applicants in the Southern region: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Grant Requirements  Education Grant proposals must meet the following basic requirements in order to be considered for funding: Project outcomes must focus on developing sustainable agriculture systems or moving existing systems toward sustainable agriculture. The project must clearly articulate what is being taught, to whom and how the project will accomplish those goals. The results must be realistic, acceptable to farmers, logical, and capable of leading to the actions and benefits described in the proposal. For farmers involved in your project, the primary occupation is farming/ranching or part-time farming. Producers run their farm alone or with family or partners and have a least $1,000 of documented annual income from the operation, as defined by USDA. SSARE also considers proposals with farmers from indigenous agriculture that produces products for community food systems. These enterprises may be eligible where the production activity has an annual value of less than $1,000, but products are not sold due to cultural factors. For more information, visit Southern SARE.

This funding opportunity supports conservation projects that provide employment and training for young adults and veterans, helping them gain experience in environmental stewardship and resource management on public lands.

This grant provides funding for research institutions to study the endangered Everglade snail kite's demographics, movement, and habitat in relation to water management practices in Florida's Everglades ecosystem.

This funding program provides financial support to community-based organizations that empower youth aged 12 to 20 through established, youth-led urban greening initiatives focused on social and environmental justice in select states.

The BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation is seeking grant applications for its Heal Mini-Grants. Donor Name: BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation State: South Carolina County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 07/17/2024 Size of the Grant: Not Available Grant Duration: Less than 1 Year Details: The HEAL Mini-Grant is a funding opportunity designed to support healthy eating or active living projects focused on policy, systems, and environmental change in community health. The grants can serve as seed money for new projects, help progress existing ones, or provide the final push to complete ongoing initiatives. The BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, awarded Wholespire a grant to promote the health of South Carolina’s economically challenged population.  Focus Areas All grant proposals must be related to healthy eating and/or active living and implement or support a policy, systems, or environmental change project. Grant Period The project ideas must be ready to be implemented and completed within 9 months of receiving funding. Types of Projects They support communities by offering them tools and resources to create opportunities for equitable access to healthy food and safe places to be active because the choices they make are influenced by the choices that they have. Examples of the types of PSE projects they fund are: Increase opportunities for community members, students, employees, or devout individuals to make healthy choices. Examples include establishing or promoting SNAP/Healthy Bucks at the farmers market and creating a sustainable food-gleaning station at the local recreation center. Increase opportunities for community members, students, employees, or devout individuals to engage in physical activity and spend more time outdoors. Examples include installing water bottle refill stations and improving playgrounds at school or in community parks, supporting active communities with bike racks and crosswalks in destination areas, and supporting community trails by adding signage, benches, trash cans, and extra features like a Story Walk or Born Learning Trail. Eligibility Criteria Applicants must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Municipalities, coalitions, or schools are also eligible to apply. If the applicant is not a 501(c)(3), they can use a fiscal agent that qualifies.  For more information, visit BBSCF.

This grant provides funding for organizations within the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units program to monitor and analyze the reproductive success of the threatened wood stork in Lake Okeechobee and surrounding areas, ensuring informed ecosystem management in response to changing hydrologic conditions.

This funding opportunity is designed for organizations in specific regions to conduct research and monitoring of wood stork reproduction in the Everglades, focusing on the impacts of hydrological changes on their populations.

The purpose of CIG is to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies in conjunction with agricultural production in the United States and its territories. CIG projects are expected to lead to the transfer of conservation technologies, management systems, and innovative approaches (such as market-based systems) to agricultural producers, into government technical manuals and guides, or to the private sector. CIG generally funds pilot projects, field demonstrations, and on-farm conservation research. On-farm conservation research is defined as an investigation conducted to answer a specific applied conservation question using a statistically valid design while employing farm-scale equipment on farms, ranches or private forest lands. The CIG program is not a NRCS producer financial assistance program. Project outcomes should benefit a region of a state or the entire state and not just benefit one farm. NRCS will prioritize projects that will implement climate-smart agriculture conservation activities which are targeted to assist agricultural producers and nonindustrial private forestland owners in directly improving soil carbon, reducing nitrogen losses, or reducing, capturing, avoiding, or sequestering carbon dioxide, methane, or nitrous oxide emissions, associated with agricultural production. All CIG projects must involve EQIP-eligible producers that meet EQIPs eligibility requirements listed in 7 CFR 1466.6(b)(1) through (3).

The Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) is currently applications for the 2024 Infrastructure Grant Program. Donor Name: Rural Advancement Foundation International State: Selected States County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 08/09/2024 Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: RAFI provides support to Historically Underserved farmers and ranchers  for projects that demonstrate an ability to increase farm viability; establish new markets for local products and services; develop new uses for existing structures and equipment; add value to existing farm products through processing, packaging or marketing; make optimal use of on-farm and natural resources; and Cultural/Heritage projects which are focused on preserving and continuing a specific agrarian tradition.  Funding priority will be given to proposals with: High expected impact on farm viability and sustainability Strong project feasibility and planning: a clear plan, detailed budget and timeline, and all supporting documentation included.  Farmers who earn a significant amount of their household income from the farm operation.  Individual financial need, or location in an economically disadvantaged area Project tangibly benefits the surrounding community Farm uses agroecological and/or or ancestral farming practices  Funding Information Applicants may request up to $10,000 in funding.  Eligibility Criteria You are a historically underserved farmer or rancher, as defined by NRCS.  You are applying as either an individual farmer owner/co-owner or as a farm cooperative If applying as a cooperative or collaborative, at least 50% of the cooperative or collaborative must meet eligibility criteria.  You are in at least your fourth full growing season of farming and have worked at least two years in your current farming operation and location.  You are a “livelihood” farmer/rancher or are seeking a long term career that financially supports you through agriculture  You complete and submit an application by the deadline. You submit only one application (as an individual or a collective). If you submit more than one application, neither will be considered. You have NOT received a RAFI infrastructure grant before (2020-2023).  Your farm is located in one of the following states AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, SC, TN, or VA. For more information, visit RAFI.

This funding opportunity is designed for researchers with expertise in ecology and aquatic fauna to study prey concentrations in the Everglades, supporting the restoration of wading bird populations and the broader ecosystem.

This funding opportunity supports nonprofits, government agencies, and educational institutions in the southeastern U.S. to improve aquatic habitats and water quality, particularly for endangered species and key river basins.

This grant provides financial support to nonprofit organizations that develop innovative resources and services to help adults in the middle or late stages of their careers with reskilling, upskilling, and career navigation, particularly those who are unemployed or underemployed.

This grant provides funding for researchers with expertise in the Everglades ecosystem to study and monitor the unique landscape patterns of ridges and sloughs, supporting ecological restoration efforts in the region.

This program provides funding to local governments and public service entities in South Carolina for improving essential water, sewer, and stormwater infrastructure to promote public health and economic growth.