Landscape Characterization and Monitoring in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed | EPA R3 CBP 24 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA R3 CBP 24 01

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP), is offering a discretionary funding opportunity called "Landscape Characterization and Monitoring in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed" (Funding Opportunity Number: EPA R3 CBP 24 01). The award will be made as a cooperative agreement, which typically means EPA expects substantial involvement in shaping or coordinating the work as it is carried out, rather than simply providing funds and stepping back. The opportunity sits under CFDA 66.466 and is grounded in the Chesapeake Bay Program's authority under Section 117 of the Clean Water Act (33 USC Section 1267), reflecting the long-standing federal commitment to restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed through coordinated regional action.

At its core, this grant is designed to strengthen the data and analytical foundation that Chesapeake Bay restoration partners rely on for planning, tracking progress, and running the program's modeling tools. CBP is a multi-jurisdictional partnership that includes state, federal, and local participants, and it supports the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council by coordinating restoration and protection activities focused on living resources and water quality across the watershed. This funding opportunity is aimed at ensuring that the non-federal partners in that system have current, high-quality landscape information that can be applied consistently across jurisdictions and used confidently in CBP decision-making and reporting.

The work being sought focuses on three tightly connected deliverables. First is updated land use and land cover data for the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Because land use change is one of the biggest drivers of runoff, nutrient and sediment pollution, and habitat condition, keeping these datasets current is essential for understanding where pressures are increasing, where conservation is working, and how landscape patterns are evolving over time. Second is enhanced river corridor data, which generally points to improved spatial information about streams, floodplains, riparian buffers, and adjacent lands that influence water quality and ecosystem health. River corridors are especially important in the Bay context because they shape how pollutants move, where restoration can be most effective, and how habitats connect across the watershed. Third is the production of landscape metrics and communication products tied to those datasets. In practice, that means not only generating raw geospatial layers, but also translating them into usable indicators, summaries, visualizations, documentation, and other materials that help partners apply the information in restoration targeting, progress tracking, and public or interagency communication.

A major emphasis of the notice is usability within CBP's management framework, specifically supporting CBP outcomes and the Phase 7 suite of modeling tools. The Chesapeake Bay Program uses watershed and water quality models to estimate pollutant loads, evaluate management scenarios, and track progress toward Bay-wide commitments. Those models depend heavily on consistent land cover, land use, and corridor-related inputs. By funding an effort that produces updated datasets and companion metrics and products, EPA is seeking to improve the accuracy, consistency, and practical application of Phase 7 model inputs and the partner-facing tools and analyses built on top of them. The notice highlights a preference for applications that are insightful, expert, and cost-effective, signaling that technical competence in geospatial analysis, landscape monitoring, data management, and stakeholder-oriented product development is central to being competitive.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity anticipates a single award (Expected Awards: 1) with an award ceiling of $6,500,000. The original closing date listed is 2024-07-19, and the opportunity was created on 2024-05-17. Eligible applicants are listed broadly as "Others," but the notice directs applicants to Section III for the specific eligibility rules, which is where EPA typically spells out whether universities, nonprofits, state or local governments, interstate entities, or other organizations may apply and under what conditions. Overall, the grant is best understood as a high-impact, watershed-scale data and decision-support investment: it is meant to refresh and enhance the landscape information infrastructure that Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions and partners use to guide restoration work and to run and interpret CBP modeling and outcome tracking.

• The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Landscape Characterization and Monitoring in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.466.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-05-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-19. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $6,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for EPA R3 CBP 24 01

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