Deadline: 20-Apr-23
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) partnership, is soliciting proposals through the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund to protect and restore water quality and habitats of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers and streams.
NFWF is soliciting proposals under two distinct programs through this request. Through the Small Watershed Grants (SWG) Program, delivered in partnership with EPA and the CBP partnership, NFWF is soliciting proposals for projects within the Chesapeake Bay watershed that promote voluntary, community-based efforts to protect and restore the diverse and vital habitats of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers and streams. Through the Chesapeake Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense Grants (WILD) Program, delivered in partnership with FWS, NFWF is soliciting proposals for projects that conserve, steward, and enhance fish and wildlife habitats and related conservation values in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Joint Program Priorities
- For both the SWG and WILD Programs, NFWF will prioritize proposals from applicants that have directly and meaningfully engaged local communities in the identification, prioritization, selection, and implementation of proposed actions. Examples of direct and meaningful engagement include:
- Co-creating project with community members
- Empowering community members with knowledge and decision- making authority
- Ensuring the project team includes community members and leads to collaborative management with the community
- Including specific, active engagement strategies such as workshops, classroom activities, field trips, and volunteer opportunities
- Addressing a specific and localized harm such as pollution, flooding, or fires
- Creating jobs in the target community or performing job training and certification
- Directly engaging in specific cultural activities with the community
- Proposals from applicants or partnerships directly representing or resourcing historically underserved communities will receive priority consideration, especially those that align established interests of local communities with SWG/WILD program priorities. NFWF also explicitly encourages applications from community-based organizations as key project partners, regardless of an environmental or conservation-related mission, in order to ensure that a broad spectrum of community interests are represented and reflected in proposed activities.
- SWG Program Priorities
- Consistent with the CBP partnership’s 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, the SWG Program supports efforts to achieve water quality improvement, restoration, and protection of key Chesapeake Bay species and their habitats, and the fostering of an engaged and diverse citizen and stakeholder presence that will build upon and sustain measurable natural resource improvements.
- In addition, through funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, NFWF is encouraging proposals that implement of one or more of the following selected natural and nature-based watershed and habitat restoration practices. Critically, these natural and nature-based practices provide multiple watershed restoration and habitat benefits including long-term pollution control, improved habitat, and enhanced climate resilience for human and wildlife communities. These practices include:
- Riparian forest buffers, including associated livestock exclusion fencing, crossings, and watering systems;
- Tidal and non-tidal wetland creation, rehabilitation, or enhancement;
- Floodplain restoration that reconnects incised streams to their floodplains and floodplain wetlands;
- Shoreline management; and
- Urban tree planting and maintenance of existing and enhancement of existing urban tree canopy
- SWG Program Priority 1: Managing Agricultural and Urban Runoff
- Managing Upland Agricultural Runoff through Farm-Scale Conservation Systems and Solutions
- Managing Upland Urban Runoff through Green Stormwater Infrastructure Improvements (GSI)
- Accelerating Innovation in Watershed Management
- SWG Program Priority 2: Improving Water Quality and Stream Health Through Riparian Restoration and Conservation
- Conserving High-Quality Riparian Corridors
- Restoring Riparian and Freshwater Habitats through Forested Buffers, Livestock Exclusion, and Stream Restoration
- SWG Program Priority 3: Enhancing and Protecting Freshwater Habitat for Eastern Brook Trout
- Increasing Habitat Integrity and Population Viability for Eastern Brook Trout
- Conserving Upland and Riparian Forests in Eastern Brook Trout Strongholds
- SWG Program Priority 4: Enhancing and Protecting Tidal and Estuarine Habitat
- Restoring and Conserving Wetland and Tidal Marsh Habitat for American Black Duck
- Managing Shoreline Erosion and Marsh Loss
- Restoring Large-Scale Oyster Reefs
- Restoring River Herring Habitat Connectivity
- SWG Program Priority 5: Enhancing Nature-Based Resilience for Human Communities
- Protecting and Enhancing Natural and Nature-Based Solutions to Improve Community Resilience
- SWG Program Priority 6: Building Capacity for Landscape-Scale Watershed and Habitat Planning, Design, and Implementation
- Regional-Scale Partnership Development
- Improving Delivery of Outreach and Technical Assistance
- Assessing Local Watershed and Habitat Restoration Needs and Opportunities
- Designing and Permitting Watershed and Habitat Improvements
- Leveraging Social Science to Advance Behavior Change
- WILD Program Priorities
- Consistent with the Chesapeake WILD Framework, developed by FWS in partnership with the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership, the WILD Program supports efforts to conserve, steward, and enhance fish and wildlife habitats and related conservation values in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
- WILD Program Pillar 1: Fish and Wildlife Habitat
- Increasing habitat connectivity, conservation, and restoration for imperiled fish and wildlife species
- Building capacity for Tribal and Indigenous conservation, stewardship, and enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat
- WILD Program Pillar 2: Climate Change
- Protecting and enhancing nature-based resilience for critical habitats
- WILD Program Pillar 3: Community Partnership
- Building capacity for diverse partnership development
- Improving delivery of outreach and technical assistance
- WILD Program Pillar 4: Public Access
- Maintaining and enhancing recreational opportunities and equitable access compatible with the conservation of natural resources
- Increasing public awareness of the recreational, educational, and economic contributions made by the Chesapeake Bay and its ecosystems
- WILD Program Pillar 5: Water Quality
Funding Information
- For the SWG Program, NFWF will award funding through two distinct funding opportunities.
- SWG Implementation grants of $75,000-500,000 will be awarded for projects that result in direct, on-the-ground actions to protect and restore water quality, species, and habitats in the Bay watershed.
- SWG Planning and Technical Assistance (SWG-PTA) grants up to $75,000 will be awarded for projects that enhance local capacity to implement future on-the- ground actions, consistent with SWG Program priorities, through community-based assessment, planning, design, and other technical assistance-oriented activities.
- For the WILD Program, NFWF will award funding through two distinct funding opportunities.
- SWG Implementation grants of $75,000-500,000 will be awarded for projects that result in direct, on-the-ground actions to protect and restore water quality, species, and habitats in the Bay watershed.
- SWG Planning and Technical Assistance (SWG-PTA) grants up to $75,000 will be awarded for projects that enhance local capacity to implement future on-the- ground actions, consistent with SWG Program priorities, through community-based assessment, planning, design, and other technical assistance-oriented activities.
- Including funds made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, NFWF estimates awarding $10 to $25 million in grants through the SWG Program in 2023, subject to administrative action and contingent on the availability of funding, through major funding provided by the EPA CBP Office. NFWF estimates awarding up to $10M in grants through the WILD Program in 2023, contingent on available funding, through major funding provided by the FWS. Other important contributions to both programs are provided by Altria Group, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the U.S. Forest Service.
Geographical Focus
- All projects must occur wholly within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Priority consideration will be provided to projects located within priority subwatersheds or habitat units based on the unique opportunities to maximize multiple goals and outcomes for water quality, species and habitats, and communities.
Eligibility Criteria
- For Planning and Technical Assistance proposals:
- Non-profit organizations, local and municipal governments, Tribal governments and organizations and K-12 education institutions seeking potential service providers may visit our website for an updated listing of technical service providers operating in the region.
- State government agencies and institutions of higher education are eligible to apply for Planning and Technical Assistance proposals but must document support and/or request for proposed activities by appropriate non-profit organizations, local and municipal governments, Tribal governments and organizations and/or K-12 education institutions.
For more information, visit National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
