The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program partnership, is soliciting proposals to accelerate implementation of cost-effective agricultural best management practices in selected basins of the Chesapeake Bay watershed of Pennsylvania.
An informational webinar has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 1st at 2pm to provide an overview of the funding opportunity. Applicants are strongly encouraged to participate and can register for the webinar at the following link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8259786855415318799
The intent of the Pennsylvania Most Effective Basins (PA-MEB) grants program is to assist the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in achieving its 2025 water quality goals for the agricultural sector under the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and Pennsylvania’s Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP).
New this year, NFWF has increased the PA-MEB award cap and will award grants of up to $1,000,000 for projects that result in the direct implementation of eligible agricultural best management practices. Technical assistance costs associated with conservation planning, the design and engineering of eligible practices, and oversight and management of practice implementation are eligible costs under the program. However, technical assistance costs, including personnel, fringe, and subawards or subcontracts to technical assistance providers may not exceed 10% of the total funding request. We have also significantly streamlined the narrative application requirements to simplify the application process.
NFWF estimates awarding up to $12 million in grants through the PA-MEB program in 2022, contingent on the availability of funding. Major funding comes from the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program Office.
In addition to the applicant webinar, NFWF will provide training on the online FieldDoc tool for calculating nutrient load reductions from proposed PA-MEB projects on Thursday, March 3rd at 10am. All applicants are strongly encouraged to participate, as there have been recent FieldDoc updates for this program. Registration for the FieldDoc webinar is at this link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7043801761888352528
PA-MEB full proposals are due by midnight, Thursday, April 28, 2022 and must be submitted through NFWF’s online application at www.nfwf.org/easygrants. More information detailing the program’s geographic focus, funding priorities, eligible practices, and other key considerations can be found in the PA-MEB Request for Proposals on the NFWF webpage.
For more information or questions about this RFP, please contact Jake Reilly (jake.reilly@nfwf.org), Stephanie Heidbreder (stephanie.heidbreder@nfwf.org) or Nicole Thompson (nicole.thompson@nfwf.org) via e-mail or by phone at (202) 857-0166. Additionally, NFWF-contracted field liaisons are available to assist prospective applicants. Their contact information and areas of expertise can be found in the RFP.
