Updated December 2, 2011.

The Letter of Intent for Major Projects is a screening process by which the Alberta Ecotrust Grant Review Committee determines which proposals to invite for a full Major Project Application.  It is intended to reduce the overall amount of work that applicants undertake to apply for an Alberta Ecotrust Grant.

 The next deadline is February 15, 2012. Access to the online application will be available on December 15th at the earliest, but please see the questions below to help you prepare.

Please consider the following when completing your Letter of Intent:

• If you have any comments or suggestions about how to improve the application form or the online application process in general, please contact us.
• Organizations applying in the Spring round will begin their project year in June, and those applying to the Fall round will begin their project year in December. Your project must fall within the timelines.
• Requests should not exceed $30,000.
• Requests should not exceed 75% of the total project budget (including in-kind contributions).

• Those organizations invited to submit a full application will have approximately 4 weeks to complete and submit the full application to the Foundation.
• Supplementary materials, including letters of support, will not be considered.
• The online application fields have word limits.  We do this to encourage applicants to reduce the workload and hone their "case for support," and to reduce the time required by our volunteer Grant Review Committee members to review and rate proposals.  TIP:  While the online application counts your characters as you type, you may want to type your answers in a separate document to allow you to count characters and edit your work.  Copy and paste your final answers into the fields in the application form.
• We encourage you to contact the Grant Program staff to discuss your proposal, prior to submitting your Letter of Intent. We also recommend reviewing the rest of our Environment Grants section for additional information on eligibility and what we fund.

Question by Question: Guidelines for the Major Project Letter of Intent

The following questions correspond to the questions on the application form for  the Major Project Letter of Intent. These descriptions should help you fill out the application form. 

Section 1: Organization Information

You will be asked to provide general information about your organization, including:

• The organization's nonprofit status (i.e. nonprofit spociety/corporation/charity)
• The organization's nonprofit society number, nonprofit corporatio number, or registered charity number
• Year Founded, Vision, and Mission
• Annual budget, and approximate percentage of your annual budget supplied by government (cash or in-kind)

Section 2: Contact Information

You will be asked to provide the name, title, and contact information of

• Organization Primary Contact, such as the Executive Director.
• Main Project contact: the person who will be leadingthe project, or the person most appropriate for Alberta Ecotrust should correspond with regarding the application.
• Board Chair or Equivalent

Section 3: Request Information

Project Title: Should your application be successful, this will be used in media releases and on our website. Your project title should accurately capture what you're trying to do.

Amount of Alberta Ecotrust funding requested: You may request a  maximum of $30,000 for the Major Project, but you are encouraged to ask only for the amount you need. Alberta Ecotrust rarely provides partial grants. We recognize how hard it is to find funding, and would prefer to give you what you need.

Project Start and End Dates: Your organization will have one year to complete your project. Alberta Ecotrust funds cannot be used for expenses that occur before the project start date. Spring applicant start dates should begin after June 15th, and Fall applicant start dates should begin after December 15th. For more information, contact Alberta Ecotrust staff at grants{at]albertaecotrust[dot]com.

Total project budget: This should include both cash and in-kind expenses. Should your organization be asked to submit a full application, you will be expected to provide a detailed budget.

Percent of budget confirmed: Including both cash and in-kind.

Please indicate which of the following environmental priorities your project will address - please choose the primary priority, and select only one.
Be sure to review Alberta Ecotrust's environmental priorities, and what we will and will not fund. If your project does not fit within these priorities, it will automatically be declined.

Indicate which of the following strategies best describes how your project will address the priority identified above, select only one.
We recognize that several strategies may be employed but please choose the one that BEST represents your tactic in addressing the issue.

Geographical Area AServed. We're working on re-coding these. We are sorry that they are so confusing. The dream is to one day have a clickable graphic, where applicants can simply click on the section of the province where the project will occur. Until then, we've got this mish-mash. The field is here to capture if the project is occurring outside of your organization's area.

Example: Drop in the Bucket Society offers innovative approaches to education on water issues, including drum circles, storytelling, and theater. They strive to create dialogue between future and current leaders. They are based in Hinton, but this project targets junior high students and community leaders in Northern Alberta. They've taken their best guess from our current list, but they were sure to clarify in their phone call to Alberta Ecotrust staff.

Provide a brief summary of your proposed project and how it relates to your organization's mission or mandate.  What do you hope to achieve with your intended audience, community or your organization? Tell us why your project is important, how you will address issues and what the results will be. If applicable, how will this project improve the environment? Please be as compelling as possible. (max 300 words)
Consider this your "elevator pitch."  It should be brief but compelling, and tell the story of the issue/problem, how you plan to address it, and why your organization is best-suited to do so. Your project should fit well within the mission of your organization.

