Online Directory of Watershed Funding Resources
Principal Investigator: Sam Merrill, Muskie School of Public Service
Funder: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The New England Environmental Finance Center (EFC1) at the University of Southern Maine has provided research, education, and analytical services designed to address the "how to pay" issues of environmental protection in New England. As part of this effort EFC1 has recently developed programming in drinking water and stormwater related topics of environmental finance. In developing these programs, staff at EFC1 heard from municipalities, land trusts, and other groups that an online directory of current funding sources for work in water resources would be most useful to them. Luckily, models exist for creation of such a directory. In particular, the Environmental Finance Center in EPA Region 10 (EFC10), at Boise State University in Idaho , has created and maintained "The Directory of Watershed Resources" as an online resource for watershed and other groups in Region 10. The searchable directory includes annually updated information on federal, state, private and other funding sources and has become an invaluable tool for many user groups in Region 10.
In November 2003, EPA's Office of Oceans, Wetlands, and Watersheds created a Sustainable Finance Team (Team), one goal of which is to "organize and integrate existing funding information to make it more accessible." Through conversations it became clear that expansion of the Region 10 Directory to include similar funding sources for Region 1 might be an excellent means of helping the Team address this goal. Similarly, the Team's charge is "not to merely provide more funding information; rather, it is to help watershed organizations transition from ad hoc fundraising to strategic finance planning and implementation." In Region 10 the EFC actively uses the Directory in the field with a range of user groups, helping them target funding sources for particular needs. EFC1's new programs in water finance represent tremendous opportunities to develop and implement similar field activities.
With decreasing funds available from traditional sources, demand for up-to-date information on additional resources has increased. This is especially true for stakeholders that lack administrative staff capacity to identify funding needs and conduct grant research. There is a clear need throughout the nation for an information clearinghouse capability tailored to watershed stakeholders. To address this need, the online Directory of Watershed Resources created by the EFC10 in Boise , Idaho will be expanded to meet the needs of Region 1.
The existing Directory can be located at http://ssrc.boisestate.edu/