The Indigenous Environmental Network and Western Mining Action Network have grants available for mining-impacted Indigenous communities in North America.

Applications have to be in before June 1, 2009, so you’ll have to move quick if you want to apply. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until the next grant cycle in October, 2009.

Please see below for details, or visit: http://www.ienearth.org/mining.html

Grassroots Communities Mining Mini-Grant Program

The goal of the Mining Mini-grants Program is to support and enhance the capacity building efforts of mining-impacted communities in the U.S. and Canada to assure that mining projects do not adversely affect human, cultural, and the ecological health of communities.

The applicant must be a grassroots community program with limited funds that has demonstrated the capacity to successfully carry out the project. Individual grants will not exceed $3,000 U.S. and cannot be used for general programmatic or operating expenses.

Applications must be submitted by June 1, 2009, October 1, 2009 or February 1, 2010. Applicants will be notified of the funding decision within 3 weeks of the application deadline. There will be an “emergency” fund for extremely time-sensitive projects that fall between grant cycles (i.e., needs that could not have been anticipated at the time of the last cycle and cannot wait to be addressed until the next cycle). These grants will be very limited and awarded on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Mini-Grant Review Committee.

WMAN/IEN Indigenous Communities Mini-grants program criteria:

1. Grassroots community-based organizations, and Tribes or Tribal programs in the U.S. and Canada with any budget level may apply. However, if there are more applicants than funds available, priority will be given to organizations with an organizational or mining-specific project budget under $75,000 U.S.; priority will also be given to community-based grassroots groups affected by mining.
2. Requests must be project-specific for an immediate need such as legal assistance, organizing and outreach, development of campaign materials, media development, reports, travel, mailings, etc. to be fulfilled within the next four to six months on a specific mining campaign. Funds cannot be used for an organization’s general operating funds, staff salaries, rent or telephone bills.
3. Priority will be given to projects that build bridges and community across socio-economic and cultural lines.
4. Applicants who have received funds twice during the previous two grant cycles will be given lower priority than new organizations and programs. This will not apply to “emergency” grants.
5. Each grant issued will not exceed $3,000.
6. Funding recipients must submit a brief report detailing how funds were spent within 1 month of the project finishing. Recipients will not be eligible for additional funding until the project has been completed and a project report, or an extension request, is received and accepted by WMAN and IEN.

Any questions? We are happy to help. Please contact either Sarah Keeney, WMAN Network Coordinator at (503) 327-8625 ~ sarahekeeney@comcast.net or Simone Senogles, Indigenous Environmental Network, (218) 751-4967 ~ simone@ienearth.org.

The application below can be emailed to either Sarah Keeney or to Simone Senogles, or it can be sent by regular mail, postmarked by June 1, 2009, October 1, 2009 or February 1, 2010 respectively, to: IEN attn: Mining Mini-grants, PO Box 485, Bemidji, MN 56619. If you are mailing the application, please call Simone or Sarah to let us know to expect it. Thank you!

Download the Application