Middlebury, VT - The High Meadows Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) that represents a commitment of $240,000 towards promoting planning and action within Vermont’s watersheds. Tropical Storm Irene brought the devastation of extreme weather to the forefront in Vermont, but many Vermonters don’t know that since 2000 the state has had at least one federally-declared disaster every year. In certain parts of the state Vermonters have lived through two 100-year flood events in the past decade. High Meadows is encouraging solutions at a multi-town, watershed level.
“Through this Initiative, we seek to inspire and encourage the creative and inclusive building of resilience within watersheds,” says High Meadows Fund President Gaye Symington. “Flooding does not follow Vermont’s municipal and regional boundaries and new thinking and approaches are needed.” The first $120K will support multi-town, watershed planning and early action and the second $120K will be available for additional implementation. Applications for the RFP are due April 15, 2015.
“Building resilience requires creativity, diverse voices and hard choices, so our RFP calls for inclusive and transparent process within the watersheds,” says Symington. “But, most importantly, the Fund wants to see concrete accomplishments on the ground.” The Fund will choose projects by June 1 and expects them to last up to 18 months. More information on this new $240,000 Initiative can be found online at www.highmeadowsfund.org/rfp.
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The mission of the High Meadows Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation is to promote vibrant communities and a healthy natural environment while encouraging long-term economic vitality in Vermont. Our communities, environment, and economy are threatened by the changing climate. High Meadows helps Vermonters mitigate that change and adapt to its consequences by supporting leadership and innovation in three overlapping areas of focus: energy, land use and sustainable agriculture. For more information, visit www.highmeadowsfund.org
