NEXT DEADLINE: OCTOBER 1, 2010

The goal of the Mining Mini-grants Program is to support and enhance the capacity building efforts of mining-impacted communities in the U.S. and Canada to assure that mining projects do not adversely affect human, cultural, and the ecological health of communities.  

The applicant must be a grassroots or indigenous community program with limited funds that have demonstrated the capacity to successfully carry out the project.  Individual grants will not exceed $3,000 U.S. and cannot be used for general programmatic or operating expenses.

WMAN/IEN Grassroots Communities Mining Mini-grants program criteria:

1. Grassroots community-based organizations, and Tribes or Tribal programs in the U.S. and Canada with any budget level may apply. However, if there are more applicants than funds available, priority will be given to organizations with an organizational or mining-specific project budget under $75,000 U.S.
2. Requests must be project-specific for an immediate need such as legal assistance, organizing and outreach, development of campaign materials, media development, reports, travel, mailings, etc. to be fulfilled within the next four to six months on a specific mining campaign. Funds cannot be used for an organization’s general operating funds, staff salaries, rent or telephone bills.
3. Priority will be given to projects that build bridges and community across socio-economic and cultural lines.
4. Applicants who have received funds twice during the previous two grant cycles will be given lower priority than new organizations and programs.  This will not apply to “emergency” grants.
5. Each grant issued will not exceed $3,000.
6. Funding recipients must submit a brief report detailing how funds were spent within 1 month of the project finishing. Recipients will not be eligible for additional funding until the project has been completed and a project report, or an extension request, is received and accepted by WMAN and IEN.

Click here to download the information and application.

Any questions? We are happy to help.  Please contact either Simone Senogles, Indigenous Environmental Network, (218) 751-4967 ~ simone@ienearth.org or Sarah Keeney, WMAN Network Coordinator at (503) 327-8625 ~ sarahekeeney@comcast.net