- Program Environment
- Program Area Addressing the Freshwater Challenge
- Grant Amount $85,000
- Grant Period April 1, 2004–June 30, 2006
- Location Mount Rainier, MD, United States
- Geographic Focus Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Wisconsin
About this grant
The Fresh Water Leadership Initiative was developed by the Institute for Conservation Leadership to build the effectiveness of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) addressing freshwater issues in the Great Lakes and Southeast. Freshwater ecosystems will be conserved and restored only if strong, effective NGOs are working on their behalf. Access to technical assistance is crucial if NGO leaders are to build sustainable and effective organizations.Multiyear funding will enable the institute to help leaders of environmental groups in the Great Lakes basin and Southeast strengthen their organizations through shared leadership workshops; leadership learning exchanges; tailored training and consulting; outreach; and capacity-building tools. Specific activities include organizing two, three-day workshops; providing direct technical assistance to 10-15 groups; and rewriting a “benchmarking” workbook to support the strategic thinking and organizational development needs of all-volunteer groups. Funding includes two grant increases — one to support a conference to develop a consensus policy statement for restoring the Great Lakes ecosystem; and one to incorporate the dissemination of findings from a survey of environmental nonprofits’ organizational capacity in the Great Lakes region and Southeast.Recent accomplishments included organizing 40 sessions that served more than 800 leaders of regional, environmental NGOs; providing direct organizational development assistance to 13 organizations; and developing a workbook to help organizations establish benchmarks concerning their capacity.