Catch the Wave! Even in these trying times congregations are planning ahead to care for Creation. They are rising to the challenge with an eye on the future. In addition to prior success, this year IPC has helped five congregations to prepare Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT) Community Engagement Mini Grants. For other funding ideas check out our "Learning Lab: Finding Funding for Your Project" by viewing THIS Recording. Click on the following links for the Request for Proposals (RFPs) for other funding that is available through CBT's Outreach & Restoration Grant (up to $75,000-deadline Aug. 4th) and Watershed Assistance Grant Program (up to $75,000-deadline Aug. 13) for design funding.

Here are what the 5 most recent awardees are planning:

• Knox Presbyterian Church - Baltimore City. The church has been awarded a grant to install a pollinator garden in front of their beautiful mural to make the “Garden on Eden” a reality. They will also install a rain barrel to capture and use stormwater to water their garden. COVID-19 put a chink in the plan but they church is ready to move forward with the planting in the fall.
• Christian Liberty Church-Baltimore City - Baker Street “Go Green” Mural and Community Clean Up project. Creation and installation of an environmental and religious themed mural on the side of the church, along with a community trash clean-up effort. Inspired by Knox Presbyterian Church’s mural, Christian Liberty will spearhead this project to beautify their neighborhood and teach residents about polluted stormwater runoff.
• Saint Matthias the Apostle Catholic Church-Lanham, MD - Saint Matthias will develop a series of lectures and hands-on training in Spanish to teach members about trees and their connection to the local watershed. The project will pair that education with a field trip and canoe ride at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary to demonstrate “trees in action” and show the relationship between the two. The main objective of this program is to raise awareness and demonstrate positive actions toward good stewardship in connection to faith principles. 
• Gwynn Oak United Methodist Church - Baltimore City - “GO Live Water” - Installation of 3 rain barrels on the parish house to model what other homeowners in the neighborhood can do. They will plant one tree and add a native plant garden to beautify the grounds and to welcome butterflies and birds.  One rain barrel workshop and one native plant workshop will be offered for members and neighbors to learn how they can be part of the stormwater pollution solution.
• Stillmeadow Community Fellowship (SCF)-Baltimore City – SCF is in the process of restoring an 8-acre forest that is on their property. They applied to install a cistern to support a 2,000-sapling tree nursery for saplings that will then be planted in the forest and a pollinator garden that was recently planted. The project activities will include a rain barrel workshop and native plant workshop.

Grant Funding Available for Congregations to Answer the Call for Healing Creation

Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake Can Help Your Congregation NOW

Listen to a Pre-recorded Chesapeake Bay Trust Mini Grant Writing Webinar 

Sponsored by:

Now we want to hear from YOU! What is your "green" idea to help God's Creation? These can be outreach and educational campaigns so not limited to "in-the-ground" projects. Don’t miss this great opportunity to:

✤ Learn best practices to enhance your applications

✤ Tips to help your application stand out

Eligible Projects Include, but not limited to:

✤ Community gardens that encourage use of the outdoors and education about natural resources

✤ Community clean-ups that benefit both communities and local waterways

✤ Projects that combine art with an increased awareness of stormwater issues, such as storm drain stenciling or rain barrel installations

✤ Community greening projects, which have been shown to beautify communities, improve health via air quality, and lead to reduced crime, as well as improve stormwater, such as tree plantings

✤ Projects that beautify communities, capture rain water and improve wildlife habitat such as pollinator habitat plantings and rain gardens

✤ Projects that educate and get residents outdoors, which has been shown to improve human health

✤ Or, tell us your idea . . .

To view full Request for Proposals (RFP) Click HERE or go to the CBT webpage HERE

To watch a previously recorded webinar about Mini-grants Click HERE

For more information contact Bonnie Sorak at [email protected] or call 443-799-0349