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SOUND INVESTMENTS: by Mary Kelley Hoppe |
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Already engaged in purchasing, restoring and protecting environmentally sensitive lands, Pinellas County sought to use its investments to activate others. That prompted discussions about creating an environmental foundation that could leverage county funds with outside cash and contributions. Rather than reinvent the wheel, Pinellas County hitched its wagon to a star. PCEF was formed in November 1998 as a partnership between the Pinellas Board of County Commissioners and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a private, non-profit environmental conservation organization established by Congress in 1984. The national foundation manages an international challenge grant program that requires a minimum 1:1 match; PCEF requires the same. County Commissioner Barbara Sheen Todd says the national foundation was a natural partner. "The more you broaden your circle of influence, the more effective you are in making great things happen for the environment. I think it's already broadened the reach of environmental education and awareness way beyond what anyone thought possible." The two groups share the common goals of supporting the protection, restoration and enhancement of Tampa Bay; developing creative and sustainable solutions to natural resource challenges; educating the public and stakeholders; and creating partnerships to implement long-term solutions. "A lot of stars have to align to make something like PCEF happen," says Peter Stangel, regional director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. "It all came together in Tampa Bay," which had the interest, the ecosystem and the people to make it work. "What really pushed it over the edge for us," adds Stangel, "was the interest from the county commissioners and the voters." PCEF receives funding from the Pinellas Board of County Commissioners (through voter-approved Penny for Pinellas funds) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Grants, awarded twice a year, help implement recommendations of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program's Comprehensive Conservation & Management Plan. A local advisory committee reviews and recommends proposals for final approval by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Board. In just three years of grant-making, PCEF has awarded over $2.8 million to nearly 50 grantees, leveraging an additional $4.07 million, for a total conservation investment of nearly $7 million. Pinellas County has contributed $1.4 million so far, including $500,000 last year. Every $1 PCEF provides nets an additional $1 or more in cash or contributed goods or services from the grantee. That leveraging, says Assistant Pinellas County Administrator and PCEF founding board member Jake Stowers, is what makes this partnership so powerful. "This provided an opportunity for total community buy-in, because you've got to have a challenge that enlists folks and shows a smart investment."
A $40,000 PCEF grant to the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council in 2001, matched by a diverse group of community sponsors, helped provide start-up funding for Tampa Bay Soundings. Each year, PCEF hosts the Spring on the Flats fishing tournament, which pairs community and business leaders with fishing guides for a fun-filled day of inshore competition that promotes conservation. The foundation also sponsors the Florida Birding Festival at Eckerd College, one of the largest birding events in the U.S. Last year, the birding festival drew more than 1,500 birding enthusiasts and nature lovers. Proceeds from both events benefit the foundation. "Too many times when we're out along the bay or on our boat we forget that it took someone somewhere managing a watershed or protecting wildlife habitat to make it happen," says Stowers. "Our hope is that a partnership like this will help people realize it doesn't just happen, we all need to be engaged." Organizations interested in applying for a grant may submit proposals twice a year. Initial contact is through a pre-proposal (October 15 and June 1 deadlines). Authors of appropriate pre-proposals will be asked to submit a full proposal (December 1 and July 15 deadlines). For more information, visit PCEF online at www.pcef.org or call Mandy Peterson, director of development, at 727-827- 3326. Grants at a glance PCEF grants are designed to further implementation of the Tampa Bay Comprehensive Conservation & Management Plan, adopted by local, state and federal partners in 1996. Grants are focused in four major project areas: wildlife, habitat, education and applied research. Following is a list of 2002 grant recipients.
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Match this: Since its inception in 1998, the Pinellas County Environmental Foundation (PCEF) has put nearly $7 million to work protecting and enhancing Tampa Bay, while posting an impressive 2.4:1 return on investment. Credit visionaries in Pinellas County government, who pursued a unique local-national partnership that has pumped millions of dollars into the region while leveraging millions more.