The Overton garden installation for the Climate and Cultural Resilience project. The project aims, in part, to create awareness about the need for investment in green infrastructure.
In support of Resilient by Nature Project (RxN), Walder Foundation is inviting proposals for initiatives that will support, coordinate and build capacity around a community of practice for scaling green infrastructure in the Chicago region.
Walder Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals at this time. This web page is provided for organizations that have been invited to apply for a grant.
OVERVIEW
We are inviting proposals for two-year projects of up to $350,000 per year. Walder Foundation intends to fund up to four complementary projects for one-time grants that can show measurable progress in a two-year timeframe and include plans for the sustainability of the work.
ABOUT RxN
RxN is pursuing approaches to implement nature-based solutions (NBS) in the Chicago region. Since adopting its motto, “City in a Garden,” nature has been an integral part of Chicago's heritage. The region boasts a wealth of biodiversity supported by diverse landscapes, engaged communities, and an array of existing assets, including forest preserves, parks, and community gardens. Unfortunately, access to nature and green space is not evenly distributed. Today’s Chicago communities reflect decades of institutional racism and urban development approaches that have disrupted the natural environment rather than enhanced it. This has resulted in a range of social and environmental challenges that continue to disproportionately impact low-income residents and people of color. These include urban flooding, poor air quality, urban heat island effect, inequitable food access, and numerous social determinants of health.
Leaders and residents in the Chicago region recognize the urgency to change course and better integrate nature into our neighborhoods. RxN intends to thoughtfully leverage and employ nature to help build a more sustainable, equitable and vibrant city.
WHAT ARE NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS?
RxN defines nature-based solutions as “employing nature at a meaningful scale for multiple benefits.” They are approaches to community improvement that benefit both people and nature.
Employing nature
Modify, enhance, or restore an ecosystem, or plant-specific vegetation, or change the topographical and hydrological features of a landscape.
Meaningful scale
Scale is defined as relative to the desired benefit and to the challenge that the project seeks to address, from pocket parks and green roofs to landscapes.
Multiple benefits
Deliver economic, social, and environmental outcomes that improve human well-being and biodiversity.
BACKGROUND
In 2022, the Resilient by Nature Project (RxN) began convening Walder Foundation grantees and other stakeholders within the Chicago region's nature-based solutions (NBS) ecosystem. The aim was greater collaboration and alignment within the sector that is working to foster a region that employs nature at a meaningful scale for multiple benefits. Through these gatherings, it became evident that a significant portion of Chicago's NBS advocates are currently focused on the pursuit of green infrastructure (GI).
These practitioners held many common values and concerns about the Chicago region's slow, patchwork, and smaller-scale adoption of green infrastructure. Though this work has gained momentum, barriers to the pursuit of green infrastructure at a meaningful scale have challenged advocates for more than a decade. Stakeholders frequently highlighted a lack of coordination and collaboration between key City and regional agencies as one of the most significant barriers.
We set out to better understand the barriers to inter-agency coordination and collaboration with the intention of applying our learnings to our NBS-focused grantmaking strategy for 2023 and beyond. The most significant portion of this effort was a City of Chicago-focused Collaborative Platform Feasibility Study, led by our consultant Foresight Design, beginning in February 2023. Also informing our analysis is the State of Public Sector Green Infrastructure 2022 report and participation in the Citywide Green Infrastructure Maintenance Working Group.
This effort identified several key drivers that might accelerate a more robust regional vision for GI and shape what future efforts might look like, including:
Supportive elected decision-makers, strong senior management champions, and interdepartmental coordination are the most essential levers for scaling GI within the public sector.
Regulation and policy (e.g., permitting and development requirements, design standards in codes and ordinances, water quality regulatory requirements such as the NPDES, etc.)
Innovative models for interagency collaboration and/or GI funding that can help to guide and structure local efforts (e.g., One Water, Resilience Authorities, Shared Service Agreements, Joint Benefits Authority, etc.)
