Section 319 Nonpoint Source Minigrant Program

Water Protection
Program

Water Pollution
Control Branch

Section 319 Nonpoint Source Minigrant Program

Minigrant Application and Instructions

Do you have water quality issues in the area where you live? If so, then you realize that protecting surface water and groundwater from sources of pollution is an ongoing struggle. Here are some recent water quality concerns from local and national news:

In the news

"What turned well water black?" - Springfield News-Leader, April 13, 2006

"Great Lakes algae angst" - Kansas City Star, June 16, 2006

"Pollution in lake worries residents" - Kansas City Star, Feb. 3, 2007

"Fertilizer runoff creates "Dead Zone in Gulf" - St. Louis Post Dispatch, June 10, 2007

"Stop Sewage Overflows, MSD is warned in suit" - St. Louis Post Dispatch, June 12, 2007

"City anxious about county storm water" - Columbia Daily Tribune, June 14, 2007

These articles address the ongoing concerns Americans face in dealing with nonpoint source pollution. Nonpoint source pollution can degrade Missouri streams, rivers, reservoirs and groundwater. Nonpoint source pollution enter our surface waters as runoff (water that has flowed over the surface of a yard, feedlot, construction site, or parking lot carrying nutrients, sediment, pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, waste and other products into our surface water and groundwater). If there is a nonpoint source pollution problem in a water body near you, a minigrant may be a way for you to address the problem.

Overview

All MoDNR nonpoint source pollution grant funds are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) through Section 319(h) of the Clean Water Act. These funds are awarded by the U.S. EPA, Region 7 who awards them to the department. The department administers these funds to eligible sponsors. Eligible sponsors include state and local agencies, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status who are interested in addressing nonpoint source pollution problems. Minigrants are a type of subgrant that can be used to fund a project that addresses nonpoint source pollution. Like other 319 nonpoint source pollution subgrants, research projects or activities required by a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System are not eligible for funding through the Minigrant Program.

The overall goal of the Minigrant Program is to provide funds to implement projects that deal with nonpoint source pollution of water bodies in Missouri. Specifically, the program will support small projects that:

Create a citizenry that is accurately informed about the causes, extent, and control of nonpoint source water pollution and water quality issues.
Provide an opportunity for involved citizens to achieve environmental success through nonpoint source water pollution prevention or remediation.

Requirements - Revised December 2007

Minigrants are awarded and funded three times during the calendar year. Projects that are funded through the Minigrant Program are usually short-term and cannot exceed 24 months in duration from the project's start date. Minigrants can provide up to $10,000 in federal funding for a project, and a matching 40 percent of funding or non-federal in-kind contributions is required by the sponsoring agency or subgrantee as in the form of donated goods and services, volunteer hours, equipment or materials, or other type of "in-kind" services or contributions.

Application Criteria

All minigrant applications must explain how they will address nonpoint source pollution in at least one of the following ways:

Increase public knowledge of nonpoint source pollution and their impact on surface water and groundwater quality.
Provide information to the public about nonpoint source pollution problems or issues of interest and what the project is doing to these problems or issues.
Stimulate individuals to assess and modify practices and behaviors that contribute to nonpoint source pollution.
Develop tools and programs to encourage behavioral changes toward sound preventive practices.
Encourage local partnerships and public participation in efforts to restore, conserve, and protect water resources threatened by nonpoint source pollution.

A minigrant may provide information and education on nonpoint source issues, fund water quality monitoring, support restoration or conservation of water resources, or directly address nonpoint source pollution problems.

Application Schedule

Applications for minigrants must be submitted to the department by February 1, June 1 and
October 1 of each calendar year to be considered for funding. The table below lists a typical schedule of grant reviews, awards, negotiations, and approvals that are done within several months following submittal of the application:

Task	Date	Date	Date
Final date for sponsors to submit project applications	Feb. 1	June 1	Oct. 1
MoDNR intra-department review and project selection	By March 5	By July 5	By Nov. 5
MoDNR informs sponsors, assigns project to MoDNR project manager	By March 15	By July 15	By Nov. 15
Negotiations between MoDNR and sponsoring agency, and MoDNR management approval and final award	By May 15	By Sept. 15	By Jan. 15
Estimated project start date	June 1	Oct. 1	Feb. 1

Minigrant Application

Download an application PDF or MS word fill-in and instructions PDF or contact the department for a hardcopy of application or additional information.

Please submit the original and 15 copies of the completed application to:

Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Attention: Water Protection Program, Watershed Protection Section, Nonpoint Source Unit
P.O. Box 176
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176
Call 573-751-7428 or FAX 573-526-6802

Section 319 Program | Major Subgrants | Watershed Planning Grants | Minigrants | Project Examples