Growing Greener Plus Grant Round Opens Tomorrow

The Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) will begin accepting applications for the Growing Greener Plus Grants Program for Growing Greener grants and Bond Forfeiture grants starting tomorrow. Townships are eligible to apply for a maximum Growing Greener grant request of $500,000 by June 23.  

Growing Greener grants provide funds to improve or protect commonwealth waters from nonpoint source pollution from agricultural activities, acid mine drainage (AMD), stormwater runoff, energy resource extraction, and streambank and shoreline degradation. Priorities include projects that reduce nonpoint source pollution, especially nitrogen, phosphorous, and sediment pollution from agricultural and stormwater runoff. DEP is particularly interested in projects that implement effective best management practices to reduce or eliminate pollutant loadings and improve water quality.   

Bond Forfeiture grants are designed to address legacy mining impacts. AMD discharges resulting from coal mining abandoned prior to 1977 are encouraged to apply to DEP’s new Abandoned Mine Land (AML)/AMD Grant Program.     Grant applications must be submitted through the commonwealth’s electronic single application website, eGrants. For more information, visit DEP’s Growing Greener Plus webpage.