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Accelerating Coordination and Capacity Building for Scaling Green Infrastructure in Chicago
To catalyze the implementation of nature-based solutions, Walder Foundation is inviting organizations to submit proposals for initiatives that will help coordinate and build capacity to scale the implementation of green infrastructure in the Chicago region. For this opportunity, we are interested in initiatives that build on the findings of the Collaborative Platform Feasibility Study and continue to strengthen a community of practice around GI and NBS in Chicago and promote the high-level standards for GI recently set out by the Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange:
Centers community
Designed for multiple benefits
Emphasizes vegetative practices where feasible
Maintained for the long-term
Regularly inspected for performance
Evaluated for impact
Proposed initiatives should address, but are not limited to, one or more of the following barriers to scaling green infrastructure in Chicago and, in doing so, build on existing projects, tools, networks and other assets:
Leadership: a need to develop strong organizational and individual leaders within communities, NGOs, and public agencies that can champion a shared vision for GI across the region
Coordination: effective coordination, collaboration, and communication across agencies, with practitioners, and for NPO alignment.
Standardization: alignment on shared goals, evaluation metrics, and technical standards for design, construction, and maintenance across agencies and with NPOs.
We are open to creative ideas for how this might be achieved. Examples of initiatives we might support include:
Supporting new and emerging NBS leadership emphasizing collaboration and coordination for GI.
Developing a shared vision for GI that includes innovative and sustainable approaches for development, implementation, and long-term maintenance.
Developing shared, standardized guidance or metrics for local GI design, implementation, maintenance, and evaluation.
Building equitable partnerships, networks and coordinated efforts needed to meaningfully advance GI implementation.
All initiatives, regardless of their specific approach, should include elements of the following:
Enhance and leverage existing efforts
Develop or build upon collaborative initiatives
Prioritize equity and resilience
Acknowledge and address the history of disinvestment in EJ communities
Include funded roles for environmental justice and community-based organizations
We encourage organizations to carefully consider the most effective approach and work together to ensure minimal duplication of efforts and a coordinated response. To assist in this process, the Foundation has contracted a third-party facilitator to host an in-person workshop for invited organizations to collaborate in developing proposals.
FUNDING GUIDELINES
Requests can be up to $350,000 per year for two years.
Multi-institution partnerships and collaborations are encouraged, but grants will be made to a single lead organization. Directing a portion of the budget to a variety of partners via re-grant, subcontract, etc., is encouraged. All decisions regarding sub-grants will be made by awardee institutions and not by the Walder Foundation.
Institutions may only submit one application as the lead applicant; however, they may be a partner in more than one application.
An invitation to this funding opportunity is not required for an organization or entity to be included as a partner and/or to receive sub-grants from the lead applicant.
Applications must be submitted by a single lead organization located in the Chicago region.
Sub-grantees do not need to be based in Chicago. We are open to partnerships with national organizations and networks with relevant expertise and capacity related to NBS and GI.
What we will not fund through this opportunity:
Projects led by organizations that are not public charities (though projects may partner with these organizations as appropriate).
Basic scientific research.
Lobbying, such as influencing specific legislation, voter registration drives, or voter education.
Sponsorship of one-off events.
K-12 education/outreach programs.
General operating or unrestricted funding.
On-the-ground projects focused on building GI installations.
Projects focusing primarily on incorporating types of green infrastructure such as permeable paving, rain barrels, or other types of intervention that do not include nature-based elements
RESOURCES
RxN Collaboration Platform Feasibility Study (June 2023)
The State of Public Sector Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) report (2022)
Chicago’s Green Stormwater Infrastructure Working Group report (2023)
City of Chicago 2023 EJ Action Plan
Chicago EJ and Cumulative Impacts Policy Recommendations Overview (2023)
TIMELINE
Application due: FEBRUARY 15, 2024, 5 p.m. CT
Grantee notification: APRIL 2024
HOW TO APPLY
A complete application requires submitting an online form and uploading documents. You will need to create an account in foundationConnect, the Walder Foundation’s grants management system. To create an account, you will need your organization’s EIN.
