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    Department of Environmental Protection

    Apply for a Department of Environmental Protection Growing Greener Plus Grant

    Apply Now
    Grant Applicant Video Tutorials

    2025 Grant Round opens on April 22, 2025, with applications due on June 20, 2025. 

    New Features

    • DEP lowered the match requirement. For projects in Pennsylvania’s Environmental Justice Areas, there is no match and for other project locations, there is 5% match.
    • Applicants must use a competitive process to obtain the lowest qualified bid for subcontractors.
    • The Landowner Access Authorization Form can be used for water quality monitoring, or design and permitting projects.

    The Growing Greener Plus Grants Program includes:

    • Growing Greener Watershed Restoration and Protection
    • Surface Mining Conservation and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) Bond Forfeiture
    • Stormwater Management Planning (Act 167) Grants

    Additional Resources

    How to Apply for the Growing Greener Plus Grants Program

    1. Sign Up:

    Sign up for notifications about the Growing Greener Watershed Protection, EPA 319, and Surface Mining Conservation and Reclamation Act Grant Programs.

    2. Review Materials:
    Look at the following resources:

    3. Watch Video Tutorial

    4. Look Over Examples:
    Check these example documents:

    5. Complete Forms:
    Fill out the following forms:

    6. Apply:
    Apply Online starting at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 20, 2025. Check the eGrants Instructions for Applicants for more details.

     

    Success Stories

    ​The Swatara Creek Floodplain Restoration phase 1 lowered and restored 10+ acres of floodplain, wetlands, and streambank area along the creek in Pine Grove Borough. Completed in September 2020, this project spared homes and businesses from flooding on Dec. 25, 2020, and again on Sept. 1, 2021. — Wayne Lehman, Schuylkill Conservation District

    ​Nutrient management plans are an essential step in designing and implementing agricultural best management practices to protect waterways from non-point-source pollution. Growing Greener funding is offsetting the cost of these plans for more than 30 farm operators in the northeast region. — Colleen Campion, Wayne Conservation District

    In keeping with our congregation's goal of having a positive impact on the community, our stormwater retention project enabled us to make a positive impact on the environment and provided an excellent opportunity for education on the importance of being good caretakers of the earth and good neighbors. — Brian Rissinger, Executive Director, Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel

    ​We converted 11,000 sq. ft. of parking lot to naturalized areas with five stormwater features. The features slow down and filter polluted stormwater from over three acres of impervious surface before it enters our creeks. Thirty community residents and students participated in the planting. We’re proud of the environmental and educational impacts of this collaboration. —  Julie Slavet, Executive Director, Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership

    ​I saw what my neighbor had done with the Turtle Creek partnership, and I wanted to get the stream back to what it was 45 years ago. You can see the improvements, you can see how fast the water’s moving and the sediment is no longer in the creek bed, with beautiful grass along the edge of the stream. The property has become more productive. Good management programs and stewardship of the land have brought this stream back to what I grew up with. — Greg Brown, Turtle Creek landowner

    2024 Grants

    Bradford County:

    Bradford County Commissioners
    Bradford County Watershed Initiative 2025 - $286,000

    Bradford County Conservation District
    Tomjack Creek Watershed Rehabilitation 2 - $256,500

    Clearfield County:

    Clearfield County Conservation District
    Clearfield County Agricultural and Stream Restoration BMP Implementation   - $200,000

    Clinton County:

    Clinton County Conservation District
    Long Spring Run Stream Restoration and Stream Stabilization - $117,000

    Lycoming County:

    Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy
    Improving the Chesapeake Bay through Local Implementation - $350,000

    Montour County:

    Montour County Conservation District
    Mahoning Creek Manure Storage Project - $258,080

    Potter County:

    Potter County Conservation District
    Streambank Stabilization Projects - Potter County - $36,835

    Snyder County:

    Seda Cog Joint Rail Authority
    Selinsgrove Industrial Track; Slope Stabilization Repair Project - $90,000

    Tioga County:

    Tioga County Conservation District
    Lycoming Creek Erosion Mitigation Project Phase 1 - $130,000

    Union County:

    Union County Conservation District
    Winfield Creek Stream Improvements - $317,832

    Carbon County:

    Carbon Conservation District
    Hunter Creek Restoration Project - $142,000

    Jim Thorpe Borough
    Silk Mill Run Dam Removals and Stream Restoration - Construction Phase - $150,000

    Lehigh County:

    Lehigh County Conservation District
    Design and Permitting for Lehigh County Stream Improvement Projects - $127,250

    Schuylkill County:

    Schuylkill Conservation District
    Little Mahanoy Creek Headwaters Sites 22-24 Restoration Design and Permit - $74,151
    Upper Mahantango Creek Agricultural BMP Projects - Heim and Rothermel Farms - $236,375

    Lehigh & Northampton Counties:

    Wildlands Conservancy, Inc.
    Landowner Outreach and Project Development in the Lehigh Valley and Lehigh River Watershed Phase III - $90,234.00
    Lehigh Valley Stream Restoration Project - $163,500

