The Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund is accepting pre-proposals for innovative nutrient and sediment reduction projects.

Proposals are due October 31.

Grants between $200,000 and $1 million will be awarded to support the demonstration of innovative approaches to expand the collective knowledge about the most cost effective and sustainable approaches to dramatically reduce or eliminate nutrient and sediment pollution to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

Up to $12.9 million will be awarded through this solicitation for projects that: accelerate implementation of proven technologies, conservation practices and Best Management Practices by demonstrating strategies that overcome barriers to adoption.

Maximize nutrient and sediment reductions through the strategic combinations of BMPs and technologies based upon specific landscape characteristics and land use objectives.

Dramatically decrease or eliminate nutrient and sediment runoff and/or improve cost-effectiveness when compared to a practice-by-practice approach.

Scale up promising new technologies and practices that have shown improved performance in reducing nutrient and sediment pollution over traditional approaches in controlled demonstrations.

Priorities for funding include:

· Demonstrations of stormwater management strategies that approach or achieve no runoff. Projects should assess the cost-effectiveness of the approach for reducing nutrient and sediment loading to the Chesapeake Bay, as well as feasibility of widescale adoption. Projects may attempt to prove this concept at three different scales: 1) the site (e.g., housing unit, building); 2) the community or neighborhood scale; and 3) the small watershed or sewershed scale and may include new development, redevelopment or retrofit projects.

· Demonstrations that dramatically reduce or eliminated nutrient and/or sediment runoff through the implementation of strategic combinations of agricultural conservation practices at a whole farm or small watershed scale. Projects may use a nutrient budget or mass balance approach to target implementation of conservation practices and reduce the importation of nutrients from outside the watershed.

· Demonstrations that use social marketing strategies and incentives to motivate changes in human behaviors to stop behaviors that generate nutrient and sediment pollution, and to accelerate adoption of behaviors that reduce nutrient and sediment pollution. Projects should identify specific target audiences and behaviors, should track actual behavior changes and assess progress toward desired behavior becoming a social norm, and should measure environmental results associated with the project.

· Demonstrations of market-based tools and approaches that provide economic incentives for farmers, developers, local governments, businesses and homeowners to accelerate reductions of nutrient and sediment runoff. Such incentives may include demonstrations of cost-savings associated with conservation approaches, demonstrations of Bay-friendly goods and services that increase market share or receive premium pricing, innovative markets for water quality and other environmental credits, etc. These projects should strive to demonstrate the annual reduced costs and/or increased revenue as a result of conservation.

· Demonstrations of practical, low cost tools and procedures for on-site verification of water quality offsets/credits and other tradable ecosystem service credits.

· Eligible applicants include: non-profit groups, universities, and local or state governments including counties, townships, cities, boroughs, conservation districts, planning districts, utility districts, drainage districts or other units of local government.

For additional information or to apply online, visit the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund website or contact Amanda Bassow at 202-857-0166 or send email to: amanda.bassow@nfwf.org .

8/22/2008