Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced today that 17 projects in the state’s Southeast Region were awarded a total of $2,011,412 through DEP’s Growing Greener Plus grant program. These projects work to protect waterways and watersheds, reclaim abandoned mine sites, and work to reclaim and plug abandoned oil and gas wells. This year’s awards exceed $15 million statewide.
“The Growing Greener Plus grant program empowers communities to pursue environmental progress and innovation,” said Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley. “This support fuels vital Pennsylvania initiatives that protect our land and restore local watersheds. As a result, our Commonwealth can look forward to a greener future.”
Growing Greener is the largest single investment of state funds in Pennsylvania's history to address critical environmental concerns. Growing Greener grants can be awarded to watershed groups, local or county government, municipal authorities, county planning commissions, county conservation districts, council of governments, educational institutions, or non-profit organizations. Grantees have up to three years to implement their projects.
This funding is being distributed through existing Commonwealth grant programs to ensure high-impact projects are selected in the affected communities and that proper oversight is provided. Grant programs include those operated by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the DEP.
For more information on the Growing Greener Plus grant program, application guidance, and to sign up for notifications when grant programs reopen, visit DEP’s webpage, Growing Greener Plus Grants Program.
The full list of approved Growing Greener Plus projects, funded by the Environmental Stewardship fund, in the Southeast Region includes:
Bucks County
- Heritage Conservancy - $40,888 for the 15-Acre Agricultural Field to Pollinator Meadow Conversion at Heritage Conservancy's Lindsay Farm
- Lower Makefield Township - $174,623 for Brentwood Road and Horseshoe Bend Basin Retrofits
Chester County
- Brandywine Red Clay Alliance - $260,847 for the Parrish Trail Stream Restoration Project
- Chester County Conservation District - $218,400 for the Mushroom Farm Resource Conservationist
- Valley Township – $55,000 for the Springbrook Village Stormwater Basin Retrofit
- Natural Lands Trust, Inc. - $50,000 for Sadsbury Woods Preserve Afforestation and Understory Planting
- Valley Forge Chapter of Trout Unlimited - $150,000 for the Lizbeth Lane Stormwater Infiltration Project
- Chester County Water Resources Authority - $75,000 for the Chester County Catch the Rain Program
- East Brandywine Township - $45,000 for Culbertson Run Stream Restoration and Floodplain Connection
Montgomery County
- Tookany Tacony Frankford Watershed Partnership - $72,000 for the Pavilion Town Center Parking Lot Retrofit
- National Audubon Society - $30,000 - for the JJAC Rain Garden in Lower Providence Township
- Worcester Township - $85,000 for the Zacharias Creek Stream Watershed Project
- Borough of Pottstown - $63,558 for Goose Run Water Quality BMP Design and Construction
Philadelphia County
- Friends of the Wissahickon - $112,354 for the Andorra Stormwater Project.
- Philadelphia Water Department - $348,592 for the PWD Loring Cottman Green Stormwater Infrastructure Project
- John Bartram Association (aka Bartram's Garden) - $100,000 for Tidal Wetlands Restoration Planning and Community Education at Bartram's Garden
Regionwide
- Pennsylvania Resources Council, Inc. - $130,150 for Growing Greener Communities: Bridging the Gap for a More Resilient Future
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