There are two things that really get our engines roaring ‘round here. The obvious one is beer. But the other one – nature – is just as near and dear to our hearts.

For starters, nature provides us with our livelihoods.

“We’re obsessed with using natural ingredients,” says Dogfish Head Founder and President Sam Calagione. “We’re constantly in search of the best natural ingredients from around the world.”

Many of our co-workers also love to get outside and enjoy nature’s bounty, and coastal Delaware – with its beaches, state parks, lakes, bays, forests and coastal plains – is the perfect place to relax and rejuvenate. 

If you’re a Sussex County nonprofit that works to protect the environment, we’re throwing down a challenge for you: Tell us your mission and how you do what you do, and we just might give you $15,000 to work with.

"There are so many good people doing so many good things here in Sussex," says Mark Carter, Dogfish Head's Beer & Benevolence guru. "Most of our co-workers live and play here, and the local community has been super supportive of our brewery, so it makes sense to return the good vibes."

We'll be giving out three awards: one for $10,000 and two for $2,500. The three beneficiaries also will receive a "Benevolence Night" in early 2015 at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats in Rehoboth Beach, Del., and the nonprofit with the best turnout will receive an additional $5,000.

Here's the lowdown:

• * Must be a nonprofit in Sussex County, Delaware.
• * Must provide an executive summary that includes your mission, organizational structure, budget outline and impact of work.
• * Must provide a one-minute (or less) video that shows what makes your nonprofit off-centered and explains how your nonprofit fulfills your mission to protect the environment.

Please submit your entries here by Dec. 1. Our Beer & Benevolence committee will review them, and the nonprofits that fit the criteria and wow us with their submissions will be chosen. Winners will be notified no later than Dec. 16.

Good luck, and thanks for all you do to make Sussex a better place!