Supporting a healthier riverfront
Conservation Award
Wabash Riverfest is kicking off a funding program to support a small project that improves ecosystems, water quality, outdoor recreation, or appreciation of the Wabash River in Greater Lafayette.
A simple program
The Wabash Riverfest Conservation Award is meant to be a simple program with low barriers.
- $1,000 upfront to the winner
- 3 finalists are chosen in June
- Riverfest attendees will vote for the winner at the festival
- Applications are due by June 1
- Projects must be completed within 11 months of being awarded
- Anyone can apply: nonprofits, individuals, businesses, churches, government offices, clubs, etc
Projects can be, but aren't limited to: planting native plants and trees, purchasing tools or herbicide to manage invasives, buying supplies for a conservation education lesson, paying an artist for a nature-theme public art piece, paying a contractor to remove invasives, or another creative idea!
Community-wide results
The Wabash Riverfest Conservation Award is designed to realize conservation projects at the local level. The application is simple because so many things we can do in our lives to better ecosystems and our community are simple. The funds are provided up-front so that those dollars and your efforts can make the project happen immediately and not through a cumbersome reimbursement process. Riverfest attendees vote for the winner to involve our community and show them everyone’s amazing ideas.
Reach out to our festival organizer if you have any questions about this award program: [email protected]
Previous Winners
The Columbian Park Zoo was the 2025 winner of the Riverfest Conservation Award.
Their zoo educator used these funds to develop and launch a new school outreach program based around river conservation and create a 3D printed topo map of Tippecanoe to show our watersheds. They visited classrooms around Tippecanoe to educate children about watersheds and river conservation.