The Merritt Neighborhood Fund

 AQUIDNECK LAND TRUST TO AWARD MERRITT NEIGHBORHOOD FUND GRANTS

Are you or someone in your community managing a project to preserve a special little open space or improve a neighborhood park?

Every year the Aquidneck Land Trust lends support to some local organizations trying to do just that. Please help us spread the word that applications are now available for neighborhood groups and community organizations wishing to apply for funding from the Aquidneck Land Trust’s Merritt Neighborhood Fund.

The purpose of the Fund is to provide modest ($100 - $2,500) grants to Aquidneck Island’s neighborhood and community groups to support their preservation of small open spaces in order to strengthen their community’s identity and natural character and to model the ethic of land conservation and stewardship through community volunteerism.

The Merritt Neighborhood Fund was established in 1999 by the Aquidneck Land Trust to honor the late Peter M. Merritt, the organization’s visionary president emeritus, for his decade of leadership. Peter had a vision to someday execute the mission of the Land Trust on a smaller scale to benefit individual neighborhoods across Aquidneck Island. The Land Trust endeavors to foster the ethic of land conservation and stewardship across Aquidneck Island’s diverse communities. The work of neighborhood groups and associations to reclaim small parcels for community good and serve as stewardship role models is vital to Aquidneck Island’s future. Sample projects include pocket parks, community gardens, and transformation of neglected properties for community recreation and environmental benefit.

Past recipients include the Island Park Neighborhood Crime Watch Committee and Friends of Anne Hutchinson in Portsmouth, the Middletown Tree Association and Albro Woods in Middletown,  the Cranston Calvert Elementary School PTO and Sullivan School Family Center in Newport.

Grant applications may be obtained by contacting David Thalmann, Director of Finance & Administration at the Aquidneck Land Trust at 401/849-2799 ext. 17 and/or via email at dthalmann@ailt.org.

Completed proposals must be received no later than JUNE 15, 2006.

 Funding decisions will be made by JULY 15, 2006.

The Aquidneck Land Trust’s mission is to preserve Aquidneck Island’s open spaces and natural character for the lasting benefit of our community. The Land Trust has conserved over 1,422 acres on Aquidneck Island.  The Land Trust is a 501( c )(3) non-profit organization.  For more information, visit www.AquidneckLandTrust.org or call 401/849-2799..