FALMOUTH – Throughout Southeast New England, communities, non-profits, and regional organizations are working together to restore clean water, healthy watersheds and resilient shorelines.
To support and strengthen these partnerships, Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) announced on Tuesday of the availability of $2.3 million in competitive grants through the 2019 Southeast New England Program (SNEP) Watershed Grants.
The history of Southeast New England is bound to our unique environment: the life-sustaining fisheries of our coastal waters; the rivers which powered the growth of our cities; the forests and fields that give our inland and rural communities their special character. Today and in the future, a clean environment is more important than ever – as we work to adapt to the realities of climate change; maintain our quality of life; and create a prosperous and dynamic regional economy.
“We’ve come a long way in terms of cleaning up Narragansett Bay and improving water quality, but we still have a long way to go. It’s crucial we keep these funds flowing so we can restore more coastal watersheds and support local communities,” said U.S. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee who led efforts to establish and fund SNEP for coastal watershed restoration and who has helped make $15 million available for the program over the last three years.
“These grants will provide tangible benefits for our waterways and communities and I encourage Rhode Island entities to apply.”
2019 SNEP Watershed Grants are available to municipalities, state agencies, tribes, public commissions, non-profit organizations, and academic institutions. Most awards will be in the $100,000 – $500,000 range.
Grantees must provide additional non-federal matching funds, in either cash or in-kind services, totaling at least 25% of the overall project cost. To apply, organizations should download the “Request for Pre-Proposals” (RFP) at www.snepgrants.org. The deadline to submit pre-proposals is 5 p.m. on April 5, 2019.
RAE will host informational meetings for potential applicants throughout Southeast New England on Tuesday, March 19 in Providence, RI, Wednesday, March 20 in Taunton and on Thursday, March 21 in East Falmouth. Webinars will also be accessible on March 12 and 14.
2019 SNEP Watershed Grants will fund programs and projects that address one or more of the following priorities:
-Reduce nutrients and nutrient impacts on coastal ecosystems
-Develop and implement innovative approaches and practices that provide multiple benefits for communities and ecosystems
-Establish and support sustainable partnerships
-Foster environmental equity and the restoration of urban landscapes
-Promote peer-to-peer learning pertaining to clean water, habitat, and ecosystem restoration
-Foster adaptation to changing climate and environmental conditions
-Measure and assess the effectiveness of environmental programs and projects
-Build upon or implement existing watershed, water quality, or other environmental plans
The 2019 SNEP Watershed Grants will be awarded within the geographic region of Southeast New England: all lands, waters, and islands from Westerly, RI, to Pleasant Bay, MA, on Cape Cod, including the waters of Narragansett Bay and Buzzards Bay, and their watersheds as far north as Worcester and Brockton, MA. The funding region includes all major rivers and drainage basins flowing into coastal waters of Rhode Island, Buzzards Bay, and the South Shore of Cape Cod. It also includes Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Block Island, and the Elizabeth Islands. A map of the funding area is provided in the RFP available at www.snepgrants.org.
In 2018, SNEP Watershed Grants awarded $4.3 million in grants to fund high-impact environmental projects by organizations in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Funded projects included an innovative cranberry bog restoration on Cape Cod; a “green and complete street” installation in Pawtucket, R.I.; and partnerships to restore water quality at locationsthroughout
Southeast New England. In 2019 SNEP Watershed Grants provides a simple, streamlined application process in order to encourage organizations of all sizes to apply. In April, RAE will evaluate the pre-proposals submitted, then invite full proposals for projects with the potential for funding. Full proposals will be due for submittal in late May; in June, RAE will select the projects to be funded from among them. Throughout the application process, RAE will work with an independent, interdisciplinary review committee to evaluate both pre-and-full proposals. The final awards will be announced at public events in Rhode Island and Massachusetts in September, 2019.
By funding locally based partnerships that are working to reduce pollution and restore coastal habitats, 2019 SNEP Watershed Grants will help ensure clean water, sustainable ecosystems, resilient coasts, and vibrant communities throughout Southeast New England.
For more information and to apply, see www.snepgrants.org.
By TIM DUNN, CapeCod.com News Center
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