Community Partnerships

Community Grantmaking

Rivers of Steel’s Mini-Grant Program assists heritage-related sites and organizations, as well as municipalities, within the borders of the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area. The Mini-Grants may be used to develop new and innovative programs, partnerships, exhibits, tours, and other initiatives that are consistent with the mission and vision outlined in Rivers of Steel’s Management Action Plan. The Mini-Grant program is funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, via DCNR’s Community Conservation Partnerships Program and the Environmental Stewardship Fund.

Rivers of Steel strongly encourages proposals that increase heritage tourism, enhance preservation efforts, involve the stewardship of natural resources, encourage outdoor recreation and / or include collaborative partnerships. Learn more about the funding opportunity specifics here.

Interested in learning about the impact of this work for our partnering organizations? Check out the Community Spotlight series of articles that feature stories about each grantee from the last few years.

Collaborative Programming

Rivers of Steel partners with dozens of artists, organizations, and small business each year.  Through initiatives like Homestead Live Fridays—where collaboration is core to the goal of the program—to individual events, such as a birdwatching cruise with the National Aviary, Rivers of Steel works to support our partners efforts while expanding the reach of our mission.

Have an idea on ways to collaborate? Connect with us!