Delaware Environment Grants

This program provides funding for events that raise awareness about the restoration and protection of natural resources in the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland's watersheds, targeting nonprofits and community organizations.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations, community groups, and homeowners' associations in Delaware for projects that improve water quality in developed areas through innovative and sustainable practices.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to U.S. states, territories, and eligible Indian tribes for implementing approved plans to prevent and manage invasive aquatic species.

This grant provides funding to states, territories, and Tribes to monitor beach water quality and inform the public about safety during recreational activities in coastal waters.

This grant provides funding to 501(c)(3) organizations in the Northeast and East Coast regions of the U.S. for projects focused on environmental sustainability, education, and cultural initiatives that enhance community well-being, particularly those related to bird habitats and open space preservation.

This grant provides financial support to non-profit organizations in the Delaware Valley that offer direct services to individuals affected by HIV/AIDS.

The Delaware Community Foundation offers grants ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 through Highmark's BluePrints for the Community fund, prioritizing health-related projects and services that address healthcare access, economic stability, social and community context, and neighborhood and built environment in Delaware.

The DNREC Green Energy Program in Delaware offers grant funding for renewable energy projects. The program is available to customers of Delmarva Power, Delaware Electric Cooperative, and certain municipal electric customers. Grants are provided to offset the installed cost of photovoltaic, solar water heating, wind, and geothermal renewable energy technologies. Each utility company has its own program regulations, requirements, and application forms. To apply for a grant, applicants must use the Green Grant Delaware online application system and submit a complete application with all required attachments. Applicants are also required to sign over their Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) to the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility. It is important to note that incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Before submitting a grant application, applicants must complete an energy audit and select an approved renewable energy contractor. After installation and operation of the renewable energy system, applicants must submit grant completion documentation for final approval. Grant payments are typically processed within 10-12 weeks after approval. For more information about the Green Energy Program or specific details about each utility's grant program, applicants can contact the respective utility or email [email protected].

The Welfare Foundation offers grants primarily focused on seven nonprofit sub-sectors including social services, housing, health/hospitals, education, environment, civic, and arts/humanities, to promote social welfare in Delaware and southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, with eligibility restricted to 501(c)(3) organizations that do not discriminate and do not use funds for activities such as political advocacy, religious institutions, fundraising events, and individual needs.

This grant provides funding to Delaware-based nonprofit organizations and government entities for community-focused arts projects that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

This funding opportunity supports conservation projects that provide employment and training for young adults and veterans, helping them gain experience in environmental stewardship and resource management on public lands.

The Outdoor Recreation, Parks & Trails (ORPT) Program, formerly known as the Delaware Land and Water Conservation Trust Fund (DTF), is a matching grant program assisting with public park land acquisition and outdoor recreation facility development in Delaware. Donor Name: Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control State: Delaware County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant | Matching Grants Deadline: 05/15/2024 Size of the Grant: Not Available Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: Eligible Projects ORPT grant assistance is available for the following types of projects: Fee simple acquisition of parkland, open space, or conservation areas Purchase of development rights for public parkland, open space, or conservation areas Replacement of outdated and unsafe outdoor facilities Outdoor recreation facility engineering and design Outdoor recreation facility construction for example: Athletic fields and courts Playground equipment Swimming pools Picnic tables and pavilions Park maps for information boards or kiosks Park infrastructure such as entrance roads, parking, restrooms, and way finding Municipal or countywide park/open space comprehensive plans Universal accessibility upgrades to outdoor recreation facilities Professional services for park master planning Eligibility Criteria County and municipal governments and park districts may request and receive ORPT grant assistance. Projects sponsored by municipalities and counties may receive up to fifty percent (50%) in ORPT assistance of an approved project’s total costs; park districts, municipalities that have not received ORPT funds in the past, and projects located in or serving Census Tracts identified as highest vulnerability by the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (SVI score range 0.75 – 1.00) are eligible to receive up to seventy-five percent (75%) in ORPT assistance of an approved project’s total costs. The Sponsor may obtain its share through partnerships with other governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and other non-traditional recreation providers. Partnerships with other agencies and organizations are encouraged however, only the municipalities and counties are eligible to apply for ORPT assistance. For more information, visit DNREC.

This program provides funding to Delaware counties and municipalities for planning and engineering projects that improve water quality and manage stormwater effectively.

Delmarva Power, together with its program administrator Delaware Nature Society (DelNature), is pleased to announce the 2024 Sustainable Communities Grant Program, providing $35,000 in funds to support open space and resiliency projects across its Delaware and Maryland service area. Donor Name: Delaware Nature Society State: Delaware, Maryland County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 08/30/2024 Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: Delmarva Power’s Sustainable Communities Program has provided more than $235,000 in grants to fund sustainability projects across Delaware and Maryland since 2020. The Sustainable Communities Grant Program will administer grants of up to $10,000 each to support projects that display a compelling impact on one or more of the following: Open Space Preservation  Conservation & Habitat Improvements  Environmental Conservation  Community Resiliency, including:  Community Engagement and Education Regarding Resiliency  Purchase of Energy Storage Solar Installation Including Mobile Solar Units The Sustainable Communities Grant Program encourages communities to prepare for the impacts of more severe weather with projects that strengthen natural systems and/or demonstrate innovation in providing a safe and reliable resource for a community during a time of emergency. Climate change is real. While they are doing part to combat climate change, they all need to prepare for a world with more extreme weather and less predictability. Eligibility Criteria Municipalities, recreational authorities and nonprofits in the Delmarva Power service area can apply for a Sustainable Communities grant each year. For more information, visit Delaware Nature Society.

