The Richard King Mellon Foundation is issuing a request for proposals (RFP) aimed at stopping or slowing the spread of harmful and non-native plant species.
Donor Name: Richard King Mellon Foundation
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 09/09/2022
Details:
Invasive plants are threatening the ecological integrity of many of these natural lands and waters and undermining the conservation value of important habitats, including those with high biodiversity value. Biodiversity is in decline across the United States and invasive species are among the leading factors in those declines. Invasive non-native plants are a particular problem, outcompeting many native plant species, altering and degrading food webs, and at times transforming entire ecosystems. The spread and proliferation of invasive plants in natural ecosystems is undermining the value of important habitats and compromising the integrity of conserved and protected lands and waters. Invasive plants also can degrade the services these ecosystems provide to people and communities, such as clean-water supply, flood protection, and carbon uptake and storage. Compounding these problems, climate change is increasing the pace of invasions and worsening the impacts of some invasive species. Addressing the problem of invasive species is crucial to the Foundation’s interests in conserving important habitats with high biodiversity and promoting effective and forward-looking stewardship of the nation’s conserved lands and waters.
To address the threats that invasive plants pose to the nation’s natural lands and waters, the Foundation has a
particular interest in advancing three approaches to slowing or stopping the spread of invasive plants.
- Strengthening Programs Limiting Invasive Plants in the Nursery Trade and Retail Outlets
This can include outreach efforts by non-governmental entities designed to promote the adoption of
new programs at state or other levels of government, or to expand or improve existing programs.- This can include the work of state, Tribal, or local governments to implement new policies or enhance
the effectiveness of existing rules. - Although efforts to restrict the sale of broader suites of harmful invasive plants are preferred, this can
also include campaigns focused on prohibiting and/or limiting the sale or distribution of particular
harmful but widely planted species.
- This can include the work of state, Tribal, or local governments to implement new policies or enhance
- Promoting Voluntary Efforts Through Outreach and Education
- Campaigns must address key pathways of spread, such as the sale or planting of harmful invasive
plants through the nursery trade, or the unintentional transport of invasive plants through outdoor
recreation or work-related activities. - Proposals can include education and outreach efforts focused on public engagement in the surveillance
and detection of new invaders or infestations in natural areas, as part of early detection/rapid response
programs. - Education and outreach proposals must specify the target audience, desired behavior changes, and
expected outcomes. - Proposals should specify the areas likely to benefit from these efforts and their ecological and
conservation significance. - Proposals can build on existing education and outreach programs or involve the development and
implementation of new approaches and campaigns.
- Campaigns must address key pathways of spread, such as the sale or planting of harmful invasive
- Integrating Warming Temperatures and Climate Change into Prevention and Early Detection/Rapid Response
Proposals in this area should have a primary focus on the application of climate change-related
information and climate-informed watchlists, rather than mostly involve the development, refinement, or
maintenance of such climate assessments and lists.- Proposals should specify the mechanism by which climate-related information is expected to improve
the effectiveness of prevention and/or early detection and rapid response efforts at state, Tribal, or local
levels, or for specific high-priority conservation areas. - Proposals should specify the areas likely to benefit from these efforts and their ecological and
conservation significance.
- Proposals should specify the mechanism by which climate-related information is expected to improve
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible institutions include nonprofit and public sector organizations, including those operating at local, state, Tribal, regional, and national scales. The Foundation encourages partnerships and collaborations, including with the for-profit sector, to help develop and implement programs.
- They encourage applications from local and state-based organizations/agencies as well as regional invasive species collaboratives.
For more information, visit Richard King Mellon Foundation.