Open Opportunities

The Community Foundation of Northern Nevada is accepting proposals for grants from the Truckee River Fund. Proposals will be considered by the Truckee River Fund Advisory Committee and grant recommendations must be approved both by the TMWA Board and the Board of Trustees of the Community Foundation. The fund advisors may recommend up to a total of $550,000 in grant awards per fiscal year but may choose to award less than the amount available.

The mission of the Truckee River Fund is to protect and enhance water quality or water resources of the Truckee River or its watershed. To be considered for funding, project proposals must demonstrate measurable impact in accordance with this mission. Please note that land and/or water rights acquisition projects are not considered to be a Truckee River Fund priority. To see projects funded by the Truckee River Fund, please go to http://www.truckeeriverfund.org.

Projects must begin within 180 days of award. Applicants must be registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit agencies, nonprofit educational institutions, or governmental entities. Grants are paid on a reimbursable basis for actual expenditures.

The deadline for proposals is Friday, January 31, 2025 at noon. Applications must be confirmed as received by the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada by the deadline to be considered for funding. A project budget must be submitted with your application. A sample budget template is available for download. For questions or additional information, contact the Community Foundation or visit the Truckee River Fund website at www.truckeeriverfund.org.

GRANT PRIORITIES

Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) recommends that the Truckee River Fund (TRF) Advisory Committee (the “Committee”) give preference to well-supported, clearly drafted grant requests that consider substantial benefits to TMWA customers for projects and programs that mitigate substantial threats to water quality and the watershed, particularly those threats upstream or nearby water treatment and hydroelectric plant intakes. 

1. Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS): Projects/Programs that support the prevention or control of aquatic invasive species in the mainstem Truckee River, Lake Tahoe, other tributaries and water bodies in the Truckee River system. 
2. Watershed Improvements: Projects that reduce erosion or sediment, suspended solids, or total dissolve solids (TDS) discharges, nutrients, industrial contaminants, or bacterial pollutants to the River. Projects or programs that are located within 303d (impaired waters) and total maximum daily load (TMDL) sections of the River should be considered, both in California and Nevada. Innovative techniques should be encouraged. The following link identifies impaired sections of the river and its tributaries: https://mywaterway.epa.gov/.  
3. Local Stormwater Improvements: Projects that demonstrably mitigate storm water run-off due to urbanization of the local watershed. Priority should be given to those improvement projects in close proximity to TMWA’s water supply intakes and canals and which will improve the reliability and protect the quality of the community’s municipal water supply. 
4. Re-Forestation and Re-Vegetation Projects: Projects to restore forest and upland areas damaged by fire and historical logging operations, and to improve watershed resiliency in drought situations. Projects/programs in this category should be given a high priority due to urbanization of the watershed and increased susceptibility of the urban and suburban watershed to wildfire. 
5. Support to Rehabilitation of Local Tributary Creeks and Drainage Courses: Projects to support water quality improvement in creeks and tributaries to the Truckee River.  
6. Stewardship and Environmental Awareness: Support to clean-up programs and the development and implementation of educational programs relative to water, water quality and watershed protection that do not fall clearly into the one of the above-mentioned categories. 

Notes:  

• For proposals related to weed control/eradication, contact Lauren Renda at the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada for additional criteria at lrenda@nevadafund.org.  
• For proposals in the Lake Tahoe Basin, the Truckee River Fund (TRF) typically only funds proposals related to Priority I and VI.  

GRANTEE REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible for funding, grantees must adhere to the following requirements: 

• Funds are to be used and/or disbursed exclusively for the charitable uses and purposes. 
• The Fund shall be used exclusively for projects that protect and enhance water quality or water resources of the Truckee River, or its watershed. 
• Grantees may include 501(c)(3) organizations and governmental entities. Any grants to governmental entities must be made exclusively for public benefit purposes. 
• All grantees will be required to sign a grant agreement stipulating their agreement to all applicable terms, conditions, and reporting requirements. 
• Organizations or entities sponsoring proposals are prohibited from ex parte communications with members of the Committee regarding such proposals while those proposals are pending before the Committee, and such communications may be grounds for rejecting a proposal. 
• All applicants must provide a match of at least 25 percent for dollars requested. The match may be with funding and/or in-kind services.

PROJECT EVALUATION

Applications are evaluated according to the following criteria and in order of priority. If the grant applicant does not meet the “Grantee Requirements”, the application will not be considered.  

RELEVANCE OF PROPOSAL TO THE TRF PROGRAM  

• Address TRF grant priorities – Does the project address at least one of the TRF grant priorities, as described at the beginning of the RFP?  
• Meet multiple objectives – Does the project meet multiple grant priorities? 
• Public benefit of the project – Does the project help TMWA protect its sources of drinking water? 
• Benefit to TMWA customers – Is there a direct benefit to TMWA customers? 
• Project location – Is the project located upstream of one of TMWA’s water treatment plants? 

QUALITY OF PROJECT DESIGN  

• Appropriateness of selected project methods – Do the proposed project strategies make sense to address the watershed and/or water quality concern(s) outlined by the applicant? 
• Thoroughness of project design – Is the project design adequately detailed to ensure the desired outcome(s)? 
• Sustainability of project – Will the benefits of the project continue after the grant funds are expended? 
• Project longevity – If ongoing operation & maintenance (O&M) is required to maintain benefits, is it funded? 
• Consideration of existing research – Does the project consider existing research, planning efforts, or assessments related to the Truckee River watershed? 

