Small Grant Program
Small Grant Program supports Oregon landowners’ watershed restoration and local team administration to improve water quality and quantity, protect habitat, and benefit fish and wildlife.
This grant was recently updated
If you’re considering applying, the page now lists July 24, 2025 as the Team Contact opening date; deadlines and award limits are unchanged. Review the expanded requirements for SAM registration, application materials, eligible work, approvals, insurance, and payment and reporting, including the 15% indirect-cost cap and restrictions on reusing match. Confirm match timing with the program coordinator, as the page notes differing guidance on when it must be secured; new contacts are also available for OGMS access and mapping help.
Funder: Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board
Due Dates: April 15, 2027 (Projects final deadline) | July 24, 2025 (Team Contact opening) | September 15, 2025 (Team Contact deadline)
Funding Amounts: Up to $20,000 per award; 25% match for Projects, 5% for Team Contact grants
Summary: Supports on-the-ground Oregon watershed restoration benefiting water quality, water quantity, fish, and wildlife, plus local Small Grant Team administration.
Key Information: Restoration projects must align with the local Small Grant Team’s priorities and eligible project types.
Description
The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) runs this competitive program for on-the-ground restoration, principally on private lands across Oregon. It enables landowners to contribute to the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds and Oregon Conservation Strategy through practical improvements. Local Small Grant Teams guide decisions on a shorter timeframe than OWEB’s regular grant program.
The program treats the sources of watershed health problems using proven, technically sound techniques, rather than technically complex projects requiring expensive design and oversight. Supported work includes fish passage, native riparian and wetland planting, floodplain reconnection, instream habitat, agricultural erosion reduction, private-road improvements, urban stormwater treatment, groundwater recharge, and irrigation efficiency. A separate Team Contact offering supports administration, outreach, and application review for one team in each of Oregon’s 28 Small Grant Areas.
