The Capacity Building Grant Program, administered by the Chesapeake Bay Trust, is a recurring annual funding opportunity supported by the Chesapeake Bay Funders Network. It aims to enhance the organizational effectiveness of nonprofits and local governments working at the intersection of natural resource protection and community well-being within the Chesapeake Bay, Coastal Bays, and Youghiogheny River watersheds. Funding is made possible through contributions from the Agua Fund, Prince Charitable Trust, The Campbell Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Chesapeake Bay Program, and the Philip Merrill Foundation.
The program supports activities that strengthen internal capacity, build collaboration, and improve the long-term sustainability of organizations. Eligible projects include strategic plan development, staff and board training, database and technology support, fundraising planning, and shared technical assistance. Projects must demonstrate their alignment with one or more goals of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, such as water quality, environmental literacy, climate resiliency, or land conservation.
Applicants must be nonprofit organizations with between 1 and 50 staff or tribal/local governments serving eligible watershed areas in Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, or the District of Columbia. Nonprofits must also employ a full-time staff member or equivalent volunteer and maintain an active board of directors. Each application must designate a separate Executive Officer and Project Leader who can represent the organization and manage the project.
Applications must be submitted through the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s online portal by 5:00 PM EST on July 17, 2025. Award notifications will be made in early October 2025. Selected projects will receive an agreement detailing conditions and due dates for reports. Funding cannot be used for compliance or mandated actions and must directly support the proposed capacity-building work. Grants typically do not exceed $40,000 for nonprofits and $150,000 for local governments.
Evaluation criteria include alignment with program goals, strength of justification, feasibility, and budget justification. Applications will be reviewed by an external Technical Review Committee. Applicants are encouraged to include letters of commitment from partners and use the financial management spreadsheet template provided on the Chesapeake Bay Trust website.
For assistance, applicants may contact Amber Cameron at acameron@cbtrust.org or (410) 974-2941 x 124.
Identify both an Executive Officer and Project Leader; use the template Financial Management Spreadsheet; include partner commitment letters or videos for better scoring.