MEASURABILITY OF PROJECT SUCCESS  

• Identification of project benchmarks or milestones – Has the applicant described the steps necessary to complete the project?  
• Demonstrated ability to measure the results of the project – Does the project have adequate measurable outcomes to evaluate project success? 
• Benefits expected from a successful project – Are there clear goals that will be obtained on project completion? 
• Readiness to begin project – Is the grant applicant ready to undertake and complete the project?  

EFFECTIVENESS OF ORGANIZATION  

• Qualifications of applicant for the proposed project – Does the applicant have adequate experience and credentials to perform the work described in the application? 
• Collaborative efforts – Are there partner organizations supporting or benefiting from the project? 
• Demonstrated ability of applicant to manage and complete the project – Has the applicant successfully completed projects similar to the one proposed? If previously funded by TRF, has the applicant met performance requirements and completed projects successfully?  

ADEQUACY OF PROPOSED BUDGET  

• Availability and status of matching funds – Does the project provide a minimum of 25 percent match in cash and/or in-kind services? If the project is downstream of the USGS Vista gage, is the 25 percent match requirement met using cash match? 
• Total project cost relative to benefits – Is the project cost reasonable given the expected project outcome(s)? 
• Appropriateness of budget – Are the costs presented in the budget adequately detailed and do they seem reasonable? Is the project under the 25 percent indirect/overhead expense limit? 

The Nature Conservancy and Truckee River Watershed Council have conducted assessments of the Truckee River and the Donner Lake watersheds and have presented their findings to the Truckee River Fund advisory committee. The results of these assessments may influence the advisors’ decision-making during proposal review. Copies of the assessments are available at www.truckeeriverfund.org. 

For more information and to begin your grant application, visit our new online grant manager.

If you think that you or someone at your organization has already registered in the system, do not create a new account. Please contact Lauren Sgandurra at laurens@nevadafund.org to receive your username.

The Community Foundation of Northern Nevada accepts proposals year-round for grants from the Dream Tags Charitable Fund. Proposals will be considered by the Advisory Board on Dream Tags at their next meeting and on an as-needed basis for emergency funding requests. Grant recommendations must be approved by the Board of Trustees of the Community Foundation. The deadline to apply for non-emergency proposals is noon on Friday, January 31, 2025. Emergency funding requests may be submitted at any time using the Emergency Request for Proposal form.

The Dream Tags Charitable Fund provides funding to engage Nevadans in wildlife conservation by focusing donated funds to restore resilience in at-risk Nevada habitats with strategic collaborative projects for sustained impact that supports the preservation, protection, management, or restoration of big game, other wildlife, and their habitat. To be considered for funding, project proposals must demonstrate measurable impact in accordance with this purpose.

Applicants must be registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit agencies, nonprofit educational institutions, or governmental entities. Projects must be performed in Nevada. Grants are typically paid on a reimbursable basis for actual expenditures. Funding will not be provided for work performed prior to grant approval. 

GRANTEE REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible for funding, grantees must adhere to the following requirements:

• Monies are to be used and/or disbursed exclusively for the charitable uses and purposes.
• The Dream Tags Fund shall be used exclusively to provide support for the preservation, protection, management or restoration of Nevada’s big game and wildlife habitat
• The Charitable Beneficiaries may include 501(c)(3) organizations and governmental entities. Any grants to governmental entities must be made exclusively for public benefit purposes.
• All grantees will be required to sign a grant agreement stipulating their agreement with all of the terms, conditions, and reporting requirements.
• To maintain eligibility to receive grant funds, each Charitable Beneficiary must comply at all times with the following requirements:

1. Charitable Beneficiaries must be exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Code;
2. Charitable Beneficiaries shall use all Fund distributions toward projects that are appropriate and legal public expenditures;
3. Charitable Beneficiaries must provide financial details and/or reports of their organizations upon request;
4. Charitable Beneficiaries must not use any Fund distributions for political contributions or political advocacy;
5. Charitable Beneficiaries must implement the projects, activities, and/or programs for which they received Fund distributions as agreed upon in the grant acceptance agreement or must return all such distributions to the Community Foundation forthwith;
6. Charitable Beneficiaries must provide the Community Foundation with quarterly reports detailing the activities of their projects and/or programs; and
7. Charitable Beneficiaries must sign an agreement regarding their compliance with the qualifications hereof.

PROJECT EVALUATION CRITERIA

Each proposal will be evaluated on criteria that include but are not limited to:

• Measurable outcomes in accordance with the exclusive goal of the Dream Tags Charitable Fund.
• Monitoring and reporting to learn from the project and track project accomplishments.
• Closeness of project focus to areas of funding emphasis (on-the-ground habitat improvements).
• Readiness of sponsoring organization to undertake and complete project.
• Opportunities to partner with others to leverage funds and accomplish larger outcomes.
• Consistency with established Dream Tags Charitable Fund operations (timeline, match, etc.).
• Impact on preservation, protection, management, or restoration of Nevada’s big game and wildlife habitat
• Absence of negative or unintended consequences.
• Solutions to known problems as identified through past research and monitoring

For more information and to begin your grant application, visit our new online grant manager.

If you think that you or someone at your organization has already registered in the system, do not create a new account. Please contact Lauren Sgandurra at laurens@nevadafund.org to receive your username.