The 2012-2013 Mini-Grant Round Has Opened!

The South Mountain Partnership Mini-Grant program, administered by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), has been awarded grant funds from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and will be accepting grant applications until the program deadline of July 31, 2012. This program provides grants that communities and organizations can use to preserve and promote their natural and cultural assets.

An in-person and online grant workshop will be available to those interested.  An RSVP is required to attend either of these workshops and can be done by clicking on the button to the right or calling Kim Williams at the ATC office at 717.258.5771.  The workshop will lay out details of the program and application and allow participants to ask questions.  The two grant workshop details are as follows:

• March 29^th, 2012 Workshop: The first workshop will be in-person at the South Mountain Partnership’s quarterly meeting on March 29^th at 3:30 p.m. at the Shippensburg University Conference Center and will last under an hour.
• May 23^rd, 2012 Workshop: This online webinar will be similar to the March 29^th workshop but will allow participants to access the workshop from a computer.  The workshop will begin at 4 p.m. and will last under an hour.

The South Mountain Partnership Mini-Grant Program has been developed and overseen by the ATC since 2009 to encourage economic development among local communities by funding projects to build trails and regional trail feasibility studies, conduct outdoor festivals, develop promotional guides for local agriculture and forest products, and much more. Since the mini-grants inception, $161,000 have been awarded with over $390,000 in grantee’s match.

Mini-Grant applications
are due July 31st, 2012

In 2012, $100,000 in grants will be available with a required 1:1 match.  The application is available for download and is due July 31, 2012. The ATC and DCNR encourage any municipality, registered Pennsylvania non-profits, or learning institution to begin considering projects that may fit the grant criteria. Projects must be located in Cumberland, Franklin, Adams, or York counties.  Go to www.southmountainpartnership.org  for an application and many other grant resources .

“The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s grant program emphasizes multi-partner regional collaborations and in result we have seen incredible long term relationships develop.  It is a major goal of the South Mountain Partnership to foster these strong partnerships that steward and promote our assets,” stated Kim Williams, Environmental Planner of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

The ATC and DCNR lead the South Mountain Partnership, an alliance of the private and public sectors, non-profits, universities, and local citizens in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, and Northern York Counties. The Partnership identifies its key role as being a regional facilitator and leader in projects that preserve and promote the natural and cultural assets of the region. ATC was chosen to be the lead of the Partnership because of its local roots and extensive conservation work across Pennsylvania and especially in Central Pennsylvania. 

Funds come from DCNR’s Community Conservation Partnership’s Program and come from the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, the Environmental Stewardship Fund (Growing Greener 1) and the Growing Greener Bond Fund (growing Greener 2), and several federal funding sources.

Iron Works in Boiling Springs Mini-Grant

The establishment of the Carlisle Iron Works in Boiling Springs around 1760 marks the beginning of industrail development in the Cumberland Valley.

These signs are part of a joint historic signage project of the Boiling Springs Civic Association and South Middleton Township. This project was finances in part by the South Mountain Partnership Mini-Grant.

Cumberland County Historical Society Mini-Grant Completion!

These panels were the efforts of the Cumberland County Historical Society as part of a South Mountain Mini-Grant Project. You can view these panels in person at the Iron master's Mansion at Pine Grove State Park.

As the first portion of the three-part project, the Cumberland County Historical Society (CCHS) featured a major exhibition entitled Pine Grove: A Lasting Legacy in March 2012. The exhibition focused on the history of four distinct activities in the Pine Grove area:  the iron industrial complex at Pine Grove Furnace; Pine Grove Furnace Civilian Conservation Corps Camp #51; Pine Grove Furnace Prisoner of War Interrogation Center, and finally Camp Michaux Church Camp. 

The second part of the project entailed CCHS developing and installing a permanent historical exhibit for the Ironmaster’s Mansion, to be used onsite. 

The third part of the project will include a celebration opening of the mansion exhibit at the Pine Grove State Park including an opening picnic and educational opportunities.  Additionally, all parts of the project will be supported by the creation of a map-style “Guide to Historical Resources” of the Pine Grove area.  

This project was financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, Environmental Stewardship Fund, under the administration of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.