Editor’s Note: The PA Wilds Partner Opportunities blog is a monthly roundup of opportunities and resources that are offered by partners of the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship. Featured blog content supports Pennsylvania Wilds communities, small businesses and organizations. Regionally focused and time sensitive grant opportunities, technical assistance programs and professional development workshops are examples of the types of resources and opportunities that will be included in this monthly blog. Typically published the second week of each month, this series serves as a real time supplement to the annually produced PA Wilds Resource Guides, available at WildsCoPA.org/business-resources.

 

DEP Growing Greener Plus grant applications due by June 21

Host: The Department of Environmental Protection
Date: Applications accepted April 22 – June 21
Location: For more information, visit the Department’s Growing Greener Plus Grants Program webpage.

As part of the Department of Environmental Protection’s (Department) Growing Greener Plus Grants Program, applications will be accepted for Growing Greener (Watershed Restoration and Protection) grants. Growing Greener grants are designed to improve or protect Pennsylvania’s waters from nonpoint source pollution associated with agricultural activities, abandoned mine drainage (AMD), stormwater runoff, energy resource extraction, and streambank and shoreline degradation, while Bond Forfeiture grants are designed to address legacy mining impacts. Eligible applicants include counties, municipalities, municipal authorities, county conservation districts, watershed organizations, councils of governments, educational institutions, and other authorized organizations involved in water resource restoration and protection. The maximum Growing Greener grant request amount is $500,000. Grant applications and all attachments must be submitted through the Commonwealth’s Electronic Single Application website, eGrants at www.esa.dced.state.pa.us. Applications will be accepted beginning 8:00 a.m. on April 22, 2024, through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 21, 2024. Late submissions will not be considered. For more information, visit the Department’s Growing Greener Plus Grants Program webpage at https://www.dep.pa.gov/Citizens/GrantsLoansRebates/Growing-Greener/Pages/default.aspx.

 

DCNR  applications for Wild Resource Conservation Program grants due July 1

Host: PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Date: Applications will be accepted through 4:00 PM on Monday, July 1.
Location: For more information, visit the Wild Resource Conservation Program grants page. Apply through DCNR’s online grant application system.

DCNR is now accepting applications for Wild Resource Conservation Program grants. The grants help protect the state’s native biodiversity. They benefit Pennsylvania’s non-game animals, native plants, orphan taxa, and their habitat. Among this year’s grant priorities are surveys and projects related to the conservation of: mammals like northern flying squirrel, Allegheny woodrat, and spotted skunk; birds like northern harrier; mussels like the clubshell and round hickorynut; fish like Chesapeake logperch; and studies to better understand Pennsylvania’s rare plants through genetics and habitat modeling and their insect pollinators, as well as documenting Pennsylvania’s fungi. Applications will be accepted through 4:00 PM on Monday, July 1. Applications will only be accepted electronically through DCNR’s online grant application system.

 

Susquehanna Sojourn Series: West Branch on September 21

Host: Susquehanna Greenway Partnership
Date: Paddle on September 21, 2024. Registration will open in summer.
Location: Start at McElhatten and end at Jersey Shore. For more information, visit the SGP Susquehanna Sojourn Series: West Branch page.

Join the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership (SGP) on Saturday, September 21, 2024, as you discover the West Branch of the Susquehanna River Water Trail. This day-trip paddle is one of four that will showcase the recreational opportunities of the water trail through the Susquehanna River Sojourn Series. Paddlers along this section of the river will experience an 6.3-mile route along the West Branch Susquehanna River from McElhattan to Jersey Shore. Lunch will be provided at the end of the paddle. Price: $40 / ticket. Rentals: $30 / single kayak, $50 / tandem. Registration will open in summer.

 

PA Council on the Arts ​Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program

Host: PA Council on the Arts
Date: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and awarded on a rolling basis.
Location: Learn more at the PCA Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator page

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the PCA’s Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA) partner organizations are pleased to make available the Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program. This program is designed to pair access to existing small business consulting services with $2,000 grants for creative entrepreneurs who aspire to start their own for-profit business or who operate an existing for-profit micro business. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and awarded on a rolling basis. Learn more at the PCA Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator page.

