Neighborhood Mini-grant Awards
Five local projects were recently awarded "mini-grants" totaling $2,110. The Neighborhood Mini-Grants Program, organized by Sustainable Tompkins, provides support for small-scale initiatives that encourage local self-reliance, strengthen neighborhood connections, and promote long-term community well-being. The program was established in 2008 with $5,500 in seed money. Mini-grant awards, ranging from $150 to $750, are made on a quarterly basis. The award recipients were chosen by the Mini-Grants Council comprised of residents of Tompkins County and members of the Board and staff of Sustainable Tompkins. Mini-grants were awarded to the following: ยท $550 to the Dacha Project to purchase a non-electric compressed-air water pump for their group's new 16-acre self-sustaining, educational homestead in Freeville, which includes an earth-bermed structure, a fruit and nut tree orchard, an organic garden and a straw bale cottage. a.. $500 to Ithaca Freeskool to print calendars of classes and increase outreach to residents of all ages in Tompkins County. a.. $390 to the "Granny Squares" group at Titus Towers to purchase a quilting arm in order to complete their handmade quilts which are sold at auctions. a.. $370 to Shaleshock Citizens Action Alliance to produce newsletters reporting on industrial gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale and its impacts on the Finger Lakes region. a.. $200 to IthaCan for web site support and materials to teach food preservation. a.. $100 to Utica Street Gardens, to purchase seeds and soil amendments for a multi-family shared vegetable garden in the Fall Creek neighborhood. The next round of grant applications, due on December 1, is open to all residents, citizen groups and non-profit organizations of Tompkins County. Deadlines in 2010 will be March 1, June 1 and September 1. Applications are only 3 pages long and easy to complete. To obtain an application form, join the Mini-grants Council, make a donation in support of the program, or get more information about it, contact Jan Quarles: [email protected] or (607) 532-9288. Sustainable Tompkins is a citizen-based organization whose mission is to promote the long-term well-being of our communities and region by integrating social equity, economic vitality, ecological stewardship, and personal and civic responsibility. Their new office is located in Room 105, 109 South Albany St. in Ithaca. Visit www.sustainabletompkins.org for more details. _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins Questions about the list? ask [email protected] free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
