OREANDA-NEWS. Rockwell Collins is currently seeking proposals for its 2016 Green Communities grant program. Launched 10 years ago, the program helps fund environmental projects in communities where the company operates around the world. Applications will be accepted through Feb. 19, 2016, with grant winners being announced on or around Earth Day, April 22, 2016.

To apply for a grant, a non-profit group must be teamed with a Rockwell Collins employee or retiree, and the projects must improve the environmental condition of a community in which Rockwell Collins operates.

Since its inception in 2004, our Green Communities grant program has given more than $800,000 to projects such as restoring rare upland wetlands, re-establishing habitats for endangered species, purifying drinking water and planting community gardens around the world.

The Green Communities grants have had a major impact on the Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa — a 210-acre prairie, woodland and wetland preserve. In 2014, Rockwell Collins funded a solar energy project that reduced energy costs and provided a sustainable source of power. In 2015, they received a grant to plant native trees, grasses and flowers as part of an ecological restoration initiative.

“Visitors to the Nature Center can experience Iowa as it looked before farming changed the landscape and understand the role plants play in our environment,” said Jean Wiedenheft, land stewardship director for Indian Creek Nature Center.

Grant awards will range from $500 to $2,500. Only projects conducted or sponsored by qualified non-profit organizations or public/government entities are eligible.

A grant review committee will judge project applications based on criteria including:

  • Tangible environmental benefits of the project

  • Sustainability of the project benefits

  • Participation in the project by Rockwell Collins employees and/or retirees

  • Completion of the project within the calendar year of the grant award

  • Agreement to participate in publicizing the grant and the completed project