2025 Chesapeake Bay Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grants

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) partnership, is soliciting proposals through the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund (CBSF) to restore water quality and habitats of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers and streams. Donor Name: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) State: Selected States County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 11/05/2024 Size of the Grant: More than $1 million Grant Duration: 2 Years Details: NFWF is soliciting proposals under the Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction (INSR) Grants program to accelerate the rate and scale of water quality improvements through the voluntary implementation of best management practices that cost-effectively reduce nutrient and sediment pollution to Chesapeake Bay and contribute directly to improved health and function of tributary rivers and streams. For INSR Partnership Grants NFWF is specifically soliciting proposals from existing partnerships, collaboratives, and networks (“partnerships”) working to implement proven water quality improvement practices more cost-effectively at scale. For INSR Infrastructure Grants  Among the water quality improvement practices prioritized by EPA, CBP, and watershed jurisdictions through the Chesapeake Bay TMDL and associated WIPs, there are select natural and nature-based practices that provide long-term pollution control, improve aquatic and terrestrial habitat for at-risk species, and enhance climate resilience for human and wildlife communities. Priorities For both INSR Partnership Grants and INSR Infrastructure Grants, NFWF will prioritize proposals from applicants that have directly and meaningfully engaged local communities and affected stakeholders in the identification, prioritization, selection, and implementation of proposed actions. Examples of direct and meaningful engagement include:  Co-creating with community members  Empowering community members with knowledge or decision-making authority  Ensuring that the project team includes members representing and/or a part of the community  Incorporating specific, active engagement strategies such as workshops, classroom activities, field trips and volunteer opportunities  Addressing a specific and localized harm such as pollution, flooding, fires, etc.  Creating jobs in the target community or performing job training and certification  Directly engaging in specific cultural activities with the community  Funding Information NFWF will award up to $30 million in grants through the INSR program in 2025, including up to $15 million each for INSR Partnership Grants and INSR Infrastructure Grants. Awards will range from $500,000 to $2 million each, for an estimated 20-40 individual grant awards. All 2025 INSR grants must be completed within three years of grant award.  Geographic Focus  All projects must occur wholly within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Priority consideration may be afforded to projects located within priority subwatersheds where NFWF has identified significant needs and opportunities for nutrient and sediment pollution reduction consistent with the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and jurisdictions’s Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs). Eligibility Criteria Eligible applicants include non-profit 501(c) organizations, state government agencies, local governments, municipal governments, Tribal governments and organizations, and educational institutions. For more information, visit NFWF.