Grants & RFPs

The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office (NCBO) is directed by law to provide technical assistance in: (1) identifying science-based management options for restoration and protection of living resources and their habitats; (2) monitoring and assessing the status of living resources and their habitats; and, (3) evaluating the effectiveness of management plan implementation.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office (CBPO) is announcing a Request for Applications (RFA) for applicants to provide the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) non-federal partners with support for further expanding the capacity of citizenbased and nontraditional environmental monitoring programs and integrating these programs into the CBP partnership’s existing monitoring networks. Citizen-based monitoring programs are routine environmental data collection efforts carried out by volunteers and overseen and coordinated by a given organization. Nontraditional monitoring programs are defined here as routine environmental data collection carried out by a given organization or agency and may include local governments, conservation districts, or nongovernmental organizations (academia, river basin commissions, watershed organizations, etc.) that are currently not formally part of the CBP partnership’s existing monitoring networks. Expanding capacity of citizen-based and nontraditional partner monitoring programs will enable more partner organizations to conduct monitoring that can be utilized by the CBP partnership and its members to address CBP 2 programmatic data gaps. Further integration of citizen-based and nontraditional partner monitoring programs into the CBP partnership’s monitoring networks through a strategic data gap-filling approach will provide additional cost-effective data and information that supports shared decision-making and adaptive management by the CBP partners focused on restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. 

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program partnership, is soliciting proposals to restore water quality and habitats of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers and streams. 

NFWF is soliciting proposals under the Small Watershed Grants (SWG) program for projects within the Chesapeake Bay watershed that promote community-based efforts to protect and restore the diverse natural resources of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers and streams. NFWF will award funding through two distinct funding opportunities: SWG Implementation (SWG-I) grants of $50,000-$500,000 will be awarded for projects that result in direct, on-the-ground actions to protect and restore water quality, species, and habitats in the Bay watershed; SWG Planning and Technical Assistance (SWG-PTA) grants up to $50,000 will be awarded for projects that enhance local capacity to more efficiently and effectively implement future on-the-ground actions through assessment, planning, design, and other technical assistance-oriented activities. 

NFWF estimates awarding $8-10 million in grants through the combined SWG program in 2021 contingent on the availability of funding. Major funding comes from the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program Office, with other important contributions by Altria Group, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to invite entities experienced in various aspects of fisheries, watershed science and policy, watershed stewardship, outreach and training, climate resilience, submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), and other watershed issues to submit proposals to the Chesapeake Bay Trust (the Trust). The Trust has been designated to receive federal funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) Goal Implementation Team Project Initiative. The work to be supported will advance specific outcomes from the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement that have been identified as top priorities to address, and these stretch across all Goal Implementation Teams (GITs) and workgroups.

The Chesapeake Bay Program’s (CBP) Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) is accepting proposals for STAC-sponsored workshops for the STAC fiscal year 2021 budget cycle (beginning June 1, 2021). Workshops are convened to gather critically needed scientific or technical information related to protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Workshops funded through this RFP must be convened by May 31, 2022. The total amount allocated by STAC will not exceed $10,000 for each workshop activity.

Chesapeake B-WET funds locally relevant, authentic experiential learning for K-12 audiences through Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. MWEEs involve learning both outdoors and in the classroom as students engage in issue definition, outdoor field experiences, synthesis and conclusions, and stewardship and civic action. The goal is to increase understanding and stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay and its local watersheds, including the rivers, upland streams, and natural habitats found throughout the region. Projects advance the environmental literacy goal of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement and the NOAA Education Strategic Plan.