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Friday, May 18, 2012

Canon's Take Root Grant Program

Canon and Evergreen have partnered to offer this national program that provides funding for stewardship and restoration activities across Canada.

Amount offered: $5,000 and a Canon PowerShot camera

Application deadline: May 25, 2012

Eligible Projects

To be eligible, projects must provide community members with opportunities including:

  • Planting native trees (at least 250)*
  • At least one tree planting event in September 2012
  • Stewardship activities, such as invasive-species removal, mulching and site maintenance
  • Monitoring activities, such as plant survival rates and wildlife-species observation
  • Public education, such as site tours and installing interpretive signage
  • Community development projects involving diverse communities

* For a list of native plants in your province, visit Evergreen's native plant database. Applicants are also encouraged to consult local ecologists to determine appropriate native plant species for projects.

Eligible Expenses

Funding can be spent on:

  • Native trees
  • Gardening supplies such as soil, mulch, compost and hand tools
  • Educational and communications materials such as signage, flyers and press releases
  • Volunteer expenses such as refreshments, awards and honouraria
  • Health and safety supplies
  • Transportation (car or truck rental, delivery of materials/supplies)
  • Staff wages, salary for professional consulting services, or project coordination, to a maximum of $1,000 of funds awarded through this program

Ineligible Projects and Expenses

  • Schools (elementary and secondary), government agencies, businesses, individuals are NOT eligible for funding through The Canon Take Root Grant Program.
  • Projects occurring on privately owned property that is not publicly accessible
  • Projects that do not use native plants exclusively and do not promote organic practices
  • Projects (or portions thereof) completed before the application is reviewed
  • Construction and excavation contractor costs
  • Technical or scientific reports and studies
  • Projects developed on land belonging to a school board. School ground greening and food garden projects are only eligible for funding through the Toyota Evergreen School Ground Greening Grants program

For a full list of what's eligible and what's not, please see our Application Guide below.

How to Apply

Please review the Application Guide and our Proposal Writing Tips for essential information on completing your application.

Fill out the application, attach all required materials, and send it in by mail or courier. Faxed or emailed applications will not be accepted. Applications must be received at the Evergreen office by May 25, 2012.

Grant Recipient Responsibilities

If your project is selected, you will be asked to sign a Grant Recipient Contract indicating your commitment to:

  • Organize a tree planting event in September 2012 (this can be an event that your organization has already planned)
  • Certify that you will obtain all necessary regulatory permits and approvals
  • Submit "before-and-after" photos, photos of community planting events using the Canon PowerShot camera awarded with each grant
  • Submit a final report to Evergreen by November 30, 2012
  • Agree to participate, if requested, in the promotion of your project (e.g. press releases or other media event) locally and/or nationally, in conjunction with Evergreen and Canon
  • Submit photocopies of relevant receipts, if requested

Each year, Evergreen receives more eligible applications than we are able to fund. While we would like to support all eligible projects, please note that we may not have sufficient funds to do so.

Questions

If you have further questions, please contact:
Celeste Longhurst, Grant Program Coordinator
clonghurst@evergreen.ca
Toll-free: 1-888-426-3138 x320
In Toronto: 416-596-1495 x320