- What it funds
- Early-stage work that gets restoration projects ready to build: designs and permits for green stormwater practices, stream and wetland restoration and living shorelines, plus watershed assessments, action plans, program development and financing strategies. It funds green infrastructure and nature-based solutions only, not gray infrastructure.
- Who can apply
- Municipal, county and regional agencies, nonprofits, faith-based groups, community associations and HOAs, soil conservation districts, forestry boards and colleges. Projects can be anywhere in Maryland, in West Virginia's part of the Bay watershed, or in Pennsylvania's Octoraro and Conowingo Creek watersheds.
- Match
- Not required. Match and in-kind support are encouraged and can make a proposal more competitive.
- Award
- Generally up to $100,000 to design stormwater practices, up to $150,000 to design stream, wetland or living shoreline projects, and up to $75,000 for planning; the partners expect about $1.4 million for Maryland (and the two Pennsylvania watersheds) and about $60,000 for West Virginia in FY27.
How Maryland applicants apply
Apply in the Chesapeake Bay Trust Awards Portal (cbtrust.org/login) using the Track 1 (design) or Track 2 (planning) narrative questions linked on the program page. The Trust encourages applicants to talk with Senior Program Officer Megan Diehl at least two weeks before the deadline.
The program on cbtrust.orgDates
What has changed
- September 9, 2026FY27 request for proposals released: due December 9, 2026, with about $1.4 million for Maryland and Pennsylvania projects, about $60,000 for West Virginia, and awards in March 2027. (cbtrust.org)
Sources
Checked against the funder’s own pages on October 29, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the funder before you apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
As of October 29, 2026: Open. Open. The FY27 request for proposals was released September 9, 2026, and applications are due Wednesday, December 9, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Early-stage work that gets restoration projects ready to build: designs and permits for green stormwater practices, stream and wetland restoration and living shorelines, plus watershed assessments, action plans, program development and financing strategies. It funds green infrastructure and nature-based solutions only, not gray infrastructure.
Municipal, county and regional agencies, nonprofits, faith-based groups, community associations and HOAs, soil conservation districts, forestry boards and colleges. Projects can be anywhere in Maryland, in West Virginia's part of the Bay watershed, or in Pennsylvania's Octoraro and Conowingo Creek watersheds.
Not required. Match and in-kind support are encouraged and can make a proposal more competitive.
Apply in the Chesapeake Bay Trust Awards Portal (cbtrust.org/login) using the Track 1 (design) or Track 2 (planning) narrative questions linked on the program page. The Trust encourages applicants to talk with Senior Program Officer Megan Diehl at least two weeks before the deadline.
Talk to Our Team
Working on resilience in Watershed Assistance Grants and the rest of your funding plan?
Council Fire helps local governments and their partners turn risk data like this into plans and projects their communities support.