> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.maearth.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.maearth.com/resources-for-land-stewards/project-guide.md). # Project Guide ### Designing a Nature Project That Resonates Your project description does two things: it helps us understand how your work aligns with Ma Earth's mission during the application process, and it becomes the centerpiece of your campaign page, where you invite supporters to join you. A strong project description is clear, specific, and connects people to the land and the work. This guide will help you craft a compelling project description that energizes your community (and catches our application readers’ attention).

See Clean Wave's full project story here.

### What Makes a Strong Project Application? We're looking for projects that are: * **Nature-based:** Projects are rooted in regenerative principles and support the thriving of life, culture, and nature. * **Comprehensive:** Projects take a holistic approach, seeking to understand their relationship to the whole community, landscape, and natural systems. * **Feasible:** While you may be running an ongoing initiative, we recommend setting specific, achievable goals within a defined timeframe (typically 6-24 months) to get people excited about supporting the clear next step in your project evolution. * **Connected:** Demonstrate your connection to the work, such as personal passion, stewardship, research, or traditional knowledge. * **Community-oriented:** Supports ongoing education, community cohesion, and resilience. * **Verifiable:** Makes authentic claims about what success looks like, supported by empirical evidence.
**Watch out for these common mistakes that weaken applications:** * Vague timelines or scope ("we'll restore the entire watershed someday") * No clear connection between funding and outcomes * Missing details about who's doing the work or who benefits * No evidence of community support or engagement ### Designing Your Project #### Make It SMART Use the SMART framework to clarify what you're doing, why it matters, and how you’ll get from here to there. A strong project design is: #### Specific. What exactly will you do? * Instead of: "We'll improve biodiversity." * Try: "We'll plant 500 native trees across 2 hectares of degraded pasture land." #### Measurable. How will you measure success? * Instead of: "The soil will be healthier." * Try: "We'll increase organic matter from 2% to 4% in 18 months." or “We’ve seen the return of these three species over the last 12 months.” #### Achievable. Can you realistically do this with the resources available? * Consider your team's capacity and local conditions. * If you’re tending a longer-term vision, consider focusing on the next step in that direction. #### **Relevant.** Why does this work matter now? * Connect your project to pressing needs such as water scarcity, food security, biodiversity loss, or weather changes. * Show how this specific project contributes to your goals for your organization, land, and/or community. #### Time-bound. When will this happen? * Give estimated start and end dates. * Include milestones for longer projects. (ie. "Month 1-3: Site preparation, Month 4-6: Planting...") * Instead of: "We want to restore our degraded forest." * Try: "Over 12 months, we'll establish a 1-hectare forest nursery to propagate 1,000 native seedlings for reforestation. By month 6, we'll have planted the first 500 trees on the hillside, directly addressing erosion that's threatening our community's water source." ### Telling Your Project Story

See Ayowecca's full project story here.

