LCBP Requests for proposals

Since 1992, the LCBP has awarded more than 1,000 grants to local organizations to support a variety of pollution prevention, habitat restoration, and other projects that improve the quality of Lake Champlain. In that same time, the LCBP and its partner organizations also have funded numerous projects conducted by universities, consultants, research foundations, nonprofit organizations, and others. These projects include scientific research, best management demonstration projects, education and outreach efforts, and other initiatives that are key to implementing Opportunities for Action.

The LCBP currently funds most projects through two general grant categories: Local Implementation Grants and Program Grants.

Local Implementation Grants

Requests for Proposals for Local Implementation Grants are usually released in early fall, with a deadline in late fall and awards announced in early winter. Local grants are awarded in one of several categories: Pollution Prevention and Habitat Conservation, Aquatic Invasive Species Spread Prevention, Education and Outreach, and Organizational Support. The Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership awards local grants through a Request for Pre-proposals process. CVNHP local grants are awarded in the following categories: Local Heritage, Interpretive Theme, Collections, and Internships. Grants for special programs are sometimes awarded as appropriate. Local grants are awarded for up to $50,000, depending on the category.

The LCBP also awards “Enhanced BMP” grants. Like Local Implementation Grants, these awards are available only to non-profit organizations. An RFP for these grants is usually released in late summer. These grants, which support larger-scale projects that reduce water pollution from stormwater runoff, are available in two categories: best management plan construction and project planning and prioritization. Enhanced BMP Grants are awarded for up to $125,000.

Program Grants

Each year, the LCBP funds a number of projects that improve knowledge of the Lake Champlain Basin and inform management of its natural and cultural resources. These projects help to achieve the goals of Opportunities for Action and provide critical information to other research and management partners who are working to improve the health of the lake. The bulk of scientific research and implementation projects, as well as Heritage Program grants, are now identified and funded through a pre-proposal process that begins in the fall. RFPs for additional projects, including education and outreach, are released periodically throughout the year.

The table below contains a tentative schedule of grant release and due dates.

LCBP/CVNHP RFPs

(details for each RFP can be found below)

Local Implementation Grants	Release Date	Due Date
Pollution Prevention and Wildlife Habitat Conservation	September 16, 2019	October 31, 2019
Aquatic Invasive Species Spread Prevention	September 16, 2019	October 31, 2019
Enhanced Best Management Practices for Pollution Reduction	August 15, 2019	October 3, 2019
Education & Outreach – Small and Large Grants	Mid October	Early January
Organizational Support	Mid October	Mid December
Program Grants	Release Date	Due Date
Technical Project Pre-proposals	October 1, 2019	November 5, 2019
Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership Pre-proposals	October 1, 2019	November 4, 2019
New York Agronomy Projects	Mid September	Early November
Artist in Residence Pre-proposals	October 2, 2019	November 25, 2019
Missisquoi Bay TMDL Project	October 1, 2019	November 21, 2019
Lake Carmi TMDL Project	Mid September	Late November
Public Awareness Survey	Early December	Late January

Local Implementation Grants

The Lake Champlain Basin Program, in cooperation with the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission, is pleased to announce the 2019 Local Implementation Grant programs, including the following groups of grants:

Pollution Prevention & Wildlife Habitat Conservation Grants 

(up to $20,000 per award)

Aquatic Invasive Species Spread Prevention Grants

(up to $15,000 per award)

Grant Applications due October 31, 2019*

* The LCBP anticipates releasing RFPs for Education and Outreach Grants and Organizational Support Grants under a separate announcement in October 2019.

The LCBP anticipates awarding more than 25 grants, reflecting more than $500,000 to support local community involvement in the implementation of the comprehensive management plan Opportunities for Action: An Evolving Plan for the Future of the Lake Champlain Basin plan.lcbp.org. Funds to support these awards are anticipated from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and the US Environmental Protection Agency through agreements with the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission.

Grant Guidelines, with more information about the grant program and how to prepare a competitive application, are available on the LCBP website at https://www.lcbp.org/about-us/grants-rfps/request-for-proposals-rfps/ Application Forms are provided in Microsoft Word format. Please review all of the materials provided in the Grant Guidelines carefully before beginning your application. Organizations with existing LCBP-funded projects are eligible to apply for new funding only if all project deliverables and obligations under existing and past awards are fully up-to-date and the projects are in good standing. All grant proposals that have a fieldwork component must provide assurance that appropriate invasive species spread prevention measures will be included in the project design. Please follow the grant application instructions carefully.

Applicants are encouraged to contact LCBP staff for assistance prior to the preparation of project proposals. LCBP staff do not make award decisions and can assist applicants in interpretation of the RFP instructions and guidelines. All completed applications must be received electronically at grants@lcbp.org by the appropriate deadline indicated in the associated RFP.  Paper copies of proposals will not be accepted. Award notifications should be expected by December 2019.

