Grants

The Environmental Stewardship and Watershed Protection Act, known as the Growing Greener Watershed Restoration and Protection Program (Growing Greener), was passed into law in December 1999. The statutory authority for the grants is found in Section 6105(b) of the Environmental Stewardship and Watershed Protection Act (27 Pa.C.S. §§ 6101—6113). The primary purpose of the program is to restore impaired waters and protect waterways from nonpoint source pollution within the Commonwealth

This pilot project is an approach to providing funding for urgent, unforeseen situations on designated water trails that impede or impair access, create unsafe conditions/ safety concerns for paddlers or others who want to access the water trail, affect safe ingress/egress from the water trail, etc.

Such situations could include, but are not limited to,

• Storm-induced scouring, flooding, debris impoundments that severely impact navigation.
• Fallen trees or other large obstructions caused by a storm or other event that will prohibit or severely impact an imminent sojourn, paddle fest, race, etc. 
• A situation where there is a major in-water litter/trash issue immediately prior to a planned community event, paddle, race, etc.
• A situation in which an access improvement/ enhancement project was funded and is almost complete, but an unforeseen event or situation threatens to prevent the project from being completed without a small infusion of extra funding.
• The destruction of a safety or wayfinding sign at an access point, if the sign was critical to orienting paddlers or providing critical information about a river hazard, portage, dam, 

In short, the situation must be caused by an “unanticipated” event, or one that could not be reasonably planned for. A known ongoing situation that was simply not addressed in time would not qualify. This funding should be viewed as a “last resort.” 

If the applicant is not the Water Trail Manager, applicant must contact the Water Trail Manager before applying to this funding. Additional, all applicants must contact one of the Water Trail Program Partners at PEC, DCNR or PFBC prior to applying.

Recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of anglers and boaters is important to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC). The R3 Education Grant Program (R3 Grant) provides funding to support R3-related educational programs delivered by our partners. Supporting partners in their efforts significantly increases learning opportunities for current, past, and future anglers and boaters.

​To ease this financial burden for teachers and help support the thousands of students engaged each year in PA Trout in the Classroom (TIC), the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited (PATU) awards funding to TIC teachers annually through the TIC Grant Program. 

Grants up to $500 can  help keep existing and already-established TIC programs running.​ For the 2022/2023 school year, funding is also available for assistance starting a new TIC program.