Federal grant programs / Environmental Protection Agency

Geographic Programs - Chesapeake Bay Program Signatory Implementation and Monitoring Grants (66.964)

Also known as Chesapeake Bay Program CBIG, CBRAP and Monitoring Grants

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$200 million
• Grant awards29
• Typical award$5.0 million
• Awarded in FY 2025$52.3 million
• Size rank605 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceGrant

Key findings

• Annual funding rose from $8.1 million in fiscal 2021 to $52.3 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 605th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 12 largest recipients received 100% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 7 states and territories.

What the program funds

The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure and unique as North America's largest and most biologically diverse estuary. The EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) awards annual grants to signatory jurisdictions of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement to support activities to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay. Current signatories of the Watershed Agreement include the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. These grants are generally awarded non-competitively to signatories through allocation formulas provided in program guidance. Under this program, EPA awards two types of grants: 1) jurisdiction implementation grants, which support a signatory jurisdiction’s efforts to advance progress toward meeting commitments under the Watershed Agreement and subsequent amendments; and 2) monitoring grants, which support assessment of changes to water quality and living resources over time. More information regarding the Chesapeake Bay Program and the Watershed Agreement can be found at https://www.chesapeakebay.net/.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

What the money can and cannot pay for

Funding awarded under this program is intended to assist signatory jurisdictions with meeting the commitments of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. Implementation grants funded under Section 117(e)(1)(A) advance restoration and protection efforts through achievement of the Watershed Agreement goals and outcomes and further progress toward the jurisdictions’ milestones and Watershed Implementation Plan commitments. Monitoring grants funded under 117(e)(1)(B) support monitoring of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. A full description of eligible uses can be found in program guidance at https://www.epa.gov/grants/chesapeake-bay-program-grant-guidance. All funded activities, including activities funded through cost-share, must directly support the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. If signatory jurisdictions do not these funds for projects consistent with furthering the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement goals and outcomes, EPA may reallocate, conditionally award, or withhold funds. Signatory jurisdictions applying for funding under this program must commit to a 50% (1:1) cost-share. Assistance agreement awards under this program may involve or relate to geospatial information. Further information regarding geospatial information may be obtained by viewing the following website: Geospatial Resources at EPA (https://www.epa.gov/geospatial). These grants are awarded non-competitively to any signatory jurisdiction that signed the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Under Section 117(e)(1)(A) and 117(e)(1)(B), respectively, signatory jurisdictions applying for implementation and monitoring grants must commit to a 50 percent (1:1) cost share. 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.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines

Award range and average, in the agency's words

Non-competitive grants were previously awarded under 66.466 and will be transitioned to this listing (66.964) at the start of a new award. Under assistance listing 66.964, funding ranges from $235k-$8.1M per year, with an average award of $2.1M.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: EPA continued to award non-competitive grants to signatory jurisdictions of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, including additional investments made available as a result of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Examples of activities funded include but are not limited to: development of local Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs), implementation of best management practices (BMPs), training and technical assistance for local service providers and implementation partners, collection and analysis of BMP and water quality data, municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) and concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) permitting and inspections, development of compliance assurance manuals and plans, and trend analysis of nutrient and sediment loads in tidal and non-tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay.

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Almost all of the money went to state and local governments.

By state

Each state below has its own page for this program, with its recipients and yearly totals.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.