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Water Quality Education Grant Program

MARC, on behalf of the Water Quality Education Committee annually requests proposals from individuals and community groups to implement education activities, events or projects designed to promote actions that will improve water quality in the Kansas City area.The Committee wants to continue its focus on educating citizens about stormwater as a primary source of water pollution and about actions that individuals can take to reduce the amount of polluted stormwater that enters our lakes, rivers and streams.

Grant program overview

This grant program is designed to improve public understanding about the negative impact that stormwater runoff has on our local rivers and streams by providing funding to individuals and community groups to utilize in developing their own educational activities, events and projects.

Individuals, non-profit organizations and community groups are eligible to apply for grant funding under this program. Government entities and religious organizations are not eligible to apply for funding.

Grant funds must be used to support activity and/or event planning, project implementation and associated costs. Selected proposals must address at least one of the water quality education goals set out below. Additional information about activities, events and projects funded through this program in previous years can be found below.

Program funders

Grant funds are administered by Mid-America Regional Council. The program is funded by local municipal contributions.

2011 grant recipients

• Blue River Watershed Association ($1,000)
  This Missouri not-for-profit corporation was awarded funding for their KC Clean Streams 2011. This is the largest student led water quality improvement project in the entire metro. In 2010, BRWA had more than 6,000 students and more than 1,000 adults participating in KC Clean Streams. They anticipate that 2011 will be even bigger.
• Friends of the Kaw ($3,400)
  Friends of the Kaw (FOK) and the Kansas Riverkeeper are currently conducting stormwater outreach in Johnson County and Kansas City, Kan. They were awarded funding to add an additional layer to this project by linking residential and small urban gardens/farms to local fisheries through an extensive media and public outreach campaign.
• Green Works Kansas City ($3,000)
  Green Works Kansas City was awarded funding to support of the fall Urban Water Session for 15 high school students for twelve weeks (60 hours of programming) from September 2011 – November 2011. During this session the students will learn about green solutions and plant native plants, will take part in water filtering experiments, will learn about non-point source pollution, will take a ride on the Missouri River, will test the water quality of the creek and will learn about Kansas City's storm and sewer system including touring the water and waste-water treatment facilities.
• The South Grand River Watershed Alliance ($2,870)
  The South Grand River Watershed Alliance (SGRWA) was awarded funding to construct a community rain garden of approximately 1,000 square feet; to replace approximately one-acre of fescue with native prairie grasses and forbs on the grounds of the Peculiar Lions Community Center, and to install an educational sign with the message "if it is on the ground or parking lot, it is in the water—stormwater is not treated but flows directly into waterways."
• StoneLion Puppet Theatre ($2,730)
  StoneLion puppet theatre was awarded funding to provide a free "mini-festival" community event which includes a performance of SPT's acclaimed Spelunk! Saving Our Springs and community outreach activities and information on promoting behavioral changes leading to decreased stormwater runoff and improved water quality in ten neighborhoods in the geographical counties served by the Mid-America Regional Council.

For additional information regarding this Grant Program please contact Kassie Shelton at kshelton@marc.org or (816) 701-8280.