Environmental Finance Center

Mini-grant for Projects on Agricultural and Water Issues

 This Call for Proposals for a new agricultural mini-grant program administered by the Environmental Finance Center at Syracuse University is offered with support from USDA Rural Development. The purpose of this mini-grant program is to spur research in the area of agricultural best management practices, rural community economic sustainability, and agricultural economic development. This mini-grant is intended to provide support to students and academic researchers as well as interns working for non-governmental organizations and agencies whose work is focused on agriculture and environmental quality in NYS.

 Objectives of the EFC Mini-Grant Program

This mini-grant program seeks to engage students in rural land-use and water issues and to promote better stewardship of rural communities and lands as a direct result of research and outreach. All awardees will be required to prepare a paper, which documents the research and explains the implications of the results as well as prepare a community presentation following the completion of the project. Environmental Finance Center staff may provide support to the awardee with the community presentation (location, publicizing the event, who to invite, etc.)

Below are examples of questions that could be incorporated into a fundable research project. This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but provides guidance on possible areas of exploration.

·       GIS data on agricultural lands and watersheds, and implications;

·       Effectiveness of BMP implementation and innovative BMP practices;

·       Building networks among local agricultural programs and agencies;

·       Onsite waste management technologies;

·       Social aspects of sustaining NY agriculture;

·       How New York agricultural communities are responding to sustainability challenges such as energy efficiency, waste reduction, preservation of water quality, and integration of innovative technology (i.e., renewable energy, green infrastructure);

·       What barriers farmers perceive to operating sustainably;

·       Identification of resources needed by farmers to enable more sustainable operation and production; and

·      What is the general knowledge level of farmers relating to environmental issues.

 Who May Apply?
All students and researchers at academic institutions, governmental, and non-profit organizations with interest and expertise in agricultural operations, best management practices, non-point source pollution, water quality and watershed protection, and agricultural product processing are invited to apply. The intent of this mini-grant is to provide support for students to engage with rural communities in NYS.

How Much Funding is Available?
We will award two grants of up to $5,000 during one round of funding. Grant funds may be used for approved budget purposes, which may include compensation for the principal investigator(s), student interns, consultant(s), or graduate or undergraduate student support through a stipend, and research assistants, research materials, travel, and other necessary expenses. Grant funds may not be used for university or agency overhead, fringe or administrative charges.

Find the full RFP here. Contact Khris Dodson at kdodson@syracusecoe.org or 315-443-8818 for more information.

EFC at Syracuse University Selected to Provide Technical Assistance for EPA Pilot Program

The Environmental Finance Center at Syracuse University (EFC-SU) is pleased to announce it is providing technical assistance to New York State’s Environmental Facilities Corporation for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Pilot Technical Assistance Program. The program is part of the recently formed HUD-DOT-EPA Sustainable Communities Partnership. New York is one of three states chosen by the EPA to participate in this pilot project. The EPA announced the pilot program participants at the New Partnership for Livable Communities Conference on Thursday, February 4 in Seattle.

“These states will serve as models for other states and the Federal government,” says Assistant EPA Administrator Mathy Stanislaus, “Our nation’s water infrastructure is aging quietly beneath our feet. It is in need of improvement and investment.”

New York State's unique relationship with the EFC-SU presents an ideal opportunity for cooperation and partnership in achieving common goals. The EFC-SU, an affiliated center of the Syracuse Center of Excellence, will work with the NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation (NYSEFC), which is able to provide incentives to encourage funding towards more sustainable water and wastewater infrastructure investments.  These incentives include adjustments to project priority-setting systems, voluntary state set-asides, and strategic use of subsidies. 

The pilot program will provide technical assistance to New York, California and Maryland to modify their existing Clean Water SRF programs to ensure their state water infrastructure investments are used to promote more sustainable investments.