Capacity to Support the Program
Expanding SWCD’s existing program will require additional capacity to facilitate basin and region-wide coordination between community partners and address geographic inequities, as well as provide increased capacity to administer and manage a greater number of contracts. SWCD, with the help of regional partners, needs to determine the specifics of the additional services to successfully expand this grant program.
Additional administrative, management, technical resources and community coordination support will be needed to develop this Program. For example, the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District (UGRWCD) found great success in hiring an agricultural engineer to provide technical assistance up-front to support project design for their grantees, prior to application. This helps the UGRWCD ensure their grant program criteria for multi-benefit projects are met and helps the provide the project proponent with a needed service that they would otherwise have to raise funds for, potentially delaying the project.
While multiple additional staff could be required to fill the needed capacity, there are also opportunities for collaboration with partners to help fulfill capacity needs (e.g., cost-share or partnerships with NGOs, State, and Federal Agencies).