The Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund offers grants through two mechanisms: the Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction (INSR) Program and the Small Watershed Grants (SWG) Program. The Stewardship Fund combines resources from federal and private partners to implement projects that:

• - Improve water quality and prevent pollution sources from further degrading water quality in the Bay and its tributaries;
• - Restore vital habitats and prevent habitat loss in the Bay and its tributaries and/or;
• - Improve local watersheds through building local capacity for the stewardship of watershed resources. 

In total, the Stewardship Fund awards between 40 and 60 grants each year. Click here to see a summary of our financial and conservation metrics, or read on for more information about the INSR and SWG programs.

Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, in partnership with EPA and the Chesapeake Bay Program, awards Chesapeake Bay Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction (INSR) grants of between $200,000 and $1 million each to support the demonstration of innovative approaches to expand the collective knowledge about the most cost effective and sustainable approaches to dramatically reduce or eliminate nutrient and sediment pollution to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. (Note: In 2005 - 2007, these grants were referred to as "Targeted Watershed Grants".)

Small Watershed Grants Program

The Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants (SWG) Program provides grants of $20,000 to $200,000 to organizations and local governments working on a local level to implement projects that improve small watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay basin, while building citizen-based resource stewardship. This program is funded by the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program Office, the US Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the D.C. Department of the Environment. Altria and FedEx provide additional corporate support.