Plank Stewardship Initiative Short Notice Grant

Through its grantmaking programs, The Plank Stewardship Initiative (PSI), a 501 (c) 3 private foundation, provides financial resources to organizations that work to enhance the capabilities and livelihoods of those who manage and care for land and water in the northern Great Plains. Our core focus area is the mountains and plains of eastern Wyoming and Montana.

Through this Short Notice Grant, PSI is interested in providing grant funds to support viable short-notice projects that fall outside of its February standard annual application deadline.

Applications may be submitted any time during the calendar year but at least three weeks prior to the project start date. 

Please submit applications via email to the PSI contact email address below. Applicants will be notified of receipt of grant applications by way of return email within two business days of submission.  

Applicants will be informed of grant funding decisions within 14 days of receiving the application. 

Successful applicants will be sent a Grant Agreement letter for signature along with PSI’s Final Report guidelines, and grants funds will be disbursed promptly upon receipt of fully-executed, signed agreements. 

Unsuccessful applicants will be offered the opportunity to discuss their application and seek feedback and advice for future applications with representatives of PSI at their request.

Applications will be evaluated for their potential to enhance sustainable stewardship in the Northern Great Plains by demonstrating the ability of the proposed project to fulfill one or more grant criteria components by achieving the results described in the grant project narrative and budget. 

Your organization’s short-notice project must meet one or more of the following criteria:

1. Provide succession planning activities and resources for farm and ranch families in order to enhance family decision-making for long term ranch sustainability in the Northern Great Plains.

2. Provide critical training and resources to support successful farm and ranch operations through enhanced financial management.

3. Provide training and resources in sustainable conservation practices in land management. This may include but is not limited to soil health improvement, development and growth of local native seed sources for wildland revegetation, incorporation of cover crops, water projects (stream restoration, diversion building, etc.) invasive species mitigation, and wildlife habitat improvement/maintenance projects. 

4. Provide training and resources in successful farm and ranch management tailored to the unique circumstances and challenges faced by woman producers, young producers and producers from under-represented communities. 

An eligible organization can apply for, and receive, both a standard grant and a Short-Notice grant in the same year. However, the organization applying must demonstrate that each grant supports different activities so that there is no grant “stacking” or funding overlap between the two grants. 

Applicants understand that any pre-award spending on your proposed project is made at your organization’s risk and places no obligation on PSI to approve your short-notice application. 

Final Report:

A Final Report will be due within 60 days after the completion of the project.  The 10% hold-back of grant funds will be disbursed upon the PSI Board’s approval of the Final Report. 

All applicants are required to contact PSI’s Executive Director to discuss their projects prior to submitting grant applications.

Short-Notice Grant Application