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 to restore water quality and habitats of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers and streams.

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 local rivers and streams and the Chesapeake Bay. For 2024, this includes both INSR Partnership Grants supporting the coordinated and collaborative efforts of sustainable, regional-scale partnerships implementing proven water quality improvement practices more cost-effectively, as well as INSR Infrastructure Grants for projects working to implement critical natural and nature-based watershed restoration infrastructure at scale.

All proposals must be submitted no later than February 21, 2024. NFWF will host an optional applicant webinar at 2:00PM on Monday, January 8th. Interested parties must register for the webinar here. For those who cannot participate, a recording of the webinar will be posted to NFWF’s website by Thursday, January 11th.

Including funds made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, NFWF estimates awarding $25-30 million in grants through the INSR program in 2024, contingent on the availability of funding. Major funding for the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office, with other important contributions Altria Group, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service and U.S. Forest Service.

NFWF is requiring all prospective INSR applicants to consult with NFWF program staff no later than January 24, 2024 to ensure eligibility and competitiveness and to allow for NFWF program staff to provide constructive feedback to strengthen proposed projects, consistent with program priorities. Prospective applicants should schedule project consultations using this link. Prospective applicants are also encouraged to contact CBSF field liaisons (cc’ed here) to vet potential project ideas prior to contacting NFWF staff directly.

We encourage you to forward this announcement to your partner networks.