The Indigenous Environmental Network-WMAN Mining Mini-Grant Program offers financial grant assistance to communities threatened or adversely affected by mining in the U.S. and Canada.
They recognize that mining activity often has detrimental impacts to all aspects of community and cultural well-being and they encourage projects that strive to protect the environment, ecosystems, cultural resources, and community health from mining impacts. This program is of tremendous value to community-based organizations, many of whom have very few opportunities to access financial support outside of their own pockets.
Priorities
Grant priorities will be acknowledged as follows:
Priority is given to Tribal/First Nations/Indigenous communities and non-profit community-based grassroots groups directly affected by mining. They strive to award at least half of the funding under this program to Indigenous-led organizations because mining has disproportionate impacts on Indigenous Peoples and their traditional lands.
Secondarily, they will fund proposals from regional or national organizations in the U.S. and Canada working on mining-specific issues.
Priority is given to applicants with an organizational or mining-specific program budget under $75,000 U.S.
Funding Information
The IEN/WMAN Mining Mini-Grants Program offers $4,000 USD financial grant.
Eligibility Criteria
The Program funds work that directly addresses hard rock/mineral/metals mining issues, such as gold, silver, iron, copper, zinc, nickel, tin and lead, uranium, placer, and coal mining. Legacy, closed and abandoned mine issues are included and do fit this Program. Your proposal should discuss which type of mining issue is impacting the environment or your community and how you will use these Program funds to address it.
Requests must be Project-Specific for needs such as scientific/technical/legal assistance, organizing, education and outreach, development of materials, media development, reports, travel, mailings, interns and consultants, etc. to be fulfilled within the next twelve months on a specific mining campaign.
Although funds are not intended to support an organization’s general operating expenses, a small proportion (up to 10%) of the funding can be applied as work compensation or staff salaries for the organization submitting a grant application. However, there is no such limitation for external contractors hired to complete a project-specific task or objective.
Applicants may only receive one grant per twelve-month cycle.
Everyone can apply for these mini-grants, whether you are a registered or unregistered organization, however they do not fund individuals. If you do not have a tax ID number or a bank account under your organization name, then you must secure fiscal sponsorship by another organization that has a tax ID number or a bank account under their organization name.
All grant awards will be issued via check and must be made payable to an organization. Checks will not be made payable to an individual.
If your organization receives general support from True North Foundation they may require additional information.
Ineligibility Criteria
They do not fund the following:
Proposals related to oil, gas, pipelines, fracking, or tar sands issues.
Proposals related to aggregates, quarries, gravel, sand, or cement.
Work or organizations outside of the U.S. and Canada.
General operating expenses including: rent, utilities, etc.
Staff salaries above 10% of the total grant amount.
