Friends of Reservoirs Foundation: Building Capacity Using a 501 (c) (3)

The Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership (RFHP) established the Friends of Reservoirs (FOR) Foundation to assist in fund-raising efforts to support reservoir fisheries habitat restoration projects. A website was developed (www.waterhabitatlife.org) as a FOR outreach tool and fund-raising forum. Memberships in FOR are offered to groups and individuals. Memberships are focused on building local capacity for project development and funding and creating a link among FOR members and management agencies. FOR membership provides tax-deductible status for locally-raised funds. FOR's non-profit status also expands granting opportunities because many grants are available only to non-profit organizations. FOR membership provides grant-writing assistance and banking services to hold funds until needed for specific projects. FOR members are given bonus points in RFHP's project selection process. Locally-raised funds can be used as match for larger grants available through government and non-profit organizations. Local sponsorship of projects is vital for outreach efforts and to garner public support for watershed-level restoration efforts that are key to approaching major reservoir impairment issues.