Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund
Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund supports restoration partners working to reduce pollution, restore waterways, and conserve habitats and species across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Funder: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Due Dates: October 9, 2026 (Habitat and species RFQ) | April 9, 2026 (Small Watershed Grants and WILD) | February 26, 2026 (Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction pre-proposals)
Funding Amounts: $40 million–$60 million awarded annually across four competitive grant programs
Summary: Supports Chesapeake Bay watershed restoration, pollution reduction, and conservation of habitats and species.
Key Information: The October deadline is for a request for quotations, not one of the fund’s four competitive grant programs.
Description
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) runs the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund with government and private-sector partners. Its four competitive grant programs support on-the-ground work benefiting communities, farms, habitats, and wildlife across the Chesapeake Bay region. The fund aims to help communities restore polluted rivers and streams, reduce nutrient and sediment pollution, and protect key Bay species.
The fund also invests in restoration partners’ capacity, networking, and information-sharing, including work on emerging technologies and effective restoration approaches. Its programs are Small Watershed Grants, Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grants, Chesapeake Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense (WILD) Grants, and Pennsylvania Most Effective Basins Grants.
