Small Grant Applicant Information

How to Apply

A Small Grant applicant must be a tribe, watershed council, or soil and water conservation district. These entities act on behalf of private landowners, not-for-profit institutions, schools, community colleges, state institutions of higher education, independent not-for-profit institutions of higher education, and local, state, or federal agencies.

1. Review program rule and eligible project types.
   
2. Work with your local Small Grant Team to determine team application deadlines and review periods.
3. Teams have up to 30 days, following the application deadline, to act on your application. If the Team recommends your application for funding, a grant agreement will be drafted for signature.
4. Sign a standard OWEB grant agreement, along with the landowner, Small Grant Team Contact, and the project’s Payee. Please read the grant agreement before signing.
5. The Small Grant Team forwards recommended application materials to OWEB which has another 20 working days after receipt to verify that the application is consistent with the team’s local priority watershed concerns, eligible project types, and OWEB’s statute and administrative rules.
6. Begin your project only after ALL parties have signed the OWEB grant agreement.

Technical Guides and Resources

The Small Grant Program is designed to treat the source of watershed health problems through "tried-and-true," technically sound techniques. It is not designed to fund technically complex projects, requiring expensive technical design and project oversight. To demonstrate reliance on "tried-and-true," technically sound techniques, applicants must cite at least one of seven approved Small Grant Technical Guides and Resources (see below) in the Small Grant Program Application.

Field Office Technical Guide (Natural Resource Conservation Service)

Guide for Placement of Wood, Boulders, and Gravel for Habitat Restoration (Department of State Lands, 2010)

The Oregon Road/Stream Crossing Restoration Guide (Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), 1999)

Fish Passage Guidelines for New and Replacement Stream Crossing Structures (ODF Technical Note #4, 2002)

Determining the 50-Year Peak Flow and Stream Crossing Structure Size for New and Replacement Crossings Structures (ODF Technical Note #5, 2002)

The Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Guidebook for Local Government (Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Oregon Department of Land Conservation & Development 1994)

Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual Series #4: Urban Stream Repair Practices (Center for Watershed Protection, 2004)

Tribal natural resource plans or water plans on tribal trust lands. This type of document will be found with tribal entities.