The National Park Service Chesapeake Bay Office is accepting project proposals from Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Trail partners for financial assistance awards. Public water access site development projects that advance the development of designated Gateways water trails, the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, and/or the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail are the funding priority for fiscal year 2014.
Who May Apply: Applicants for NPS Chesapeake Bay financial assistance awards must be either a non-profit organization (qualified as such under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code) or a state or local government. For Federal sites, only non-Federal partner organizations may apply.
Award Amount: Awards range from $10,000 to $125,000, or potentially higher. The requested funds must be matched by an equal (1:1) or greater amount of non-Federal support dedicated to the proposed project.
Application Deadline: Project applications must be submitted via email to NPS Chesapeake Bay Office. Deadline for submission is 3:00 pm on Friday, April 11, 2014. Potential project applicants must carefully review the Program Guidelines & Application instructions.
Project Consultation: Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact NPS Chesapeake Bay staff to discuss project proposals before submitting an application. Two conference calls have been scheduled on Tuesday, March 4th, from 1:30 to 3:00 pm and on Thursday, March 6, from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm to address questions. The toll-free call-in number for these conference calls is 866-704-1637, participant code 269490#. NPS Chesapeake Bay staff may also be reached at 410-260-2488 for additional consultation.
Award Process: Applicants must be willing and able to promptly produce detailed project implementation and contractual documents as directed by NPS Chesapeake Bay to successfully secure funding. Applicants selected for financial assistance awards should anticipate an additional workload in early May to complete the award process.
Application Materials: Tools and guidance for completing and submitting project proposals are available at www.baygateways.net/grants.cfm.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
