The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is seeking applications for its Vermont Watershed Grants program to provide financial assistance to groups looking to protect, restore, and enhance the biological integrity and public appreciation of Vermont’s lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.

Funded by half of the proceeds from sales of the Vermont Conservation License Plate fund, the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife distributes Watershed Grant money, in coordination with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, to local and regional water-related projects throughout the state.

Program Goals

Since its creation in 1998, the Vermont Watershed Grant Program’s primary focus has been to support the protection, restoration, enhancement, and public appreciation of Vermont’s lake, pond, rivers and streams.The grant programalsosupports efforts that improve surface water quality in keeping with stated habitat improvement objectives. Watershed Grant projects have included:

• Protect or restore fish and wildlife habitat
• Protect or restore water quality and shoreline
• Monitor fish and wildlife populations and/or water quality
• Reduce nutrient and sedimentation loading
• Enhance recreational use and enjoyment of aquatic habitat
• Educate people about aquatic resources and conservation stewardship
• Identify and protect historic and cultural resources associated with habitat conservation and stewardship

Funding Information

• For 2021, total available funding is $60,000.

Project Categories

• Education and outreach – up to $5,000
• Planning, assessment, inventory, monitoring – up to $3,500
• On-the-ground implementation – up to $10,000

Eligibility Criteria

• Municipalities, local or regional governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, and citizen groups are eligible to receive watershed grant dollars for work on public or private lands.
• Individuals and state and federal agencies are not eligible to receive funds directly but may be partners of a project.
• Only one project will be accepted per applicant.
• Applications will not be accepted from groups with open Watershed Grants from a previous year.

For more information, visit Vermont Watershed Grants.