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We already know what works. The headwaters of the Vale da Gema are already showing what happens when neighbors coordinate — swales built across property lines, shared water infrastructure, children learning ecology on restored land, marathons bringing thousands of people through the watershed. The projects exist. The people are in place. The land is ready.
What we don't have is a funding team. Right now, every land steward in the consortium writes their own grant applications late at night, after the earthwork is done. We chase funding we hear about by chance. We miss opportunities we never knew existed. This is not how you scale a regional regeneration movement. We need to get serious about funding — and that means hiring people whose full time job is finding, writing, and winning the resources to make this work resilient and sustainable.
This proposal is for the creation of a Funding Coordination Team — a small, dedicated group of people who wake up every day thinking about one thing: how do we fund the healing of this watershed, together.
What we'll do, over 18 months:
In two years, the Funding Coordination Team will have established itself as the financial backbone of the consortium — a self-sustaining unit that brings in more money than it costs, with a track record of successful applications, strong funder relationships, and a clear pipeline of opportunities that ensures the headwaters work continues, expands, and inspires.
Funding Goals (all values in €)
Budget (estimated)
Funding Coordinator (part-time, 20 hrs/week)
Grant Writer & Funding Specialist (full-time)
Administrative Assistant (part-time, 15 hrs/week)
Additional Funding Specialist (part-time, scaled with funding success)
Operational Reserve
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