Geographic Programs - Chesapeake Bay Program General, Technical Assistance, and Small Watershed Grants

The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure and unique as North America's largest and most biologically diverse estuary. The objective of the Chesapeake Bay Program�s competitive assistance agreements is to fund activities that support achievement of the goals and outcomes of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. Funding priorities include, but are not limited to, implementation projects that support water quality improvement and environmental stewardship, coordination of the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership, monitoring and modeling of the Chesapeake Bay and its ecosystem, and advancement of data science that helps inform decision-making. EPA supports advancement of these priorities by funding cooperative agreements, which support the partnership in carrying out the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement and fulfilling the statutory requirements of the Chesapeake Bay Program Office under Clean Water Act Section 117. Additionally, EPA funds cooperative agreements to intermediary organizations for the purposes of carrying out the Small Watershed Grants (SWG) grants program, which supports protection and improvement of local waterways while building citizen-based resource stewardship; and the Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction (INSR) grants program, which supports regional innovative solutions to reduce or eliminate nutrient and sediment pollution. More information regarding the Chesapeake Bay Program can be found at https://www.chesapeakebay.net .

All applicants applying for technical and general assistance grants under Section 117(d), must commit to a cost share ranging from 5 percent to 50 percent as determined at the sole discretion of EPA. Applicants should refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity for additional information regarding cost share requirements. Applicants applying under the Small Watershed Grants Program under Section 117(g)(2) must commit to a cost share of 25 percent of the total project cost. Projects funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) may receive a waiver of the cost matching requirements, subject to the approval of the EPA Regional Administrator.

Fiscal year 2025: Funded projects support the commitments set forth in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement and amendments, subsequent directives, adoption statements, endorsements and resolutions, to expand and strengthen cooperative efforts to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay. Examples of projects funded in FY 2025 include: 1) administration of the Small Watershed Grants and Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction grant programs; 2) coordination and staffing support for the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership�s goal teams and advisory committees; 3) implementation of the annual submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) survey using traditional and machine learning techniques; 4) collection and analysis of water quality and living resources data that will contribute to the development of the partnership�s Phase 7 Watershed Model; and 5) support for the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership�s communication, outreach, and engagement activities.