- What it funds
- Multi-year plans by established watershed restoration collaboratives to speed up and scale practices that cut nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution: farm and urban stormwater practices, riparian buffers and livestock fencing, place-based restoration, practices with habitat and resilience benefits, and new technologies, plus the collaboratives' own capacity.
- Who can apply
- Nonprofit 501(c) organizations, state agencies, local and municipal governments, tribes and educational institutions applying for one or more qualifying established watershed restoration collaboratives. Federal agencies, businesses and individuals cannot apply.
- Match
- Non-federal cash or in-kind match is encouraged; NFWF said the most competitive 2026 pre-proposals would plan match equal to or greater than the five-year request.
- Award
- In the 2026 round, agreements ran up to five years and up to $2 million, starting with a partial award of up to $1 million for up to three years.
How Maryland applicants apply
When a solicitation is open, submit through NFWF's Easygrants system (easygrants.nfwf.org). In 2026 a pre-proposal consultation with NFWF staff was required, and only invited applicants submitted full proposals.
The program on nfwf.orgDates
No dates are listed ahead. Closed. The 2026 round took pre-proposals by February 12, 2026 and then invited full proposals; EPA announced the awards October 2, 2026, and NFWF's slate lists 16 grants totaling $15.6 million. No 2027 solicitation is posted as of October 29, 2026.
What has changed
- October 2, 2026EPA announced the 2026 awards, later than the August 2026 date in the RFP; NFWF's slate (posted October 5) lists 16 grants totaling $15.6 million, with $32 million in match. (epa.gov)
- February 12, 20262026 pre-proposals due. The 2026 round sought five-year plans from established watershed restoration collaboratives, with awards of up to $2 million. (nfwf.org)
- February 11, 20262025 awards published: 15 grants totaling $21.6 million. (nfwf.org)
Sources
Checked against the funder’s own pages on October 29, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the funder before you apply.
- nfwf.org/programs/innovative-nutrient-and-sediment-reduction-grants
- nfwf.org/programs/chesapeake-bay-stewardship-fund/innovative-nutrient-and-sediment-reduction-grants-0
- nfwf.org/sites/default/files/2025-12/insr-2026-rfp-pdf_1.pdf
- nfwf.org/sites/default/files/2026-10/nfwf-chesapeake-insr-20260930-gs.pdf
- nfwf.org/sites/default/files/2026-02/NFWF-Chesapeake-INSR-20260204-GS.pdf
- epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-deputy-administrator-fotouhi-announces-over-90-million-restoration-and-clean-water
- epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-mid-atlantic-region-highlights-funding-accelerate-chesapeake-bay-restoration
Frequently Asked Questions
As of October 29, 2026: Closed. Closed. The 2026 round took pre-proposals by February 12, 2026 and then invited full proposals; EPA announced the awards October 2, 2026, and NFWF's slate lists 16 grants totaling $15.6 million. No 2027 solicitation is posted as of October 29, 2026.
Multi-year plans by established watershed restoration collaboratives to speed up and scale practices that cut nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution: farm and urban stormwater practices, riparian buffers and livestock fencing, place-based restoration, practices with habitat and resilience benefits, and new technologies, plus the collaboratives' own capacity.
Nonprofit 501(c) organizations, state agencies, local and municipal governments, tribes and educational institutions applying for one or more qualifying established watershed restoration collaboratives. Federal agencies, businesses and individuals cannot apply.
Non-federal cash or in-kind match is encouraged; NFWF said the most competitive 2026 pre-proposals would plan match equal to or greater than the five-year request.
When a solicitation is open, submit through NFWF's Easygrants system (easygrants.nfwf.org). In 2026 a pre-proposal consultation with NFWF staff was required, and only invited applicants submitted full proposals.
Talk to Our Team
Working on resilience in NFWF INSR 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.