If you would like to receive a printed or email version of this RFP please contact us at 802-372-3213 or at grants@lcbp.org.

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Best Management Practices for Pollution Reduction: Implementation and Planning Grants

The Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) in conjunction with the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) is pleased to announce a Request for Proposals (RFP) for projects to develop and install large Best Management Practices for pollution reduction in the US-portion of the Lake Champlain Basin, and for projects to provide planning and prioritization for future on-the-ground interventions.

Eligible projects for installation of best management practices might include innovative tasks for shoreline stabilization, green infrastructure project implementation, stormwater management projects, combined sewer overflow (CSO) reduction, or the purchase of equipment to be shared among organizations. Eligible projects for planning and prioritization of interventions might include innovative green infrastructure planning at a municipal level, CSO reduction strategies, or watershed scale assessments and prioritizations.

Up to $500,000 is available for supporting two types of projects from this RFP. Projects for installation of best management practices (Category A projects) should be scoped for $50,000 to $125,000; projects for planning and prioritization (Category B projects) should be scoped to a budget up to $50,000.

This work is applicable to the Clean Water and Healthy Ecosystem goals of LCBP’s long-term management plan Opportunities for Action: An Evolving Plan for the Future of the Lake Champlain Basin (http://plan.lcbp.org)).This grant opportunity is supported by funds awarded to the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC).

To receive a copy of the RFP via U.S. Postal Service, contact the Lake Champlain Basin Program office at (802) 372-3213 or toll free at (800) 468-LCBP in New York and Vermont.

Applicants must submit proposals in electronic format. Please see the RFP and the attached proposal format information for complete details.

DEADLINE NOTICE:
Electronic versions of proposals must be RECEIVED by the Lake Champlain Basin Program office no later than:
October 3rd, 2019

Late or incomplete proposals will not be considered.

Download the RFP

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Program Grants

Technical Pre-Proposals

The Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), in conjunction with the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) is pleased to announce a Request for Pre-Proposals for services to further the mission of the Lake Champlain Basin Program and address the tasks outlined in our guiding document, Opportunities for Action (http://plan.lcbp.org). The total request for each project may range from $20,000 to $300,000.

The pre-proposal should be a two-page document to introduce the project, adhering to the format requirements on page 9 of the RFP. After review of the submitted pre-proposals, a subset of applicants will be asked to submit a full proposal for funding consideration for projects to begin in early 2021 (see timeframe table in Section IV below). Pre-proposals not invited for full proposal consideration in this cycle may be revised and submitted for future funding opportunities. All awards are subject to available funding.

LCBP seeks pre-proposals for projects that address any strategies and tasks outlined in Opportunities for Action. LCBP is particularly interested in funding projects that address the following priorities (priorities are not listed in order of importance):

1. Projects that evaluate water quality BMP design standards, maintenance and operation standards, and long-term performance, including those that address removal of dissolved phosphorus and or environmental conditions related to climate change.
2. Conservation and restoration research or implementation projects that support:
   1. native species and their habitat,
   2. water quality, and or
   3. flood resilience.
3. New York Basin-wide stream equilibrium and streambank erosion assessment and inventory.
   1. New York has recently initiated a statewide flood mitigation and streambank erosion study which includes the East & West Branch Ausable, Great Chazy, Little Chazy, and Bouquet Rivers in the Lake Champlain Basin. Proposals addressing this priority will expand the existing study to cover all other high priority watersheds within the to identify and prioritize critical stream reaches that contribute to excess in-channel erosion. Where applicable, the project will identify potential causes of exacerbated erosion. The assessment would result in a planning document to leverage implementation funding through NY’s Water Quality Improvement Program (WQIP) grant, Non-Point Source Planning Grant and Green Innovative Grant Program for targeted stream stabilization and stream corridor protection projects to reduce sedimentation and phosphorous loading as well as mitigating flood risk.
4. Research to better understand the water quality impacts of road de-icing alternatives and recent changes in de-icing agent application rates.
5. Research to better understand winter season in-lake biogeochemistry, or watershed nutrient fate and transport.

We anticipate these projects will be supported with funds awarded to the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission in support of the Lake Champlain Basin Program. This Request for Pre-Proposals is available at the Lake Champlain Basin Program website (http://lcbp.org/).

PRE-PROPOSAL DEADLINE NOTICE: Only electronic pre-proposals will be accepted and must be received by Kathy Jarvis (grants@lcbp.org) at the Lake Champlain Basin Program by:

November 5, 2019

LATE OR INCOMPLETE PRE-PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Download the RFP

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Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership Pre-proposals

The Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), with the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) is pleased to announce a Request for Pre-Proposals for projects and programs that highlight the Interpretive Themes and further the goals, actions and tasks described in the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (CVNHP) Management Plan (pages 39-68).

