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Mini Grant

The Chesapeake Bay Trust Mini Grant Program awards up to $5,000 to support activities at schools and non-profit organizations that help promote awareness of and participation in the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers and streams. The Mini Grant Program is supported by a partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Bay Watershed Education and Training Program.


Program Status

The Mini Grant program for Outreach and Community Engagement requests is currently OPEN. To view the RFP, click here.

NEW Structure in 2011-2012
In order to maximize the effectiveness of the Mini Grant Program and offer funding opportunities for fall, spring and summer projects, the program will be restructured for Fiscal Year 2012 (July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012). Requests for Environmental Education projects will no longer be accepted on a rolling basis, but now will be accepted during three deadlines. Please read below for more details.

Requests for Outreach and Community Engagement projects by Organizations: These requests will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis, and projects starting July 1, 2011, are eligible for application at any time. Please continue to observe our “six-week rule,” and submit your application at least six weeks prior to the project start date. Applicants submitting between now and July 1, 2011, will be notified after July 1, 2011.

CLOSED for FY2012: Requests for Environmental Education projects proposed by Schools or Organizations working with Schools:
Due to extremely high demand for field trips and other school-related requests, the Trust will offer three Mini Grant Environmental Education deadlines during the next fiscal year: June 10, 2011 , August 12, 2011, and January 13, 2012. The Trust is still unable to provide reimbursement funding; this means that project start dates must occur after the date of decision. Deadlines, decision dates, and acceptable project start dates are listed below.

Mini Grant Environmental Education Program Deadlines (no faxes or emails will be accepted):

Deadline Date                             Decision Date                          Project Start Date
June 10, 2011, 5:00pm (passed)   August 8, 2011                         no earlier than August 8, 2011
August 12, 2011, 5:00pm              October 6, 2011                       no earlier than October 6, 2011
January 13, 2012, 5:00pm            March 13, 2012                        no earlier than March 13, 2012

Applications must be received by the Trust by the deadline date; applications post-marked the day of the deadline but not received by the deadline will not be accepted for review.

Examples of application and project timing:

  • If your project starts on September 1, 2011, you must apply by the June 10, 2011, deadline.  You cannot wait for the August 12, 2011 deadline because you will not be notified until October 6, 2011, after your project start date.
  • If your field trip occurs on March 1, 2012, you must apply by August 12, 2011, nine months in advance, in order to receive notification before your trip.
  • If your field trip occurs on April 1, 2012, you can apply by any of the three deadlines.  However, if you wait until the January 13, 2012, deadline, you will not find out until March 13, 2012, only about two weeks before your field trip.  If you need more lead time for planning purposes, you should apply by the August 12, 2011 deadline.

Please feel free to contact Kacey Wetzel at kwetzel@cbtrust.org with any questions regarding the new structure of the Mini Grant Program.

Grant Application Process

Applications for this program must be completed by downloading the RFP from the forms page and submitting it to:

The Chesapeake Bay Trust
Attn: Mini Grant Program
60 West Street, Suite 405
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Questions & Technical Support

Kacey Wetzel
kwetzel@cbtrust.org
410-974-2941 x104