    Armstrong County:

    Armstrong Conservation District
    Darmac 14 Treatment System Operation and Maintenance - $159,575 (SMCRA)

    Butler County:

    Butler County Conservation District
    Altman Heavy Use Area - $349,167
    Bauldoff Farm - $358,320

    Elk County:

    Elk County Conservation District
    Stream Improvement and Rain Garden Project-Upper Clarion River Watershed - $87,002

    Erie County:

    Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
    East Branch Conneaut Creek Protection Project - $175,832
    South Branch French Creek Restoration Project - $375,453

    Indiana County:

    Indiana County Conservation District
    Indiana County Agricultural BMP Design Project - $114,600
    Little Mahoning Streambank Stabilization Phase I - $175,336.00

    McKean County:

    McKean County Conservation District
    McKean County Stream Crossing Restoration Initiative - $263,259

    Mercer County:

    Mercer County Conservation District
    Neshannock Creek Fish Habitat Project - $143,140.00

    Venango County:

    Venango Conservation District
    East Branch Sugar Creek Protection Project - $18,096.00

    Warren County:

    Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
    Brokenstraw Healthy Watershed Initiative Phase 4 - $250,000

    Multiple Counties:

    Northwest Pennsylvania Eminent Community Institute
    Management and Continuation of the NW PA Greenways Implementation Block Grants - $200,000

    Berks County:

    Mount Penn Borough Municipal Authority (MPBMA)
    Carsonia Park Crystal Lake Stormwater BMP and Constructed Wetland - Phase II - $231,361

    Cumberland County:

    East Pennsboro Township Authority
    Enola Run Stream Restoration Project - $348,677

    Middlesex Township
    Middlesex Township Stream Restoration - PRP Project 8 - $426,309 (Energy Transfer Settlement Fund)

    North Middleton Township
    Old Carlisle Landfill Seep Mitigation - Phase 3 - $500,000 (Energy Transfer Settlement Fund)

    Dauphin County:

    Capital Area Greenbelt Association
    Parkway Creek Restoration Phase 4C - $182,435

    Franklin County:

    Greene Township
    Phillaman Run Stream Restoration - $65,000

    Huntingdon County:

    Huntingdon County Conservation District
    Bridging a Funding Gap for Agricultural BMPs in Huntingdon County - $124,000 (Energy Transfer Settlement Fund)

    Juniata County:

    Juniata County Conservation District
    East Licking Creek Stream Restoration Projects - $182,223
    Juniata County Ag. BMP Implementation - $288,427

    Lancaster County:

    Cocalico Creek Watershed Association
    Harnish Run Floodplain & Wetland Restoration - $128,000 (Energy Transfer Settlement Fund)

    East Donegal Township
    Longwood Bioretention Basin Retrofit - $30,000.00

    Lancaster Farmland Trust
    Agricultural BMPs on Preserved Farms in the Octoraro Creek Watershed - $17,500
    Agricultural BMPs on Preserved Farms in the Pequea Creek Watershed - $41,200

    Manheim Township
    Granite Run Stream Restoration - Design and Permitting - $88,000

    Lebanon County:

    Doc Fritchey Chapter of Trout Unlimited
    Snitz Creek 2 – Stream and Floodplain Restoration Project - $481,563 (Energy Transfer Settlement Fund)

    Bucks County:

    Heritage Conservancy
    15-Acre Agricultural Field to Pollinator Meadow Conversion at Heritage Conservancy's Lindsay Farm - $40,888

    Lower Makefield Township
    Brentwood Road and Horseshoe Bend Basin Retrofits - $174,623

    Chester County:

    Brandywine Red Clay Alliance
    Parrish Trail Stream Restoration Project - $260,847

    Chester County Conservation District
    Mushroom Farm Resource Conservationist - $218,400

    Chester County Water Resources Authority
    Chester County Catch the Rain Program - $75,000

    East Brandywine Township
    Culbertson Run Stream Restoration and Floodplain Connection - $45,000

    Natural Lands Trust, Inc.
    Sadsbury Woods Preserve Afforestation and Understory Planting - $50,000

    Valley Forge Chapter of Trout Unlimited
    Lizbeth Lane Stormwater Infiltration Project - $150,000

    Valley Township
    Springbrook Village Stormwater Basin Retrofit - $55,000

    Montgomery County:

    Borough of Pottstown
    Goose Run Water Quality BMP Design and Construction - $63,558

    National Audubon Society
    JJAC Rain Garden - $30,000

    Tookany Tacony Frankford Watershed Partnership
    Pavilion Town Center Parking Lot Retrofit - $72,000

    Worcester Township
    Zacharias Creek Stream Watershed Project - Phase 1 - $85,000

    Philadelphia County:

    Friends of the Wissahickon
    Andorra Stormwater Project, Phase II - $112,354

    John Bartram Association (Bartram's Garden)
    Tidal Wetlands Restoration Planning and Community Education at Bartram's Garden - $100,000

