Annual Award: $6,000
Established in honor of George G. Herrick, founder of the Eastern Maine Conservation Initiative (EMCI), this annual grant supports collaborative projects that advance the understanding, conservation, and stewardship of Downeast Maine’s coastal ecosystems.
The grant encourages researchers, conservation organizations, educational institutions, and community partners to bring together their knowledge, expertise, and resources to address shared environmental challenges. Its purpose is to foster partnerships that can achieve more together than individual organizations could accomplish independently.
EMCI welcomes projects that connect scientific research with local knowledge, explore new approaches to conservation, or develop practical solutions to regional environmental challenges. Projects may involve exploratory research, new or expanded partnerships, or activities that generate findings, tools, strategies, or recommendations to inform future conservation, habitat restoration, resource management, or public policy.
Priority will be given to proposals that demonstrate meaningful collaboration and the potential for lasting benefits to coastal Washington County, Maine.
Eligibility and Guidelines
Who May Apply
The grant is open to new and returning applicants, including nonprofit organizations, academic and independent researchers, educational institutions, and community groups.
Projects must:
- Involve at least two independent organizations or partners, each contributing meaningfully to the proposed work.
- Demonstrate a clear connection to the conservation or stewardship of coastal Washington County, Maine.
- Identify how collaboration will strengthen the project or create opportunities that would be difficult to achieve independently.
- Describe anticipated outcomes and their potential value to the region.
Both new and existing partnerships are eligible, provided the proposed funding supports new activities, expanded work, or a new phase of collaboration.
Project Outcomes
EMCI recognizes that meaningful conservation outcomes often develop over time. Projects are not required to produce immediate policy changes or completed restoration activities. Exploratory research, knowledge-sharing, and partnership development are eligible when applicants can demonstrate their potential contribution to longer-term conservation goals.
Additional Application Requirements
Applicants should follow EMCI’s standard Project Submission Guidelines and include brief responses to the following three questions:
1. Why is collaboration important to this project?
Describe the shared challenge or opportunity and explain what the partners hope to accomplish together that would be difficult to achieve independently.
2. What will each partner contribute?
Identify the participating organizations or individuals and describe their respective roles, expertise, resources, or other contributions.
3. What are the anticipated outcomes and potential impact?
Describe what the project aims to accomplish, how the results will be shared or used, and how the work could contribute to future research, conservation, restoration, resource management, or policy.
Selection Priorities
Proposals will be evaluated using EMCI’s standard grant review process, with particular consideration given to:
- Quality of collaboration: Clear, complementary roles and meaningful participation by each partner.
- Regional relevance: A strong connection to environmental challenges and conservation needs in coastal Washington County.
- Potential impact: The ability to advance understanding, strengthen conservation efforts, inform future action, or establish valuable partnerships.
- Feasibility: A realistic project scope, timeline, and budget appropriate to the available funding.
Application and Award Information
Award Amount: $6,000
Application Deadline: January 31, 2027
Award Notification: Early March 2027
Proposals should be submitted by email to grantinfo@emcimaine.org.
Applicants should follow EMCI’s standard proposal requirements and clearly indicate that they are applying for the George G. Herrick Collaborative Conservation Grant.