Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants Program

The Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants (SWG) Program, administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), plays a key role in advancing environmental restoration and community engagement across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Funded primarily by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and supported by the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Forest Service, and private contributors such as Altria Group, this program is a major arm of the broader Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund. It supports voluntary, community-driven conservation projects with measurable benefits to water quality, habitat, and human communities. Since its inception in 1999, the Fund has awarded over 1,350 grants totaling more than $248 million, leveraging an additional $351 million in local match and delivering substantial environmental outcomes across the Mid-Atlantic region. The SWG program operates two main funding tracks: SWG Implementation (SWG-I) and SWG Planning and Technical Assistance (SWG-PTA). SWG-I awards range from $150,000 to $750,000 and support shovel-ready projects that execute on-the-ground restoration work. Applicants to this track must already have preliminary project designs in place. SWG-PTA grants, capped at $150,000, help local entities build capacity for future implementation by supporting technical planning, assessment, and design activities. All projects must begin after September 1, 2026. Implementation grants are expected to be completed within two years, while PTA grants should be completed within 18 months of award. Although non-federal match is not required, applicants are encouraged to include match to increase competitiveness. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, community-based groups, local and municipal governments, tribal governments and organizations, educational institutions, and businesses. Federal and state agencies are also eligible under SWG-I. Projects must take place entirely within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and preference may be given to those in priority sub-watersheds or habitat units. Priority is placed on projects that engage local communities through co-design, decision-making, outreach, and stewardship opportunities. NFWF encourages applicants to partner with community-based organizations and leverage grant funding to build the capacity of these partners for long-term participation in conservation. The program’s funding priorities are extensive and reflect the evolving goals of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, extended through 2040. These include managing agricultural and urban runoff, restoring riparian buffers, improving stream health, conserving habitats for species like brook trout and American black duck, enhancing tidal and estuarine ecosystems, and implementing nature-based resilience solutions. Other priorities include supporting landscape-scale planning, technical assistance, outreach, and applied social science to influence conservation behavior at the community level. Applications will be evaluated based on several key criteria: the expected conservation outcomes, level of community partnership and engagement, cost-effectiveness and budget clarity, and the technical feasibility of proposed activities. Projects that demonstrate a clear plan for sustaining outcomes after the grant period will be scored more favorably. Applicants are encouraged to include metrics from NFWF’s FieldDoc platform in their proposals to quantify expected environmental results such as pollutant reductions or habitat improvements. Applications are due by Thursday, April 2, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET. NFWF offers a robust support system for applicants, including webinars, field liaison consultations, proposal labs, and technical documentation such as the CBSF Quick Reference Guide and the Applicant Toolbox. Questions about the RFP can be directed to Jake Reilly, Program Director for Chesapeake Programs, at [email protected]. All application materials must be submitted through NFWF’s Easygrants portal. Applicants are encouraged to consult with NFWF field liaisons, especially when submitting complex or capital-intensive projects.

Engage local communities directly in project design and execution. Preliminary designs required for implementation grants. Include metrics from FieldDoc.