Lake Champlain Basin Program to Fund Stormwater Property Assessment and Technical Assistance Community Partners

Grand Isle, VT – The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), in partnership with NEIWPCC, seeks to fund community partners to conduct Lake Wise, Stream Wise, and Stormwater educational property assessments in the Lake Champlain Basin. 

This opportunity is intended to fund and equip selected applicants to engage landowners to better manage their property for clean water, natural resources conservation, biodiversity, and flood resilience. 

One-year grants up to $20,000 will be awarded. Of these grant awards, successful applicants may seek reimbursement for up to $10,000 for supplies and materials needed to install best management practices identified during property assessments as part of their funded project. Approximately $490,000 in funding is available to support this initiative. 

“This grant opportunity builds on the successes of the Lake Wise and Stream Wise property assessment programs and will advance the effort to unify our approach to stormwater outreach in the Lake Champlain Basin,” said Dr. Eric Howe, NEIWPCC Program Director of the Lake Champlain Basin Program. “With education and technical assistance provided by local watershed groups, property owners can play an important role in improving water quality, habitat, and flood resilience on their land to benefit the health of Lake Champlain.” 

The awarded projects will advance the goals of the long-term Lake Champlain management plan Opportunities for Action (plan.lcbp.org). This grant opportunity is supported by funds awarded to Lake Champlain by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

Proposals are due at 5:00 PM EST on November 7, 2025. An informational webinar will be offered at 12:00 p.m. on October 8, 2025 (register for the Zoom meeting here). Awarded projects are targeted to begin work in March 2026 and must be completed by December 2026. 

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 www.lcbp.org. 

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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/.