On March 27, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and Chesapeake Bay Trust have been awarded approximately $206 million in grants.
The grants will fund local projects and technical assistance to protect and restore Chesapeake Bay over the next four years.
The grant awards include $96 million in funding through the Biden Administration’s Investing in America Agenda. According to a press release this is the most significant single contribution to the Chesapeake Bay Program.
The NFWF has been selected to receive $193 million. The funding for these grants comes from an $83 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with the remaining $110 million coming from regular appropriations.
Projects these investments will fund include the installation of three green stormwater infrastructure practices to intercept stormwater runoff and building capacity for community-led urban tree canopy planting projects.
The Chesapeake Bay Trust has been selected to receive $13 million. The funding will be used to administer a new Community Capacity Building grant program under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The Chesapeake Bay Trust is a non-profit organization that focuses on improving the watershed of the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland Coastal Bays and the Youghiogheny River. The Trust engages hundreds of thousands of students and volunteers in projects that involve the natural resources of the region.
“The Chesapeake Bay is the lifeblood of this region, supporting all those across six states and the District of Columbia who call the Chesapeake Bay watershed home – and those who visit,” said EPA Assistant Deputy Administrator Mark Rupp in a press release. “The funding announced today is strategically focused to support conservation projects -- and the people who will implement them – over the next four years to restore both water quality and habitat.”
The EPA announced in August 2023 that it is seeking applications from community-based organizations for funding opportunities through the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office. These funding opportunities would be used to administer the Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grant Program, Small Watershed Grant Program and Community Capacity Building Grant Program.