People fund people, not just projects. A really compelling project story includes both specific detail and human realness. **Start with why you care** What made you realize this work mattered? Share 2-3 sentences that show your personal connection with the place and project. *Example: "I grew up playing in these forests. When I returned five years ago and saw how much had been lost to logging, I knew I had to act. Our community receives everything from this land; now it's our turn to give back."* **Describe what you see** Paint a picture of the landscape and what's happening: * What does the land look like now? * What challenges is your community facing? * What species, ecosystems, or communities are affected? **Explain your approach** * What specific actions will you take? * Why this approach? * Who's involved in the work? **Show the change you're creating** * How could the land look in 6 months? A year? * How will this benefit the ecosystem and community? * What becomes possible once this project succeeds? **Include your community** * Are there local partners or community organizations engaged? * How have supporters responded to your work so far? **Be specific with details** * Describe the species you're protecting or planting * Reference local geography and conditions * Share numbers: hectares, seedlings, participants, water capacity (this helps supporters understand the scale of the initiative) * You may add summary budget information to your project profile story, if you wish to signal that publicly. (If not, you can include this information in the "Additional Documentation" section, where it will only be visible to the committee reviewing your application. **Be yourself** * Share your story in your own voice * Briefly introduce technical terms (your reader may not be an expert in project-specific concepts) * Opt for shorter paragraphs and sentences * While AI can be helpful, sometimes we lose the human warmth and connection that really communicate the story. Consider writing your first draft on your own, then using our application’s AI tool (if needed) to support with grammar. ### Example Projects #### Example 1: Clean Wave See full story [here](https://maearth.com/projects/e5397ce5-7127-4137-a8ed-4b85039f36b1).
#### Example 2: Ayowecca See full story [here](https://maearth.com/projects/b3018fcf-ea61-464a-8a5e-e740dfe22fa0).
#### Example 3: Water Harvesting in Oaxaca **Organization: Comunidad Verde (Nonprofit) Project: Rainwater Catchment Systems for Food Security** We're a collective of 15 farming families in the mountains of Oaxaca facing increasingly unpredictable rainfall. Over the past three years, we've watched our springs dry up earlier each season, impacting our corn and amaranth harvests and our drinking water. Our region is home to seeds that have been passed down for generations. These foods are central to our cultural identity. Maintaining the health of the land allows us to continue planting these seeds each year, even with weather changes. The combination of shorter rainy seasons and the expanding presence of mining in the area has limited our access to land. We need to adapt to these changes to ensure the health of our ancestral land, traditions, and community for generations to come. **The Project:** We plan to install 10 rainwater catchment systems (20,000-liter capacity each) across our village's agricultural terraces. Each system captures water that runs off the roof during the rainy season (June-September) and stores it for the dry months when our crops need it most. **Our Approach:** Our region receives 800mm of rainfall annually, enough to fill these tanks 3-4 times over. The issue is capturing and storing that water. We’ve seen a neighboring village install a similar system with a lot of success. These systems will irrigate 5 hectares of our crops, like corn, beans, squash, and amaranth, that we’ve been unable to grow in current conditions. **Timeline:** * Months 1-2: Community workshops on system design and maintenance * Months 3-4: Tank installation * Month 5: First rainy season water collection * Months 6-12: Dry season irrigation and monitoring **Our Team:** Led by María and Javier, who've trained in water harvesting with regional permaculture networks. Most of the community will get involved in workshops and installation. Two volunteers have offered to handle childcare, so mothers can participate as well. **Our Project in Numbers:** * 200,000 liters of water storage capacity * 5 hectares of year-round food production * 15 families with improved food security * Knowledge-sharing with 5 neighboring communities **Why Now:** Last year, we lost 60% of our crops to drought. We’ve submitted a petition for government support, but our community needs to do something now. #### Example 4: Mangrove Restoration in Kenya **Organization: Kilifi Coastal Conservation (Community Group with** [**host partner**](/resources-for-land-stewards/about-host-partners.md)**) Project: Youth-Led Mangrove Nursery & Restoration** I'm James, born and raised in Kilifi. I've watched our mangrove forests shrink by half in my lifetime, cleared for charcoal and development. Without mangroves, our fishing grounds disappear, our coastline erodes, and cyclones hit us harder. **The Project:** We're establishing a community mangrove nursery to propagate 10,000 seedlings of three native species (Rhizophora mucronata, Avicennia marina, Ceriops tagal). Over 18 months, we aim to train 30 people (age 16-25) to grow, plant, and monitor these trees across 8 hectares of degraded coastal wetland. **Our Approach:** Our fishing community is aging. Young people leave for cities because they see no economic opportunities or future here. With this project, we can generate income for younger people and begin to restore the mangroves. Participants would receive training stipends and ongoing employment in restoration monitoring. Mangroves store carbon from the atmosphere (up to 4x more than rainforests) and create nursery habitats for many fish and other marine species. Every hectare we restore helps to rebuild the fish populations our community depends on. **Community Partnership:** We're working with the Kilifi Beach Management Unit (300 fishers) who've committed to protecting restored areas. The County Government has granted us access to degraded public coastal land. Three local schools will participate in planting days. **Timeline:** * Month 3: Nursery operational with first 2,000 seedlings * Month 6: First planting (3 hectares, 6,000 seedlings) * Month 12: Second planting (5 hectares, 4,000 seedlings) * Month 18: Survival monitoring, adaptive management, and knowledge sharing **This is Phase 1.** If we are successful, we plan to raise funds to expand to 50 hectares and create permanent restoration jobs for our youth. ### Tips for a Great Project Description **Before you submit:** * Consider reading your description out loud. Does it sound like you? * Ask someone unfamiliar with your work to read your draft. Do they understand? * Double-check that you’ve designed a SMART goal (see [Designing Your Project](#designing-your-project)). **What makes reviewers say yes:** * Clarity about what you'll actually do * Demonstrating you know this land and this work * Realistic scope in time and financials * Genuine community participation * Specific, measurable outcomes **What to avoid:** * Keeping it too general or abstract * Overusing technical terms * Trying to do everything at once * Writing what you think people want to hear instead of what you really care about Your project matters, and we look forward to reading your story. *** Need help? * Review past projects for more examples * Join our [community calls](https://luma.com/maearth) to ask questions * [Contact us](https://maearth.com/contact) *** --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. 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