DEP-BWR-NOI-FY27-NSA Grant ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Water Resources is offering the Fiscal Year 2027 Natural Resource Area Nitrogen Sensitive Area Grant Program to assist municipalities in completing Watershed Management Plans. These plans are required to support either a Watershed Permit application or a De Minimis Load application, with a specific focus on implementing solutions to combat cultural eutrophication caused by nitrogen pollution from wastewater and other sources. The total available funding for the program is estimated at 830,000 dollars, with individual grant awards ranging from 20,000 to 350,000 dollars per applicant. Applications must be submitted electronically as a Word or PDF file by 5:00 p.m. EST on October 26, 2026. Proposals are limited to 15 single-sided pages and must include a detailed project description, budget, timeline, and qualifications of the organization and project manager. A review committee will score applications based on project benefit, budget and timeline, organizational qualifications, project description, and the prioritization of disadvantaged communities. All funded work must be completed by June 30, 2027, and payment requests must be submitted by that date.