Grants

The Strategic Business Plan (SBP) adopted by the Chester County Commissioners (Commissioners) establishes goals for land preservation, water quality, public safety, public health (mental and physical), quality of life, and economic development. The Commissioners have authorized the Department of Parks + Preservation to solicit land preservation proposals from eligible municipalities and private nonprofit organizations in northern Chester County that advance the SBP and complement conservation work in the northern part of the county by offering “Northern Conservation Initiative” grants on a trial basis. The County will focus these funds on projects that preserve the most land with the greatest economy and efficiency. Examples of high priority projects include (but are not limited to) preserving water quality, conserving flood prone areas, providing public recreation opportunities, implementing local and regional policy plans, or otherwise implementing the SBP. For more information about this program, please contact Judy Thomas at jthomas@chesco.org.

DCNR’s Bureau of Recreation and Conservation (BRC) assists local governments and recreation and conservation organizations with funding for projects related to parks, recreation, planning, and conservation. Applications for DCNR’s Community Conservation Partnerships Program grants are accepted once a year, typically during the spring. Grants also support regional and statewide partnerships that build capacity to better develop and manage resources.

Tutorial videos: 

• Walkthrough of the grant application 
• 2023 grant workshop video series (additional project information)

Before starting your grant application, contact your DCNR Bureau of Recreation and Conservation regional advisor for advice on making your project as competitive as possible for funding.

The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts was awarded a $100,000 Community Conservation Partnerships Program Grant from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to offer Lawn Conversion training and mini-grants to Pennsylvania’s conservation districts. The lawn conversion program will help the Commonwealth achieve a goal of planting 5,000 acres of upland forest and 5,000 acres of meadow by 2025.

The Lawn Conversion for Conservation Districts training recording and a copy of Ryan Davis’s presentation are available on the PA Clean Water Academy. Click here to access the course page. (You will need to be logged in.) It is recommended that you complete the training before applying for the sub-grant.

Questions may be directed to Holly Miller, PACD Program Manager, at hmiller@pacd.org or (717) 794-6105.

Important: If your organization historically applied to both American Water and the American Water Charitable Foundation environmental grant programs, please note only one environmental-focused grant program will be offered in 2024. The American Water Environmental Grant Program has been discontinued and blended into the Foundation’s Water and Environment Grant Program.

Applications will be accepted in the following states served by American Water, in addition to its Military Service locations: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

Grants will be awarded to help fund innovative, community-based projects that:

• improve, restore or protect the watersheds, surface water and/or groundwater supplies
• promote water conservation
• improve equitable access to water-based recreation in underserved communities

To qualify:

• Applicants must be classified as a 501(c)(3) public charity by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or K-12 public school, college or university.
• Projects must be completed within 12 months of the grant being awarded
• Projects must be located within and benefit American Water’s service areas

Deadline:
Applications must be received online between February 5 – March 15, 2024. Grant decisions will be announced by April 30. To apply online, please visit amwater.com/awcfgrants or click the image below. Paper applications will not be accepted.