The pre-proposal should be a two-page document to introduce the project, adhering to the Pre-Proposal Format Requirements on page 9 of the RFP. After review of the submitted pre-proposals, a subset of applicants will be asked to submit a full proposal for funding consideration for projects to begin on October 1, 2020. Pre-proposals not invited for full proposal consideration in this cycle may be revised and submitted for future funding opportunities. All award notifications are subject to available funding.

The LCBP is particularly interested in funding projects that address the following priorities:

CVNHP Special Program Funding Projects ($10,000-$40,000) will have an emphasis on any of the following:

• Serve the CVNHP Corridor of Commerce Interpretive Theme with emphasis on the Temperance Movement, the Prohibition Era, or Smuggling to support multi-jurisdictional, or regional projects that interpret, highlight, and support the observation of the 100^th anniversary of the 18^th Amendment and a long history of illegal trade throughout the region.

CVNHP Core Grant Program proposals may include:

• Local Heritage Grants (up to $4,000 for local projects; up to $7,500 for regional, multi-jurisdictional projects)
• Corridor of Commerce Interpretive Theme Grants (up to $7,500)
• Collections Grants (up to $7,500)
• Internship Grants (up to $5,000)

We anticipate these projects will be supported with funds awarded to NEIWPCC by the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC).

PRE-PROPOSAL DEADLINE NOTICE: Only electronic pre-proposals in MS Word or compatible formats will be accepted and must be received by jbrangan@lcbp.org AND grants@lcbp.org by November 4, 2019.

Download the RFP

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Artist in Residence Programs

The Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), in cooperation with the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC), is pleased to announce this Request for Pre-Proposals (RFPP) for Artist-in-Residence (AiR) programs in the Lake Champlain Basin. This opportunity will support development of sustainable Artist-in-Residence programs that will recruit artists to obtain and use scientific data, cultural trends, or historical facts to increase interpretation of natural resources within the Lake Champlain basin.

Pre-proposals will be evaluated through a competitive process; a subset of pre-proposal applicants will be asked to submit a full proposal, with a developed budget and anticipated project outputs and outcomes. Grant award recipients will be selected from the pool of full proposals and successful projects may begin on October 1, 2020. The aim of this process is to invite a wide range of innovative and effective projects and further the goals of Opportunities for Action: An Evolving Plan for the Future of the Lake Champlain Basin.

Requests up to $40,000 will be accepted. More than one grant may be awarded from this competition.

The pre-proposal should be a two-page document to introduce the project, adhering to the format requirements of the RFPP. After review of the submitted pre-proposals, a subset of applicants will be asked to submit a full proposal for funding consideration for projects to begin in the spring of 2021 and finish in the fall of 2022.

These projects will be supported with funds awarded to NEIWPCC on behalf of the LCBP by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC).

PRE-PROPOSAL DEADLINE NOTICE: Only electronic pre-proposals in MS Word or compatible formats will be accepted and must be received by jbrangan@lcbp.org AND grants@lcbp.org by November 25, 2019.

Download the Request for Pre-Proposals

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Internal Phosphorus Loading Management Study for Missisquoi Bay

The Lake Champlain Basin Program and New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission are pleased to announce a Request for Proposals (RFP) to identify phosphorus-rich areas within the riverine deltas and elsewhere in the Quebec- and Vermont-portions of Missisquoi Bay and evaluate options for in-lake phosphorus management to reduce ongoing loading from these sediments. The successful applicant will propose a project that completes the outputs described in the attached RFP according the required project timeline. Up to $250,000 is available to support this project, and it is anticipated that one successful project will be chosen.

This work is applicable to the Clean Water Goal of the LCBP’s long-term management plan – Opportunities for Action: An Evolving Plan for the Future of the Lake Champlain Basin. This project is supported by funds awarded to the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission on behalf of the Lake Champlain Basin Program by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

To receive a copy of the RFP via U.S. Postal Service, contact the Lake Champlain Basin Program office at (802) 372-3213 or toll free at (800) 468-LCBP in New York and Vermont.

DEADLINE NOTICE:

Applicants must submit proposals in electronic format ONLY. Please see the RFP and the proposal format information for complete details (link below).
Electronic versions of proposals must be RECEIVED by grants@lcbp.org no later than:

November 21, 2019

Late, incomplete, or non-electronic proposals will not be considered.

Successful applicants will be notified in February 2020. Although LCBP reserves the right to make no awards, we anticipate granting one award from this RFP.

Download the RFP

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View a list of recently closed RFPs, or search our publications database to read the technical reports that have resulted from past projects.