This grant program welcomes requests from local governments and nonprofit organizations for assistance with the earliest phases of watershed restoration projects. Funding is available for watershed restoration project designs and for watershed planning and programmatic development. The goal of the projects funded through this opportunity will be improved water quality in the entire State of Maryland and the West Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. By funding the earliest phases of watershed restoration projects and planning, the funding partners provide local governments and non-profit organizations the ability to position themselves to quickly advance implementation work. The funding partners envision the products of grants funded under this opportunity will enable grantees to leverage resulting designs, plans, or projects to craft future proposals for implementation funding to the Maryland Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, grant programs at the Chesapeake Bay Trust, or other sources of support. As well as projects that will develop deliverables that will support local planning efforts such as Financial Assurance Plans (FAPs), Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Implementation Plans, county-wide Green Infrastructure Plans, watershed action plans, and state Watershed Implementation plans (WIPs).
The Watershed Assistance Grant Program is a partnership between the Trust, Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), and – new this year – West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP).
Grant Program Deadline: Wednesday, December 6, 2023, at 4:00 PM
