Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants Program (NFWF Small Watershed Grants): Status and Deadlines for Maryland Applicants

What it funds: Voluntary, community-based restoration across the Chesapeake Bay watershed: on-the-ground work such as green stormwater infrastructure, farm runoff practices, riparian buffers, stream and floodplain restoration, living shorelines and nature-based resilience for communities, plus assessment, planning, design and technical assistance.
Who can apply: Implementation grants: 501(c) nonprofits, community-based organizations, local and municipal governments, tribes and K-12 schools. Planning and technical assistance grants: those groups plus state agencies and colleges. Federal agencies, businesses and individuals cannot apply.
Match: Non-federal match is encouraged but not required; larger match from a range of partners scores better.
Award: In the 2026 round, implementation grants were $150,000–$750,000 and planning and technical assistance grants were up to $150,000.

How Maryland applicants apply

When a request for proposals is open, apply online through NFWF's Easygrants system (easygrants.nfwf.org). NFWF strongly encourages a proposal lab with its staff or contracted field liaisons first. Payments are mostly reimbursements, and federal grant rules apply.

The program on nfwf.org

Dates

No dates are listed ahead. Closed. 2026 proposals were due April 2, 2026; EPA announced the awards October 2, 2026, and NFWF's slate lists 68 grants totaling $23.4 million. No 2027 request for proposals is posted as of October 29, 2026.

Google Calendar Outlook Apple Calendar .ics file

What has changed

October 2, 2026EPA announced the 2026 awards; NFWF's slate (posted October 5) lists 68 grants totaling $23.4 million, with $21.1 million in match. (epa.gov)
April 2, 20262026 proposals due; the implementation grant cap fell to $750,000 from $1,000,000 in 2025. (nfwf.org)
February 11, 20262025 awards published, later than the September 2025 date in the RFP: 57 grants totaling more than $23 million (EPA announced them with the INSR awards, more than $44 million combined). (epa.gov)
May 13, 20252025 proposals due; that round offered implementation grants of $150,000–$1,000,000 and anticipated awards in September 2025. (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.

Frequently Asked Questions

As of October 29, 2026: Closed. Closed. 2026 proposals were due April 2, 2026; EPA announced the awards October 2, 2026, and NFWF's slate lists 68 grants totaling $23.4 million. No 2027 request for proposals is posted as of October 29, 2026.

Voluntary, community-based restoration across the Chesapeake Bay watershed: on-the-ground work such as green stormwater infrastructure, farm runoff practices, riparian buffers, stream and floodplain restoration, living shorelines and nature-based resilience for communities, plus assessment, planning, design and technical assistance.

Implementation grants: 501(c) nonprofits, community-based organizations, local and municipal governments, tribes and K-12 schools. Planning and technical assistance grants: those groups plus state agencies and colleges. Federal agencies, businesses and individuals cannot apply.

Non-federal match is encouraged but not required; larger match from a range of partners scores better.

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