1. Create an account in foundationConnect and save an application.
Click on the link below and choose Create New Account:
Accelerating Coordination and Capacity Building for Scaling Green Infrastructure in Chicago
You will receive a confirmation email from grants@walderfoundation.org. Choose the link in the email, sign in to your account, and start and save a new application. To save an application, complete the first field, Project Title, and then choose Save.
IMPORTANT: If you do not start your application immediately after receiving the confirmation email, you will need to return to this page and click the link above to be directed to the application form.
If you are already registered in our grants management system, click on the link above and choose “Sign In” to be directed to the application.
2. Continue work and submit your application.
Once you have saved an application, use the link below to resume work and submit your application:
Walder Foundation Grantee Portal
You can log in any time (up until the deadline) to work on your application and save your progress. We recommend creating your account early to familiarize yourself with the system and the application form.
>>View a sample of the application form
PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS
Within the uploads section of your application (the last tab), please include the following:
1-Narrative Proposal (not to exceed six pages)
Respond to the following questions and upload as a Word or PDF document.
Describe what this grant would support, including:
Overall goals/objectives
What primary challenges the project seeks to address
What drivers it plans to leverage in addressing current challenges
What organizations are involved in this project, and what role will they play?
How does this project expand or build upon current work/initiatives?
Does this project align with current and/or larger strategies, policies, plans, etc.?
How will community engagement inform this work?
How will this project prioritize environmental justice?
How will you define and evaluate success? What could challenge that?
2-Budget Narrative (up to one page)
Within your project budget upload, summarize the budget needs of the project. Include a description of any sub-grants/sub-contracts you are considering, naming any organizations if they are known. (Sub-grant/subcontract budgets are for information only, as all such decisions are at the discretion of the awardee institution.)
3-Demographics form: DOWNLOAD the Walder Foundation’s demographics form.
ADDITIONAL REQUIRED UPLOADS
Letter of support from each project partner included in the proposal.
List of Current Board Members and affiliations.
List of Key Staff with bios. Include a list of key staff for both the organization and the project/program.
Organizational budget for the current year.
Current project budget (if applicable).
List of Confirmed, Pending, and Prospective Funding/Income Sources (Foundation, Individual, Government, Corporate, In-Kind, etc.) and amounts for the organization or project for which you are applying. At a minimum, be sure to include your top five organizations and top five project/program funders and amounts.
Most Recent Financial Statement Balance sheet and income statements since the last completed audit, up to the organization’s last completed quarter of the fiscal year.
Last 2 Completed Audits. If your organization isn’t required by the Attorney General’s Office to file an audit, please attach your unaudited financial statements for the past two years.
Fiscal Sponsor Verification Letter. If you are applying for this grant with a fiscal sponsor, upload a letter signed by the fiscal sponsor and on the fiscal sponsor’s letterhead to confirm the following “[Fiscal Sponsor Organization Name] is [Sponsored Project Name]’s fiscal sponsor, and all grant funds received by [Fiscal Sponsor Organization Name] on behalf of [Sponsored Project Name] will be used for charitable purposes, as stated in the grant proposal.”
DOCUMENT FORMATTING
Uploaded documents must follow the formatting guidelines. Files must be saved as Word or PDFs, except the demographics form, which should be produced in the provided template.
Documents should be formatted as follows:
Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman font
11-point font or larger
At least 0.5” margins all around
Single-spaced document
Standard character spacing (neither expanded nor condensed)
An automated email confirmation is generated upon submission of the application. If you do not receive a confirmation within 24 hours of submitting your application, please check your spam folder and then contact grants@walderfoundation.org
CONTACT INFORMATION
For questions related to the content of your application, contact Casey Sebetto, Program Officer, Environmental Sustainability: csebetto@walderfoundation.org.
For questions about using our grants management system, contact grants@walderfoundation.org.