NOTE: To help with the next question, you may want to use our Logic Model to help chart out your long term and short term goals, activities, and outcomes. If your Letter of intent is succesful, you will be asked to provide the information in the logic model.

 
The Plan: Briefly outline the key activities and/or products for the project. Try to be specific in terms of number and timing of meetings/events, number of participants, etc. . If you're hosting events, please include any confirmed dates and venues, or provide an estimate of when and where you hope to hold events or meetings.  Be realistic about your goals and timelines and what can be achieved within one year.  If your LOI is succesful, you will have the opportunity to provide more detail in the full application. If you are applying in the Spring round,  you will not receive funding until June. If you are applying in the Fall round, you will not receive funding until December. Make sure you are applying to the most appropriate deadline and that your activities fall within one year.  Tip: this section has no word count! Don't abuse it. 

For example, Drop in the Bucket Society's project is a pilot junior high tour, beginning in 2013. They are applying to Ecotrust in the Spring of 2012, knowing that if their application is successful, they will receive funding in June, just in time for their first major activy: hiring a project coordinator. A communication and evaluation strategy are the first deliverables over the summer, leading to the creation of a package for urban and rural municiplaties detailing the program. Interested municiplaties will also be compiled into a database. Come fall, among other things, the project coordinator's tasks will include contacting schools within the interested municipalities, setting up the tour, and working with school groups and municipalities to tailor the program. Key products include two seperate information packages for municipalities and schools, a database of interest from all junior high schools and municipalities in the target area. at least 5 stops on the tour, a pre and post survey as part of the evaluation, and a media strategy. Of course, this is all outlined in bullet form.

Please state why your organization is qualified to undertake this project. (max 50 words) Consider staff qualifications or previous experience/achievements.
Why is your organization best-suited to address this problem/issue and not another group?  What are your organization's credentials or past successes in this area? If other organizations are working on a similar issue, why does it make the most sense for your organization to take the lead rather than another organization?

For example, Drop in the Bucket Society has run this program throughout Central Alberta with much success. They have been featured at the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties annual conference and are repeatedly booked year after year by several school districts. No other organization offers this type of education or allows for this kind of dialogue to occur between future and current leaders. Their executive director has been working within the environmental education sector for over 20 years, and the staff consists of adult and youth education experts. 

Please list the other organizations that are also currently working on this issue. Indicate how and with whom you intent to collaborate (may include organizations that are not working on this issue.) (max 200 words)
There are often several organizations working on similar issues. Knowing who's doing what helps reduce redundancy.  Will you be working with other agencies on aspects of this project?  Please check around to see who else is working on this issue in this region. We want to be certain that you're building on or supporting the work of others, rather than reinventing the wheel. We also recognize that partnerships can occur between organizations who normally work on different issues. Please write the full names of organizations. 

It's easy to be overwhelmed. TIP: Narrow your focus!!

Example: Drop in the Bucket Society tailors their program for the region. Other organizations working on water issues in Northern Alberta include Amnesty International, Athabasca Watershed Council, Beaver River Watershed Alliance, Canadian Institute of Resources Law, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society - Northern Alberta Chapter, Ducks Unlimited,  Greenpeace, Keepers of the Athabasca Watershed Council, Lesser Slave Watershed Council, the Pembina Institute, Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program, Safe Drinking Water Foundation, Sierra Club - Prairie Chapter, Water Matters, Wood Buffalo Environmental Association..etc. HOWEVER: That topic is too broad. Narrowing the focus down  to those organizations working on water education for junior high school students in northern Alberta makes it shorter:  the Safe Drinking Water Foundation, Alberta Council for Environmental Education, and Inside Education. Drop in the Bucket Society is also planning on connecting with resources at the Keepers of the Athabasca, Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta, Technical Services Advisory Group (TSAG) Alberta, and all rural municipalities north of the Capital region.

Please summarize why your project/proposal is important and should be funded by Alberta Ecotrust Foundation.  Consider highlighting environmental urgency, critical timing issues, or current financial need of your organization. (max 100 words)
This is a chance to explain why your organization needs support for this project.  Are you timing your project with governmental processes or timelines?  How critical is Alberta Ecotrust funding to your organization?  Is this an environmental issue that is time-sensitive?  Consider this a space to share anything relevant and compelling with our review committee.

Example: "Drop in the Bucket is working to connect rural politicians with future leaders. With the next municipal elections occurring in 2014, it is essential that a space for dialogue be created for young people to pass their concerns on to those making decisions. Too often, we ask the next generation to find solutions in the future for problems caused today. With environmental concerns taking full precedence, now is the time for current and future leaders to work together to find solutions. We cannot wait to pass the torch. We owe it to our youth to involve them today."