The Capacity Building Grant Program supports nonprofit organizations and local governments working at the intersection of natural resource protection and community well‑being across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Donor Name: Chesapeake Bay Trust
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/15/2026
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The Capacity Building Initiative is a program of the Chesapeake Bay Funders Network (CBFN), a collaborative funder network that builds and mobilizes grant makers to listen, learn, and work together in developing strategies that support a healthy environment and thriving communities across the Chesapeake Bay region.
The Initiative includes an annual funding opportunity, the Capacity Building Grant Program, which supports nonprofit organizations and local governments working at the intersection of natural resource protection and community well-being across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Tracks
- Organizational Capacity Building Track
- The Organizational Capacity Building Track supports environmental nonprofit organizations working to strengthen their own internal capacity so they can operate more effectively, sustainably, and in service of environmental and community health outcomes across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
- Projects in this track address challenges that affect long-term organizational effectiveness. Example projects include board development/recruitment, strategic planning, developing a fundraising plan, developing a marketing and communications plan, and much more. The emphasis is on strengthening how the organization functions, rather than expanding stand-alone programs or services.
- This track may also support the merger, exploration of a merger, or other integration such as shared back-office support, between two or more nonprofit organizations. Activities may include feasibility assessments, governance alignment, or systems integration, when these efforts are intended to strengthen long-term organizational health and effectiveness.
- This track is intended for applicants whose primary beneficiary is the organization itself, even when the broader purpose is to improve outcomes for communities or the watershed.
- Local Government Capacity Building Track
- The Local Government Capacity Building Track supports projects designed to strengthen the capacity of local governments or Tribal Nations to advance environmental outcomes across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Example projects could include mapping and creating inventory of storm water assets with a risk assessment, developing standard policies and procedures for water quality assessment and data collection, strategic planning related to responsiveness to changing environmental conditions, etc.
- Eligible applicants include local governments and Tribal Nations, as well as nonprofit organizations whose proposed work is primarily intended to build governmental capacity. While projects may involve collaboration among multiple organizations or jurisdictions, the central purpose of the work must be to strengthen the capacity of governments, rather than nonprofit organizations.
- This track is intended for projects where local governments or Tribal Nations are the primary beneficiaries of the capacity-building effort.
- Movement Building Track
- The Movement Building Track supports nonprofit organizations whose proposed work is intentionally designed to build the capacity of other environmental nonprofit organizations, to support them in advancing work that supports the Chesapeake Bay Agreement Goals. Projects in this track position the applicant as a provider of capacity-building support, rather than a primary recipient.
- Movement building proposals are distinct from organizational capacity-building projects in that the applicant’s primary role is to strengthen the effectiveness of multiple nonprofit organizations, particularly smaller or lower-capacity organizations.
- Projects in this track may include technical assistance, training, or other structured capacity-building activities that help multiple nonprofits work more effectively toward shared goals that align with the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. Movement building projects must be designed to benefit more than one external organization but do not support the formation or ongoing operation of formal networks or coalitions.
Funding Information
- Available funding: Approximately $1.4 million
- Up to $40,000 (nonprofits)
- Up to $150,000 (local governments)
Geographical Areas
- Eligible applicants must be organizations or governments whose proposed capacity-building work takes place within, or primarily serves communities within, the Chesapeake Bay watershed, encompassing Washington, D.C., and portions of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
- Within Maryland, applicants located in or primarily serving the Maryland Coastal Bays and the Youghiogheny River watershed are also eligible for this program.
Eligible Expenses
- The following costs are not eligible in this grant program:
- General operating support.
- Applications by for-profit entities.
- Organizations with outstanding final, progress, or status reports under other Trust
grants. - Stand-alone program delivery or implementation.
- Projects required by consent decrees or mandated local jurisdiction mitigation actions.
Eligibility Criteria
- Nonprofit organizations aligned with Chesapeake Bay Agreement Goals and with at least one staff member
- Track applicants can have no more than 40 staff
- Local governments and Tribal nations aligned with Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement Goals
For more information, visit Chesapeake Bay Trust.
