Region 5 Fiscal Year 2025 Wetland Program Development Grants

The Region 5 Wetland Program Development Grants, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is a federal grant initiative aimed at enhancing the capacity of state, Tribal, territory, and local governments in Region 5 to protect, manage, and restore wetlands. The grant opportunity, listed under Assistance Listing 66.461, is focused on advancing wetland programs using EPA’s Core Elements Framework and supporting long-term planning through the development and implementation of Wetland Program Plans (WPPs). EPA Region 5 includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, and eligible applicants must ensure their proposed activities occur within these jurisdictions or the Tribal lands located within them. The program seeks to increase both the quantity and quality of wetlands across the region through innovative research, planning, training, and capacity-building efforts. It provides funding for two main applicant tracks: Track One for states, Tribes, and territories with EPA-approved WPPs or those seeking to develop or revise one; and Track Two for other eligible entities such as local governments, interstate agencies, intertribal consortia, and state-affiliated colleges and universities. Awards will fund projects that support wetland mapping, development of wetland-related permitting and certification programs, ambient condition reporting, community engagement, resilience planning, and the integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge. The program anticipates issuing between 15 to 20 awards, totaling between $1,481,000 and $2,962,000 in funding. Individual awards may not exceed $500,000, with a typical project period ranging from one to five years. A cost share of at least 25% of the total project cost is required, although Tribal applicants integrating the award into a Performance Partnership Grant (PPG) are exempt from this requirement. Applications must include annualized budgets and detailed work plans for each year. Funds may not be used for routine implementation projects, purchase of land, vehicles, or office furniture, and cannot fulfill permit requirements. Projects must instead demonstrate new or experimental approaches and a plan for disseminating results. Applications are due by April 6, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET (10:59 PM CT). Prior to submission, applicants must be registered and active in both SAM.gov and Grants.gov, with a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov and should include several required forms, including SF-424, SF-424A, EPA Form 5700-54, and a project narrative no longer than 26 double-spaced pages. Optional supporting documents such as letters of commitment, resumes, or maps may also be submitted. The EPA recommends organizing the narrative to align with review criteria, including project need, environmental benefits, transfer of results, partnerships, and budget. Applications will undergo a threshold eligibility review, followed by a technical evaluation scored out of 100 points. The selection process includes review panels and consideration of factors such as geographic distribution and program priorities. Notifications of selection and award are anticipated in May 2026. Award recipients will be subject to federal grant administrative requirements and must report on outputs and outcomes as defined in the negotiated work plan. This grant opportunity is recurring annually, with the next expected deadline projected for April 2027.

Explicitly address environmental benefits, outputs/outcomes, and ensure alignment with WPP or development actions; strong partnership roles and tracking plan are emphasized.