Lake Champlain Basin Program Offers $6 million for Grants to Protect Lands for Clean Water and Healthy Ecosystems

Grand Isle, VT – The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program seeks proposals for the acquisition of land or conservation easements on land located in the U.S. portion of the Lake Champlain Basin to protect or improve water quality and aquatic habitat, mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, or provide climate resiliency.

Up to $6,000,000 is available to support awarded projects. Each applicant may request a minimum of $100,000 up to a maximum of $2,000,000 for an individual proposal. Multiple proposals will be accepted from a single organization in response to this RFP.

These grants are supported with funds allocated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), a historic investment in United States water infrastructure, with more than $50 billion in program funding by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Nationwide, these initiatives support projects that create safe drinking water, provide clean water for communities, and protect regional waterways and their watersheds.

Dr. Eric Howe, Director of the Lake Champlain Basin Program, said, “Conserved lands are important in so many ways to water quality, habitat, and quality of life for human communities of the Lake Champlain basin. This BIL funding allows us to pursue projects that will have lasting impacts for generations.”

The eligible costs supported by these grants include the purchase price of the fee simple interest or conservation easement and associated costs, including, but not limited to, title insurance, surveying and mapping expenses, appraisal costs, closing costs, and outreach to communities in support of the proposal.

Opportunities for increasing access for public recreation will be considered as a co-benefit, but not a primary benefit, of land acquisition or conservation easements support through this program.  

The grants will support projects that advance the goals of the long-term Lake Champlain management plan Opportunities for Action. They are supported by funds awarded to NEIWPCC on behalf of the LCBP by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Applicants must submit proposals no later than 12pm (noon) on May 1, 2024.

Details, including grant guidelines and selection criteria, are available on the Lake Champlain Basin Program’s website at lcbp.org/grants.

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The Lake Champlain Basin Program coordinates and funds efforts that benefit the Lake Champlain Basin’s water quality, fisheries, wetlands, wildlife, recreation, and cultural resources. The program works in partnership with federal agencies, state and provincial agencies from New York, Vermont, and Québec, local communities, businesses, and citizen groups. NEIWPCC—a regional commission that helps the states of the Northeast preserve and advance water quality—serves as the primary program administrator of LCBP at the request of the Lake Champlain Steering Committee and administers the program’s personnel, finances, and contracts. NEIWPCC is a program partner of LCBP. For further information, contact the Lake Champlain Basin Program, 54 West Shore Road, Grand Isle, VT at (802) 372-3213 / (800) 468-5227 or visit https://www.lcbp.org/.