Watershed Assistance Grant Program – United States

Deadline: 2-Dec-21

The Watershed Assistance Grant Program is a partnership between the Chesapeake Bay Trust (Trust) and the Maryland Departments of Natural Resources (DNR) and Environment (MDE) to support for watershed restoration project designs and permitting and for watershed planning and programmatic development.

The ultimate goal of the projects funded through this opportunity will be improved water quality in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the Maryland portion of the Youghiogheny watershed, and the Maryland Coastal Bays.

By funding the earliest phases of watershed restoration projects and planning, the funding partners aim to provide local governments and non-profit organizations the ability to position themselves to quickly advance implementation work. The funding partners hope 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;
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 of Maryland Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP ) strategies and associated State Two-year Milestones.

Funding Information

The funding partners anticipate approximately $ 1,400,000 will be available for the FY22 grant program.
Projects must be completed within 12-16 months upon receipt of the award.
This grant program welcomes applications for projects in the state of Maryland. Applicants can request funds from one of the following project types.
- Type 1: Project Design
  - Generally, requests are up to $ 100,000 for design of stormwater best management practices
  - Generally, requests are up to $ 150,000 for design of stream restoration practices
- Type 2: Watershed Planning and Program Development
  - Generally, requests are up to $ 75,000

Eligibility Criteria

This grant program welcomes applications for projects in the state of Maryland.
The Trust welcome requests from the following organizations:
- 501(c)3 Private Nonprofit Organizations
- Faith-based Organizations
- Community and Homeowners Associations
- Municipal, County, and Regional Agencies
- Soil / Water Conservation Districts & Resource Conservation and Development Councils
- Forestry Boards
- Public and Independent Higher Educational Institutions