Funding strategy, Invasive species management, Restoration
Developing and Diversifying Funding for Riparian Restoration in the Southwest
Case Study by the Conservation and Adaptation Resources Toolbox
Status
Ongoing

Location

States

Arizona, Colorado

Ecosystem

River/stream

Subject

Economics
Funding
Invasive species
Non-native
Outreach
Partnerships
Restoration
Riparian areas
Rivers and streams

Introduction

A bird sits in a nest in a tree
Image Details

Rivers are the lifeblood of communities throughout the southwestern United States, but invasive plants can deteriorate the health of these rivers and the quality of life in the communities that depend on them. There has been an increasing push to restore riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.

Learn more about riparian areas through a combination of non-native plant removal and planting of native plants. This work requires collaboration across jurisdictions, upfront restoration costs, and long-term maintenance costs. The RiversEdge West (REW) Funding Program is working with practitioners to procure funding that will support the full life cycle of riparian restoration. 

Investing in partnerships and their long-term viability is essential to achieving lasting ecological, social, and economic benefits of riparian restoration. Therefore, finding methods for developing sustainable funding is critical to the recovery of these rivers. 

Key Issues Addressed

One of the most challenging aspects of conducting restoration work can be acquiring and maintaining adequate funding to support on-the-ground restoration efforts. Restoration partnerships and practitioners tend to depend on public funding to support the bulk of their work; however, this funding is often competitive, unreliable, and restricted. To help address this challenge, REW’s Funding Program focuses on working with practitioners to develop diversified funding portfolios, which include public, private, and fee-for-service funding sources. Private fundraising can present challenges when practitioners and partnerships do not have adequate capacity or know-how. REW works to overcome these challenges by supplying capacity or supporting capacity-building, along with training for practitioners in fundraising strategies. 

Project Goals

  • Provide support and tools for restoration practitioners and partnerships to diversify funding portfolios
  • Promote awareness about the importance of riparian restoration among policy-makers to increase the amount of public funding for this work

Project Highlights

Incentivizing Restoration on Private Lands: The Purgatoire Watershed Weed Management Collaborative in Las Animas County, CO used funding from the Moore Charitable Foundation to establish a cost-share program with local landowners to help fund restoration on private lands.

  • Fundraising Support: REW directly engages in fundraising with partnerships by heading Funding Subcommittees, developing budgets, and writing fundraising plans. Over the past five years, REW’s engagement in partnership fundraising has helped bring in millions of dollars for riparian restoration.
  • Sharing Funding Opportunities: Gathering and sharing relevant restoration grant opportunities through the Restoration Funding Database.
  • Building Connections: Building donor and foundation relationships to build up private funding opportunities for partnerships through the Restore Our Rivers initiative. Nearly $1M in private funding was raised for restoration, and the nine participating partnerships raised nearly $600K in private funding to be spent on capacity, planning, monitoring, and maintenance activities.
  • Outreach and Awareness: Conducting outreach to public and private funders to share the importance of riparian restoration, and encourage them to sustain and create funding programs that support this work. Through these efforts, REW has helped connect funders with restoration projects throughout the West.  

Lessons Learned

Three individuals float on a raft on a river
Image Details

Diversifying funding to include private foundations, businesses, and individuals is critical to program sustainability. Public funding tends to support initial on-the-ground work, but not monitoring, planning, fundraising, project management, and coordination.

Garnering new and diverse funding sources requires educating the public and funders about the importance of riparian restoration. Additionally, restoration partnerships and organizations must prioritize expanding fundraising capacity by recruiting and training staff and board members. 

Funders often want to measure the impact of their dollars. Restoration partnerships should establish metrics and evaluation methods in advance. Funders also like to see their dollars leveraged to bring in more funding and support work that benefits their local community. Building relationships and alliances locally can garner this key financial support.

Next Steps

  • Continue building funder awareness on the importance of riparian restoration at the federal level and in Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico
  • Provide direct fundraising support to at least twelve restoration partnerships/organizations
  • Continue to train practitioners in fundraising best practices and connect them with funding networks and opportunities

Funding Partners

Resources

Contact

Case Study Lead Author

Suggested Citation

Jespersen, K., M. (2018). “Developing and Diversifying Funding for Riparian Restoration in the Southwest.” CART. Retrieved from https://www.fws.gov/project/riparian-restoration-southwest.

Programs

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Program

Partners