On-line Workshop To Be Held On May 25th, 2011 For Those Interested In Applying For A South Mountain Mini-Grant

Boiling Springs, PA (April 25, 2011) -The South Mountain Partnership Mini-Grant program, administered by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), has been awarded additional grant funds from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and will be accepting grant applications until the program deadline of July 31, 2011. This program provides grants that communities and organizations can use to preserve and promote their natural and cultural assets.

An online grant workshop on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 2-3 p.m. will be available to anyone with access to the internet and a telephone.  An RSVP is required to access the online workshop and can be done by visiting www.southmountaincli.blogspot.com or calling the ATC office at 717.258.5771.  The workshop will lay out details of the program and application and allow participants to ask questions.

The South Mountain Partnership Mini-Grant Program has been developed and overseen by the ATC since 2009 to encourage economic development among local communities by funding projects to build trails, conduct outdoor festivals, and develop promotional guides for local agriculture and forest products. $100,000 in grants was awarded since 2009 with over $184,708 in grantee's match.

In 2011 $150,000 in grants will be available with a required 1:1 match.  The next grant application will be available in January 2011 and applications will be due July 31, 2011. The ATC and DCNR encourage any municipality, non-profit, or learning institution to begin considering projects that may fit the grant criteria. Projects must be located in Cumberland, Franklin, Adams, or York counties.  An application and many other grant resources are available on the Partnership website at www.southmountaincli.blogspot.com.

"The Appalachian Trail Conservancy's grant program emphasizes multi-partner regional collaborations and in result we have seen incredible long term relationships develop.  It is a major goal of the South Mountain Partnership to foster these strong partnerships that steward and promote our assets", stated Kim Williams, Environmental Planner of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

The ATC and DCNR lead the South Mountain Partnership, an alliance of the private and public sector, non-profits, universities, and local citizens in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, and Northern York Counties. The Partnership identifies its key role as being a regional facilitator and leader in projects that preserve and promote the natural and cultural assets of the region. ATC was chosen to be the lead of the Partnership because of its local roots and extensive conservation work across Pennsylvania and especially in Central Pennsylvania. 

Funds come from DCNR's Community Conservation Partnership's Program and come from both the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, the Environmental Stewardship Fund (Growing Greener 1) and the Growing Greener Bond Fund (growing Greener 2), and several federal funding sources.