Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund (DWCF) Conservation Action Grant

Grants to New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware nonprofit organizations, government agencies, tribes, and educational institutions for environmental improvement projects in the local watershed. Funding is intended for the rehabilitation and conservation of natural areas, corridors, and waterways that support native fish, wildlife and plants, and to contribute to the vitality of the communities in the Delaware River watershed. All Delaware River Program projects must be implemented entirely within the Delaware River watershed, which includes portions of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Organizations located outside the watershed may apply if the project will be conducted entirely within the watershed.

DWCF Conservation Action Grants will be awarded to implement on-the-ground restoration and conservation projects that achieve the goals of the Delaware River Basin Restoration Partnership and Program Framework to: sustain and enhance fish and wildlife habitat; improve and maintain water quality for fish, wildlife and people; sustain and enhance water management to benefit fish and wildlife; and improve outdoor recreational opportunities. To address these goals, projects, which may be located anywhere within the Delaware River watershed, must employ one or more of the strategies described in the Program Priorities section below.

Priority for Conservation Action Grants will be given to projects that collaboratively address one or more of the following Strategic Program Areas.

1. Strategic Program Area 1: Sustain and Enhance Fish and Wildlife Habitat Restoration and Conservation Activities
2. Strategic Program Area 2: Improve and Maintain Water Quality to Support Fish and Wildlife, as well as Habitats for Fish and Wildlife and Drinking Water for People. 
3. Strategic Program Area 3: Sustain and Enhance Water Resource Management for Volume and Flood Damage Mitigation Improvements to Benefit Fish and Wildlife Habitat. 
4. Strategic Program Area 4: Improve Opportunities for Public Access and Recreation in the Basin Consistent with the Ecological Needs of Fish and Wildlife Habitat.

DWCF Incubation and Investment Grants

• NFWF is making available funding for projects that enable the DWCF to support high-performing science and innovation concepts. Projects should have significant potential to transform the Delaware River watershed's future in areas including conservation and restoration action, diversity and inclusion, and public access.
• Incubation and Investment Grants will be awarded to projects that address cross cutting issues that are barriers to, or represent unique opportunities for, accelerating habitat improvement for fish, wildlife and people in the Delaware River watershed. For example, grants may support innovative methods and new technologies to drive down implementation costs, ensure the effectiveness and continual improvement of conservation and restoration practices, and enhance community engagement and experience in nature.
• Projects should seek to build proof of concept and are strongly encouraged to include assessment and evaluation to draw meaningful conclusions about efficacy and to include robust documentation of results to enhance transferability and utility.

For more information about the project priorities, see: https://www.nfwf.org/sites/default/files/2021-02/delaware-river-program-2021-rfp.pdf#page=2