National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund

With the overall goal to restore the Chesapeake Bay’s water quality and habitats, the intent of the Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction (INSR) program is to accelerate the “implementation of proven water quality improvement practices…and approaches necessary to achieve remaining pollution reductions by the Total Maximum Daily Load’s 2025 deadline.” INSR offers two grant tracks, Partnership and Infrastructure, for eligible projects that occur within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Note: NFWF strongly encourages all prospective INSR applicants to consult with NFWF program staff prior to submitting applications and no later than October 30, to ensure eligibility and competitiveness of proposed projects and receive feedback. For details, please refer to the INSR 2025 Request for Proposals.

Eligible Entities: Nonprofit 501(c) organizations, state government agencies, local and municipal governments, Tribal governments and organizations, and educational institutions
Award Amount: $500,000-$2 million each, for 20-40 individual grants
Required Match: Non-federal matching contributions equal to the grant request are required for the INSR Partnership Grants; non-federal matching contributions are encouraged but not required for the INSR Infrastructure Grants.
Applications Due: November 5, 2024, by noon (12:00 PM EST)