Emergency Funding

The AS Coastal Fund Board understands that natural environments, especially those under constant influence from human activities, can be unpredictable. The Emergency Grant is intended for applicants with funding requests that do not fit within our regular funding cycle in which applicants submit requests at the beginning of the quarter and funds awarded approximately 10 weeks later.

Environmental emergencies such as oil spills or major weather events require quick responses in order to effectively research, restore, or enhance the Santa Barbara coastline; equipment failures or court dates are sometimes unforeseeable and require time-sensitive reactions. The AS Coastal Fund has a specific application for projects that meet the Emergency Grant guidelines:

Blank Forms

Emergency Grant Application
Budget Worksheet
Reallocation Request
Extension Request
Intern Evaluation
Major Grant Final Report

Eligibility Requirements:

  1. Project must advance the Coastal Fund Mission and take place within the Santa Barbara watershed.
  2. Project must be overseen or sponsored by UCSB, a registered non-profit or a government agency.
  3. Funding need could not have been foreseen in time for previous application deadline.
  4. Funding is absolutely required before next application cycle.

Examples of acceptable emergency grant projects include those relating to a sudden disaster such as an oil spill, a need for quick action or advocacy when a topic such as coastal development is scheduled to be reviewed by a local governing or permitting body, or when a critical piece of equipment breaks and threatens data collection partway through field season. Missed deadlines, approaching graduations, and limited but reasonably predictable field seasons are NOT acceptable reasons for emergency grant funding.

Restrictions on Emergency Grant Funding:

Coastal Fund greatly prefers that applicants apply through its standard funding cycles and intends for Emergency Grants to be used rarely and only as a last resort. The following additional restrictions are therefore placed on Emergency Grants:

  1. As with all Coastal Fund grants, funding may not be awarded retroactively.
  2. All funds must be spent by the end of the academic quarter following the one in which the application was submitted. After this point, the applicant will have had an opportunity to apply and receive funding through the standard grant cycle.
  3. No extension request will be granted for an Emergency Grant except in extremely rare cases, generally only when emergency or unpredictable conditions end up lasting into the grant period.
  4. No requests will be reviewed between late May and the beginning of October, when UCSB and thus Coastal Fund is on summer break, regardless of circumstances.
  5. Applications received during finals week or over spring or winter break will not be reviewed until Coastal Fund resumes in the following quarter.

Applying for an Emergency Grant:

  1. Complete an Emergency Grant Application and a Budget Worksheet. Submit materials to coastalfund(at)as.ucsb.edu.
  2. The Coastal Fund Board will evaluate the request during its next meeting and decide if the project demonstrates a legitimate and unforeseeable emergency. If feasible, the Board may ask you to come present the request at their meeting.
  3. The Board will review the application and first decide if it qualifies for emergency grant funding. If so, the Board will then review its available budget and how competitive the application is compared to other proposals, and determine if funding can be granted. If the Board opts not to fund the project as an emergency grant, you will still be eligible to update and resubmit the project during the next standard grant cycle.
  4. If funded, you will be provided with a grant agreement listing the requirements for grant recipients, all approved amounts, and any additional stipulations or adjustments to the project. Sign the agreement and return it to Coastal Fund via email or by dropping it off at our office.

Implementing an Emergency Grant

  1. You may begin making expenditures within your approved budget as soon as you sign the grant agreement. Please be aware, however, that you will not receive an actual check until a couple weeks after you sign the grant agreement so please plan accordingly.
  2. If Coastal Fund provides support for interns, submit the names, email and mailing addresses for each selected intern to Coastal Fund upon hiring. If you would like help in recruiting interns, please let us know and we can advertise any openings on our listserv.
  3. Conduct your project according to the approved application, taking any adjustments from the Board into account.
  4. If over the course of your project you need to reallocate funding from one budget line item to another, fill out and submit a Reallocation Request.
  5. At the conclusion of your project, have any Coastal Fund sponsored interns complete an Intern Evaluation.
  6. Complete the Major Grant Final Report within 30 days of the project completion and return it to Coastal Fund along with any unspent funds, proof of expenditures and accounting, copies of any publicity material or awards, and any additional documentation.

Please feel free to contact coastalfund(at)as.ucsb.edu with any questions.

Blank Forms

Emergency Grant Application
Budget Worksheet
Reallocation Request
Extension Request
Intern Evaluation
Major Grant Final Report

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