 

POWR Statewide Waterway Access Grant Mini Grant Program

Host: The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers
Date: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and awarded on a rolling basis.
Location: Learn more at the POWR SWAG announcement press release.

The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) is opening the new Statewide Waterway Access Grant Mini Grant Program (SWAG). The grant program, supported by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, is designed to help meet growing demand for non-motorized boating opportunities. The program provides grants of up to $30,000 to create new or improve existing access points along the region’s rivers, streams, and waterways.

 

Office rental space available in Greater Clearfield County Chamber of Commerce building

Host: Greater Clearfield County Chamber of Commerce
Date: Get in touch as soon as possible for tour if interested.
Location: 218 South Second Street, Clearfield, PA 16830; call Christy at 814-765-7567 for details.

Are you working from home but need a quieter office space without distractions? Could your new startup business use an affordable office space to meet with clients? Are you looking for an all-inclusive office within walking distance of downtown Clearfield? The Clearfield Chamber of Commerce building at 218 South Second Street in Clearfield has affordable office space available in the new year. Give Christy a call at 814-765-7567 for availability.

 

Office available for daily rental in Greater DuBois Area Chamber building

Host: Greater DuBois Area Chamber of Commerce
Date: Get in touch as soon as possible for tour if interested.
Location: 103 Beaver Drive, DuBois. Call 814-371-5010 or email Jodi August, Executive Director at [email protected].

Training Room (Smart Room) for rent at the Greater DuBois Chamber office located at 103 Beaver Drive, DuBois. Comfortably seats up to 16. Wi-Fi access, use of kitchenette, and restrooms. Chamber members rate is $25 ½ day, $50 full day. Non-Member rate is $50 ½ day, $100 full day. To reserve this room on a specific date, please call 814-371-5010 or email Jodi August, Executive Director at [email protected].

 

DCNR Community Conservation Partnerships Program grant round opens January 16, 2024

Host: PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Date: Grant round opens January 16, 2024, various deadlines for different grants.
Location: Learn more and apply for the grants at the DCNR grant page.

Videos of DCNR’s annual grant workshop are now live on the agency’s YouTube channel. If you missed the grant workshop on November 16, or if you’d like a refresher on anything you learned at it, the videos are the place to start. The videos provide information about the upcoming 2024 grant round, which opens on Tuesday, January 16. They discuss who can apply, the types of projects we fund, and how to make your application more competitive. We recommend watching the “General Overview” video first, and then watching the video specific to the type of grant you intend to apply for. Learn more and apply for the grants at the DCNR grant page.

 

Submit your resources!

Organizations offering resources or opportunities for small businesses, nonprofits and communities in the PA Wilds are invited to submit information for potential inclusion in next month’s Partner Opportunities blog, which is posted to PAWildsCenter.org and shared in the PA Wilds Center’s monthly e-newsletter. The blog and e-blast are typically shared the second week of the month. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. the last Friday of month for consideration. SUBMIT RESOURCES

 

ABOUT THE PA WILDS

The Pennsylvania Wilds is a 13-county region that includes the counties of Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Warren, and northern Centre. The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc., is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to integrate conservation and economic development in a way that inspires the communities of the Pennsylvania Wilds. The PA Wilds Center promotes the region and its 2+ million acres of public lands as a premier outdoor recreation destination as a way to diversify local economies, inspire stewardship, attract investment, retain population and improve quality of life. The PA Wilds Center’s core programs seek to help businesses leverage the PA Wilds brand and connect with new market opportunities, including: the Wilds Cooperative of PA, a network of more than 575 place-based businesses and organizations, and the PA Wilds Conservation Shop, a retail outlet primarily featuring products sourced from the WCO. For more information on the PA Wilds Center, visit www.PAWildsCenter.org. To learn more about the WCO, visit www.WildsCoPA.org. Explore the PA Wilds at www.PAWilds.com. Find regionally made products at www.ShopThePAWilds.com. 

 

Media Contact

Britt Madera | Communications Manager

PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc.

[email protected] | 570-948-1051