On March 27, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced $35 million in grant awards to support the restoration and conservation of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The 82 grants will leverage $32 million in matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of $67 million, marking a record annual investment in NFWF’s nearly 25-year history of supporting Bay restoration.

The grants were awarded through the Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grant (INSR) and the Small Watershed Grants (SWG) programs, core grant programs of the federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program partnership that are administered under NFWF’s Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund (CBSF).

CBSF is a partnership between NFWF, EPA, and other federal and private funders that provides grant funding, technical assistance, networking and information sharing in support of local, on-the-ground conservation and restoration efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers and streams.

“With 2024 marking 25 years of partnership between NFWF and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in advancing efforts to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay watershed, we’re thrilled to celebrate this programmatic milestone with a record annual investment of $35 million in voluntary and community-based projects across the Bay watershed,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF.

“These grants reflect our continuing commitment to protect the Chesapeake Bay and preserve our nation’s environmental legacy for future generations,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “This historic investment by the Biden-Harris Administration enables EPA to continue to provide game-changing funding for our partners who are equally committed to preserving, protecting and enhancing the communities, people and businesses who rely on the Bay.”

Projects Benefiting Pennsylvania--

-- Western PA Conservancy - Accelerating Riparian Forest Restoration and Community Forestry Programs in Central Pennsylvania - $1 million

-- Stroud Water Research Center - Advancing Soil Health Partnerships and Implementation Tools in Pennsylvania - $1 million

-- Capital Region Water - Building Community Partnerships to Inform Green Infrastructure Improvements in Harrisburg Parks - $1 million

-- Lancaster Farmland Trust - Scaling Farmland Preservation and Water Quality Improvements across Lancaster County - $765,700

-- Sustainable Chesapeake - Leveraging Supply Chain Partnerships to Advance Agricultural Conservation Initiatives (MD, PA, VA) - $1 million

Click Here for a description of all the project grants.

Click Here for the complete announcement.

Visit the NFWF Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund webpage for more information on these grant programs.

[Posted: March 27, 2024]

4/1/2024