Outreach and Restoration Grant Program

The Chesapeake Bay Trust is a nonprofit grant-making organization dedicated to improving bays, streams, rivers, forests, parks, and other natural resources across Maryland's local ecosystems. Through the Outreach and Restoration Grant Program, the Trust and its funding partners support community-led stewardship, environmental education, behavior change, restoration, and resilience projects. The program is intended to increase public understanding of environmental challenges and solutions, address community environmental health disparities, improve natural resources, and expand public participation in restoration and protection efforts. Projects must either engage a defined priority audience through knowledge-building or behavior-change initiatives, accomplish on-the-ground restoration and resilience work, or combine outreach and restoration activities. The program offers four project tracks. Track 1 supports Outreach/Knowledge Building Projects with requests up to $50,000 and focuses on measurable increases in knowledge, understanding, and engagement among a clearly defined priority audience. Track 2 supports Behavior Change Projects up to $75,000, including behavior change research, project planning, and implementation, with a focus on measurable adoption of environmentally responsible behavior and robust evaluation. Track 3 supports Restoration Projects up to $125,000 for technically sound, appropriately sited, on-the-ground work that benefits communities and natural resources such as water quality, air quality, habitat, tree canopy, and flood resilience. Track 4 supports combined Outreach and Restoration Projects up to $150,000 and requires meaningful integration of restoration and community engagement; outreach activities should generally constitute at least 15 percent of the overall budget. The RFP does not state a required applicant cost share or matching contribution. Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) private nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations, community and homeowners associations, service, youth and civic groups, federal, state, regional, county and municipal public agencies, soil and water conservation districts, Resource Conservation and Development Councils, forestry boards, and public and independent higher educational institutions. The program funds projects throughout the state of Maryland. Several funding partners have specific geographic and program priorities, including locations in Baltimore City, Charles County, Gaithersburg, Rockville, Harford County, Howard County, Queen Anne's County, portions of Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County, and areas around the Sparrows Point Peninsula and specified watersheds. Chesapeake Bay Trust funds may support qualifying projects elsewhere in Maryland. Overall, the Trust and its funding partners anticipate more than $2.2 million in FY27 funding. Applications must be submitted through the Chesapeake Bay Trust's SmartSimple online award management system. Applicants must upload a Project Narrative using the downloadable Narrative Template corresponding to the selected track and complete all questions. Supporting documents are also required as applicable. Track 3 and Track 4 applicants should follow Appendix D and provide as much applicable restoration design and technical information as possible, including site information, photographs, maps, planting plans, maintenance plans, landowner commitments, and technical or design materials appropriate to the project's restoration category. The Project Leader's email address in the applicant information must match the email address used to submit the application. Submission also constitutes acknowledgement of compliance with applicable federal employment and nondiscrimination laws and specified debarment, fraud, and default conditions. Applications are evaluated by external technical expert reviewers using a 100-point scoring framework. Review factors include application completeness, consistency with the RFP, project justification, priority audience engagement, partnerships, likelihood of project success, measurable impact, sustainability, demonstration value and transferability, and cost effectiveness of the budget. The largest scoring components are likelihood of project success at up to 25 points, project justification at up to 15 points, and cost effectiveness and budget at up to 15 points. A Technical Review Committee ranks and scores applications, discusses their merits, and recommends a suite of awards and declines to the Chesapeake Bay Trust Board of Trustees. Funding partners retain discretion to support projects and budget items that advance their missions and specific funding priorities. The application deadline is September 3, 2026 at 4:00 PM EDT. Late applications will not be accepted, and the online opportunity will close automatically at the deadline. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit several days early and to contact Trust staff at least two weeks before the deadline for application discussion or project development support. Awards are expected to be announced in December 2026, with applicants notified by email. Approved applicants receive an award agreement identifying conditions and reporting deadlines. Ten percent of the total award is held until the final report is submitted and approved. Projects generally must be completed within one to two years after receipt of the award, and project timelines exceeding 18 months must be justified. Program Officer Christina Hollinsed may be contacted at chollinsed@cbtrust.org or 410-974-2941 x155.

Align the proposal directly with the selected project track and RFP goals; clearly demonstrate project need and measurable outcomes; involve the priority audience in project design and shared ownership; document appropriate partnerships and commitment letters; provide technically sound restoration plans, permissions, permits, maps, photos, and maintenance planning where applicable; justify the budget and longer-than-18-month timelines; submit several days before the deadline and contact Trust staff at least two weeks before the deadline for project development assistance