Have a worthwhile project? Need some money?

The Lake Michigan Coastal Program will host a June 20 meeting seeking public input on funding priorities for the 2012 funding cycle of the Coastal Grants Program.

The LMCP meeting takes place at 6:30 p.m. at the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, 6100 Southport Rd. in Portage.

Since 2001, the Coastal Grants Program has funded more than $11 million in regional projects; they must be located entirely within the Lake Michigan coastal area, the northern portions of Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties.

The LMCP is an annual competitive-grants program that awards funds to units of local government, regional and state agencies, colleges and universities, and non-profit organizations. The program’s funds may be spent on public access or habitat improvements, land acquisition, planning and coordination, education and outreach, and research projects.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources began the LMCP to coordinate efforts between local, state and federal governments, as well as local organizations, and to support projects that protect and restore natural, cultural and historical resources in Indiana’s Lake Michigan coastal region.

The LMCP is funded through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Coastal Resource Management. For more information visit the program’s website at dnr.IN.gov/lakemich

Posted 6/11/2012