    Philadelphia Water Department
    PWD Loring Cottman Green Stormwater Infrastructure Project – SFY24 Growing Greener - $348,592

    Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties:

    Pennsylvania Resources Council, Inc.
    Growing Greener Communities: Bridging the Gap for a More Resilient Future - $130,150

    Allegheny County:

    Allegheny County Conservation District
    Mamone BMP Implementation Project - $58,000
    Plum Stormwater Project: Phase 1 Design/Permit - $50,000

    Beaver County:

    Beaver County Conservation District
    Brush Creek Ag BMP #2 - $439,679
    Dilworth Run-North Fork Little Beaver Creek Streambank Stabilization Design and Construction - $33,882

    Cambria County:

    Cambria County Conservation District
    Cambria County Bay Watershed Projects Phase II - $222,938
    Cambria County Ohio River Watershed Projects Phase II - $260,932

    Fayette County:

    Mountain Watershed Association
    Marsolino Treatment System - $415,614

    Somerset County:

    Somerset County Conservation District
    Laurel Hill Creek Fish Habitat Enhancement Project - $266,986

    Washington County:

    Union Township Road District
    Union Township - Pleasant Stream Park Streambank Restoration - $166,740 (Energy Transfer Settlement Fund)

    Washington County Conservation District
    2024 Route 519 Stream Restoration Project - $121,705

    Westmoreland County:

    Rostraver Township
    Elks Place Stormwater Improvements - $253,455 (Energy Transfer Settlement Fund)

    Bradford, Chester, and Lancaster Counties:

    Stroud Water Research Center, Inc.
    GG24 Forested Buffers with Livestock Exclusion - Multi-Region - $215,000

    Columbia, Luzerne, and Montour Counties:

    Columbia County Conservation District
    Multi-county Soil Health Project - $395,000

    Multiple Regions:

    Pennsylvania Lake Management Society
    Implementation of Lake BMPs Project V - $333,214

    Pocono Northeast RC&D Council
    C-SAW Consortium for Scientific Assistance to Watersheds (XII) - $300,000

    Statewide:

    Trout Unlimited, Inc.
    AMD Technical Assistance Program - $300,000
    Trout Unlimited Nonpoint Source Technical Assistance Program - $241,850

    Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
    Technical Assistance Benefiting Conservation Partnerships and Pennsylvania's Water Quality Improvement Goals - $267,638

    DEP Grant Resources

    Investment Tracker

    For a list of awarded grants, see DEP's Investment Tracker.

    *It currently only shows grants awarded via the Electronic Single Application system. Dates of inclusion in this system will vary by grant program. We will add historic data for all awards not contained in this current report soon.

    Funding Programs

    Programs accept applications at different times throughout the year. Applicants submit most applications online through the Pennsylvania Electronic Single Application system. Use this list to find details on all DEP Grants Office programs. It includes information on application periods, eligibility, and where to apply. 

    Register as ESA Applicant

    For issues related to completing the online application (non-specific to the grant program itself), please contact the ESA Help Desk at 833-448-0647 or by e-mail at egrantshelp@pa.gov.

    Registering as a first-time ESA applicant – Keystone Login System

    This video shows the first time ESA applicant the steps to register for a Keystone Login Account, which is needed to access and apply for grants in the Electronic Single Application system.

    DEP Grants: Registering as a First-Time ESA Applicant – Keystone Login System

    DEP offers competitive grant and rebate opportunities to support a range of programs to improve or protect the Commonwealth’s water, air, and land. This video shows the first time ESA applicant the steps to register for a Keystone Login Account, which is needed to access and apply for grants in the Electronic Single Application system. Learn more at dep.pa.gov/grants

    How to Search for a Grant Program

    This video will show how to search the Electronic Single Application system for available grant opportunities offered by DEP tailored to your organization or project type.

    DEP Grants: How to Search for a Grant Program

    DEP offers competitive grant and rebate opportunities to support a range of programs to improve or protect the Commonwealth’s water, air, and land. This video will show how to search the Electronic Single Application system for available grant opportunities offered by DEP tailored to your organization or project type. Learn more at dep.pa.gov/grants.

    DEP Electronic Signature (eSignature) Process Instructions

    If awarded a grant from DEP, the contracting process will be all electronic, including signatures on the grant agreement.  This document explains the process and shows what the grantee signatories can expect when it comes time to sign their grant agreement.

    This video will show how to search the Electronic Single Application system for available grant opportunities offered by DEP tailored to your organization or project type.

    View the FAQ below for other important grant-related information and frequently asked questions.

    Contact Us

    For general questions, call the Grants Office at 717-705-5400 or email at ra-epgrowinggreener@pa.gov.

    Contact ESA Help Desk

    Call us

    For issues with the online application (not the grant), contact the ESA Help Desk at

    (833) 448-0647

    Email us

    For issues with the online application (not the grant), contact the ESA Help Desk at

    egrantshelp@pa.gov