This funding opportunity provides up to $50,000 for organizations to implement urban forestry projects in underserved communities, enhancing green spaces and environmental quality on public lands.

This grant provides funding to partnerships and organizations working to improve water quality and habitats in the Chesapeake Bay watershed through innovative practices that reduce nutrient and sediment pollution.

This funding program provides financial support to community-based organizations that empower youth aged 12 to 20 through established, youth-led urban greening initiatives focused on social and environmental justice in select states.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is now accepting proposals from Delaware county and municipal governments, conservation districts and estuary programs for matching grants for surface water project planning. Donor Name: Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) State: Delaware County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant | Matching Grants Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 08/21/2024 Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: 2 Years Details: The Delaware Water Infrastructure Advisory Council (WIAC) developed the Surface Water Matching Planning Grant program to assist Delaware counties and municipalities improve water quality on the developed landscape in Delaware’s impaired watersheds.  The grants support planning, preliminary engineering, and feasibility analysis of surface water improvement projects and activities that focus on the developed landscape to improve water quality in impaired watersheds in Delaware. They can be used for a variety of projects, such as: Retrofitting stormwater systems Establishing green technology practices Restoring streams and wetlands Small watershed studies Developing master surface water and drainage plans The program is designed to assist counties and municipalities to prepare surface water projects for funding through Delaware Water Pollution Control Revolving Loan Fund (WPCRLF). The available funding can be used to assist with surface water planning in general, and for specific project planning and designs necessary to submit a loan application to the WPCRLF for funding consideration. Program Goals Grant applicants should focus their proposals on one or more of the following program goals: Providing benefits to water quality within an impaired watershed Planning and/or preliminary design for projects associated with a watershed management plan Planning and/or preliminary design for community stormwater management improvements in existing developments and municipalities Restoration or retrofit projects to provide water quality benefits Funding Information Funding for projects receiving a grant award in any grant cycle will be capped at $50,000 with a 1:1 cash match requirement. Project Period The project shall not exceed 2 years. Eligibility Criteria Applicants may be any Delaware county or municipal government, conservation district, or Delaware estuary program. Applicants must have the matching funds available at the time of application. Non-profit organizations, educational institutions, community organizations, and/or homeowner’s associations within the State of Delaware that do not have taxing authority are ineligible to apply directly but may partner with an eligible applicant.  Agricultural operations, non-profit organizations, and private for-profit firms are not eligible for these funds. Interested parties may enter into working arrangement with eligible applicant. For more information, visit DNREC.

This program provides funding to local organizations in EPA Region 3 for projects that address environmental and health challenges in historically underserved communities.

The Northeast SARE Professional Development Grant program funds projects that develop the knowledge, awareness, skills and attitudes of agricultural and other service providers about sustainable agriculture practices to teach, advise or assist farmers. Donor Name: Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education State: Selected States County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 08/06/2024 Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000 Grant Duration: 4 Years Details: An agricultural service provider is a professional who assists farmers. Projects that develop the ability of other service providers (for example, real estate agents, bankers, and attorneys) to work with farmers are also eligible. These service providers then use what they’ve learned through participation in project activities in their work with farmers. A wide variety of topics can be funded by Northeast SARE, including marketing and business, crop production, raising livestock, aquaculture, social sustainability, urban and Indigenous agriculture and much more. Other aspects of projects funded through the Northeast SARE program include those that address climate-smart agriculture practices intended to improve ecological, social, and economic resilience to climate change; increase carbon sequestration; and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Climate-smart practices include reduced and no-till, cover crops, prescribed grazing, ruminant feed management, manure management, fertilizer management, and on-farm energy efficiency. In addition, projects may address traditional ecological knowledge. Funding Information Awards typically range from $30,000 to $150,000. Project Duration Typical project length is 2 to 3 years. The maximum project length allowed is 3.5 years. Geographical Focus  The Northeast region includes Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. Eligibility Criteria  Professional Development Grants are open to anyone who works with service providers and farmers, including personnel at nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities, Cooperative Extension, municipalities, tribal governments, state departments of agriculture, federal agencies, research farms and experiment stations, and for-profit business entities (such as farms, private consultants, veterinary practices and other businesses that serve the farming community). Northeast SARE encourages projects submitted from or in collaboration with women, the LGBTQIA+ community, and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). Additionally, they encourage projects submitted from or in collaboration with Minority Serving Institutions (including 1890s and other historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and tribal colleges and universities) and other organizations in the Northeast that work with historically underserved communities. Your organization must have the legal structure and financial capacity to receive and implement a Northeast SARE contract, including expending funds needed for the project prior to receiving reimbursements from Northeast SARE; advance payments are not possible. Projects must take place within the Northeast region. Applicants and host organizations may be located outside of the Northeast region if the project activities and the farmers served are located within the Northeast region. For more information, visit Northeast SARE.