- Are there specific rules/guidelines for matching funds? Is the match supposed to be only cash or can it be "in kind" such as volunteer labor or a company reducing the price on an item from normal retail? Rules and guidelines for the CIRCA Matching Funds Program are listed in the program description and request form. Other rules/guidelines may be imposed by the primary funder. In-kind contributions, volunteer labor hours, and discounts are allowable if not from state or municipal sources.CIRCA intends to release funding to municipalities for the development or implementation of resilience enhancing adaptation actions/policies through a separate request for proposals in early 2017.
- What is the source of funding? CIRCA’s Matching Funds Program funds are the result of a settlement from an environmental enforcement action, therefore they have no match restrictions.
- Is a Floodplain Management Certification required for this funding? Depending on the project, Floodplain Management Certification may be required.
- Would a Home Owner’s Association qualify as a potential applicant for this program?A homeowner’s association would qualify to request matching funds from CIRCA if it has non-profit status. All requesting funds must have a primary source of funding committed within six months of the CIRCA award announcement.
- Can you please clarify if the $100,000 is the total for the entire matching fund or if that is the maximum grant size for a particular applicant? During this phase of funding up to $100,000 of matching funds are available. We will award matching funds on a rolling basis. An entity may request up to $100,000 if it does not exceed more than 25% of the primary sponsor’s contribution. Please note, that given the interest in CIRCA’s Matching Funds program it is unlikely that the entirety of funds will go to one entity.
- Can you elaborate on what types of projects you are looking for or have already funded? Also, if a project is a municipal project, funded by the municipality, what is the % “match”… 25% or 50%...? CIRCA Matching Funds cannot match funds that have a municipality or the State of Connecticut as their primary sponsor. We will be releasing a Request for Proposals for municipal projects in early 2017. Please check the CIRCA website for updates. Projects funded through the Matching Funds Program may be quite diverse in nature, so long as they advance the mission of CIRCA with results that are transferable around the state. Preference will be given to those that collaborate with CIRCA and work within one or more priority areas of the Institute. For example, projects may include research projects on resilience initiatives, development of adaptation or vulnerability planning processes, construction of pilot adaptation measures with an evaluation of effectiveness, etc.
- Would I have to wait until I found out whether my project got funding? No, to be funded, a successful Matching Funds request must have a commitment of primary funding within 6 months of the CIRCA award announcement, or have received a waiver from the CIRCA Executive Steering Committee.
- Are matching funds in your program interpreted literally? That is, some grant programs require matching funds, which are usually provided in terms of academic year salary for Principal Investigators. Is that what this program means to do, or is the idea of the matching funds that these are actually available (more like supplemental funds) to the grant? CIRCA matching funds may be applied to grants not requiring a match component, therefore being supplemental funds to the primary grant.
- Are the funds to be awarded to existing grants or for grant proposals in preparation? CIRCA matching funds are intended for grant proposals in preparation.
- What resources are available to understand the relationship between riverine erosion and climate change? The National Climate Assessment section on the northeast describes the trend of increased heavy precipitation events in the future. These heavy precipitation events will contribute to riverine flooding and possibly increased erosion. CIRCA also has ongoing projects on inland flooding and living shorelines. List of all CIRCA projects.
- Can you clarify how green infrastructure projects (both planning and implementation) fit into CIRCA’s mission, and how such projects relate to the intentions of CIRCA’s grant programs, particularly the matching grant program? CIRCA’s mission includes helping vulnerable coastal and inland waterways communities find solutions to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather. Green infrastructure projects, including both those projects that assist communities with coastal and inland flooding, are in some circumstances an adaptation solution. CIRCA does consider living shorelines projects to fall within the green infrastructure realm. Although green infrastructure is not listed explicitly as a priority, projects that exploit the approach as an adaption strategy to the effects of climate change or extreme precipitation would be eligible for support. Note that the Matching Funds Program prioritizes projects that yield transferable benefits (e.g. knowledge or experience) and collaborate with CIRCA to address at least one of the listed priority areas.
- Are Clean Water Action Section 319 funds considered federal? Yes.
- What amount of funding does a “typical” Matching Funds requestor receive from CIRCA? While there is no “typical” amount awarded under CIRCA’s Matching Funds Program, past awards have tended to range between $500 - $3,000 or $20,000 - $40,000. CIRCA makes up to $100,000 available each round of spending, and projects may seek funding of any amount up to $100,000.
- If you have applied to several funding opportunities for the same project, should you submit multiple requests to CIRCA? If you are seeking funds from several funding sources as well as from CIRCA's Matching Funds Program you do not have to submit separate requests to CIRCA, that is, unless you are requesting funds at different review dates. You should be clear in your request what the objectives are of each external funding source and how your project, if funded by such source, will advance the mission and priority areas of the Institute. You should also be clear on the level of funding for which you are applying from the primary sponsor. If your responses do not fit in the required form, please submit your materials as attachments to the standard form, or contact Katie Lund at katie.lund@uconn.edu.