Embrace-A-Stream

Embrace-A-Stream (EAS) is the flagship grant program for funding Trout Unlimited's grassroots conservation efforts that advance TU's mission of conserving, protecting, and restoring coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Overseen by a committee of TU volunteers and administered by its national office, Trout Unlimited annually raises money from TU members, corporate and agency partners, and foundations to distribute as small grants to local TU projects. Since its inception in 1975, EAS has funded 913 individual projects for a total of more than $3.6 million in direct cash grants. Local TU Chapters and Councils contributed an additional $7 million in cash and in-kind services to EAS funded projects for a total program investment of around $10 million. Partners in the program include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Costa del Mar Sunglasses, and the FishAmerica Foundation.

The goal of EAS is to conserve coldwater fisheries through innovative grassroots conservation projects. Successful projects are based on sound science, benefit the resource, strengthen the local TU chapter and council, and help build the constituency for protecting trout and salmon. TU volunteers are actively involved in project work and are expected to provide matching funds. An Embrace-A-Stream Committee comprised of TU volunteer representatives and scientific advisors evaluates all proposed projects. In the most recent 2008 grant cycle, EAS provided approximately $170,000 for more than thirty projects in 22 states.

The program has undergone a number of changes in the last two decades. For the 2009 grant cycle, the EAS program will focus on projects that address the needs of native and wild trout following TU’s Protect, Reconnect, Restore, and Sustain conservation model, while allowing TU chapters to use their judgment and creativity to design projects that have the most impact locally. Please read the 2009 EAS guidelines carefully because proposal submission requirements have changed. All changes or additions to the program are detailed in the 2009 Memo to Applicants and 2009 Instructions and Application forms.

Please click on the links on the left under "Embrace-A-Stream" to see examples of four recent Embrace-A-Stream projects.