Requests for Proposals

These grants support projects to further the mission of the LCBP and address the research tasks outlined in our management plan, Opportunities for Action. Eligible organizations include colleges, universities, nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies, and municipalities in the U.S. and Canada.

These grant categories supports projects that will improve water quality and directly result in the reduction of water pollution in the Lake Champlain Basin (U.S. and Québec). Eligible organizations include colleges, universities, nonprofit organizations, and non-federal/non-state government agencies.

This grant opportunity supports projects that will inform students or adults about key Lake Champlain Basin issues identified in the management Opportunities for Action to develop awareness, knowledge, skills, and commitment on a Basin issue so that informed decisions and constructive actions will benefit Lake Champlain. Hands-on stewardship activities for citizens are strongly encouraged. Eligible organizations include public or private schools or other educational institutions; municipalities including municipal boards, commissions, or committees in the United States and Canada; 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organizations or citizen groups such as watershed associations working in coordination with such an organization that applies on their behalf and will manage the grant funds; Natural Resources Conservation Districts (VT) and Soil and Water Conservation Districts (NY).

This funding opportunity for large education and outreach projects will address strategies and tasks outlined in the Informed and Involved Public chapter of Opportunities for Action: An Evolving Plan for the Future of the Lake Champlain Basin. This opportunity is to support projects with a timeframe of January 2026 through March 2028. Award notices will be issued in Summer 2025.

For this funding cycle, priority topics set by the Lake Champlain Steering Committee include:

Road salt
Outreach programs, materials, or trainings for municipalities, landscapers, contractors, and homeowners about the impacts of winter deicing salts.

Phosphorus loading/cyanobacteria
Outreach programs or materials to explain nutrient loading, blooms, legacy phosphorus, loading reduction efforts, health and recreational impacts, and actions that individuals can take to help prevent phosphorus loading and cyanobacteria blooms, especially in areas experiencing first-time blooms or those where drinking water is affected.

Aquatic organism passage
Outreach programs or materials to increase the understanding and appreciation of the benefits of enhancing AOP, including habitat and water quality improvement and flood resilience.

Climate change adaptation and flood resilience
Outreach programs or materials to increase communities’ knowledge of the impacts of climate change, including water quantity and quality and forest health, as well as the value of wetlands, floodplains, and connected habitats to flood resilience.

Grants between $15,000-$50,000 will be awarded. LCBP anticipates a total of approximately $600,000 will be available to be awarded.

This grant opportunity is supported by funds awarded to NEIWPCC by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) on behalf of the Lake Champlain Basin Program. Partial funding of total application requests may be awarded if agreeable to the applicant. LCBP anticipates granting multiple awards from this RFP. All awards are subject to funding availability.

The intent of this grant category is to assist watershed organizations with the early stages of their development or to assist established watershed organizations in strengthening their organizational capacity. The goal is to increase capacity, not develop new programming (this work can be requested in other LCBP grant competitions).

(up to $15,000)

These grants are available to organizations who wish to partner with Stream Wise and conduct Stream Wise assessments in the communities they serve.

The intent of this grant category is to assist organizations focused on water quality or watershed ecosystem health working in the New York portion of the Lake Champlain basin to strengthen their organizational capacity. Requested funds should be applied to environmental-related activities, workforce development, or professional development support. LCBP’s annual Organizational Support grant opportunity supports administrative-related organizational capacity needs.

This grant category supports 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. 

Ce projet sollicite des propositions pour un programme de résidence d’artistes au Québec, qui recrutera des artistes chargés d’utiliser des données scientifiques, des tendances culturelles ou des faits historiques pour l’interprétation de ressources naturelles et culturelles dans le bassin du lac Champlain. Le projet retenu visera à inspirer et à informer les membres de la communauté sur l’environnement, le patrimoine culturel ou les questions sociales liés au lac, au moyen de supports créatifs.

These mini-grants provide professional development funds for the staff and volunteers of qualified watershed organizations in the Lake Champlain Basin, to cover expenses such as travel, meals, registration and accommodations at meetings, conferences, workshops and other venues designed to enhance the organizations’ capacity to operate.

Download the Watershed Association Professional Development Mini-Grants: Instructions, Application & Reimbursement Form →

These mini-grants provide educators with funds to buy materials for their classroom that will aid in teaching students about Lake Champlain Basin issues. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Download the Educator Mini-Grants: Instructions, Application & Reimbursement Form →

The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program (“LCBP”), in coordination with the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (“NEIWPCC”), is pleased to request that engineers licensed to practice in the State of New York, or entities partnering with them, submit proposals for the development of Final Designs for replacement of four culverts in the Boquet River Watershed in Lewis, NY.

LCBP anticipates offering one (1) award for this RFP. The purpose of this project is to create designs for the replacement of four culverts, correct structural deficiencies, improve stream geomorphic compatibility, and restore passage of all life stages of Eastern Brook trout and other aquatic species.

This opportunity is supported by funds awarded to Lake Champlain by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The award is subject to funding availability. This request for proposals is available at the Lake Champlain Basin Program website.

PROPOSAL DEADLINE NOTICE: Respondents must submit proposals via Foundant no later than 5:00PM EST on June 30, 2025. Late or incomplete proposals will not be considered.

Please contact Corrie Miller, Aquatic Organism Passage Restoration Specialist (cmiller@lcbp.org) with any questions regarding the RFP.

The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) seeks proposals for studies that assess the economic value of Lake Champlain at both the community and watershed scales. The LCBP anticipates awarding approximately $400,000 through two grant opportunities listed below:

1. LAKE CHAMPLAIN COMMUNITY-LEVEL ECONOMIC VALUATION STUDIES
(up to $50,000 per award; the LCBP anticipates awarding up to $200,000 total).

The Lake Champlain Community-level Economic Valuation studies will provide an economic analysis and public-facing outreach materials for communities connected to the analysis. These projects will demonstrate the economic value of investing in watershed practices at the community level.

2. LAKE CHAMPLAIN WATERSHED ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT: THE VALUE OF OUR CLEAN WATER AND HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS
(up to $200,000 available to support one awarded project).

The Lake Champlain Watershed Economic Assessment will measure and communicate the economic value that Lake Champlain and the clean water and healthy ecosystems of its watershed provides to the regional economy. The results of this project will provide a credible economic analysis and public facing outreach materials. The results of this valuation will be used in reports and publications by the Lake Champlain Basin Program and partners, including the US EPA. This comprehensive, multisectoral study will update and expand previous economic studies in the region. This study may lead to additional work in this sector.

The intent of this opportunity is to measurably enhance the native plant supply available to local organizations for habitat conservation projects that benefit Lake Champlain. Awarded funding may be used for infrastructure investments and to support workforce development initiatives needed to build or grow tree nursery capacity and reduce the cost of stems for conservation planting projects located in the Lake Champlain basin.

These grants funds support the costs for engineering services required for the design of a planned Best Management Practice (BMP) that will reduce phosphorus losses on farms within New York’s portion of the Lake Champlain Basin. An engineered BMP enhancement is used to meet the scope of a conservation planning component from the farm’s participation in the NY AEM Tier 3 program to further the capability for reducing nutrient losses at that site.