Grants

Soquel Creek Water District supports projects in our community that help save water and promotes awareness and conservation education. The District currently provides two grants for local non-profit organizations seeking financial support to encourage public interest in water conservation. Both grants are offered each fiscal year and provide from $250 to $10,000 to qualifying projects.

The Monterey Bay Friendly Garden Grant

The purpose of the Monterey Bay Friendly Garden Grant Program is to fund innovative projects designed to encourage public interest in water-wise landscapes. Awards up to $10,000 are granted to selected projects, up to $2 per square foot.

Grant projects must focus on water conservation and increase individual and community involvement in water conservation efforts. The Grant Program is open to nonprofit organizations, schools, and public agencies.

Application

Proposals can be hand-delivered to the Soquel Creek Water District or mailed.

Monterey Bay Friendly Garden Grant Application (PDF)

Examples of Water Wise Gardens Grantees

The garden at the corner of Wharf Road and Capitola Road was a community project that turned an un-used plot into a great example of water-smart gardening and native plants. Melissa Van Ness spearheaded the project and created partnerships with the Shadowbrook Restaurant, Ecology Action, and Soquel Creek Water District to help make a beautiful garden for the public to enjoy that is pesticide-free and water-smart.

Water Education Promotion Mini-Grant

Soquel Creek Water District aims to promote water conservation education in the community. To support this effort, the District offers financial support through a water education promotion mini-grant to local organizations in our community who are working to promote water use efficiency, water conservation awareness, and education to water users in Soquel, Capitola, Aptos, and La Selva Beach.

Project Focus

The educational event or program must have a major theme or specific activity promoting water education with respect to water conservation, drinking water quality, and/or water supply issues important to the area that Soquel Creek Water District serves. The educational event or program must take place in Santa Cruz County with preference given to events and programs held in the Soquel Creek Water District service area.

Deadlines

Applications will be considered as they are received on a first come-first served basis until all funds have been allocated for the fiscal year. Applications received after June 1st will be considered for approval in the next fiscal year's budget that begins in July. The mini-grant is limited to non-profit organizations, schools, or public agencies.

Grant Awards

The minimum funding award is $250, and the maximum is $2,000. It is not guaranteed that all qualifying applications will be granted either partial or full funding. Funding applications will be kept on file for up to one year, after which they expire.

Funds are provided after the event or program has taken place. You must submit a short summary describing the success of the program or event and provide receipts before the grant award will be relinquished/paid. If possible, report the number of participants residing within the District's service area who attended the event or program.

Application

Proposals can be hand-delivered to the Soquel Creek Water District or mailed.

Water Education Grant Application (PDF)

Examples of Water Education Grantees

• The Garden Faire is a regionally supported gardening event featuring a series of talks given by qualified speakers, informational presentations by local gardening, ecological and landscaping groups, and a marketplace of garden-related items. The speakers' topics will be consistent with principles of sustainable gardening, including the use of less-toxic chemicals, watershed protection, and water conservation.
• Master Gardeners Boot Camp for Home Gardeners a seminar based event offered to the gardening public in the spirit of the mission of the Master Gardener program - educating the home gardeners on research-based gardening information, stressing water conservation, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Talks in the past have covered topics such as water wise lawn alternatives, gray water, laundry-to-landscape, irrigation, and water conservation.