RiverSmart Communities

Community Engagement & Clean Water in the District

The RiverSmart Communities program focuses on effective stormwater treatment and emphasizes community engagement and outreach, enriching the community’s appreciation for stormwater practices.

The District Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE)’s RiverSmart Communities Grant Program is now accepting applications!

About the Program: RiverSmart Communities helps to reduce stormwater runoff and pollution from selected non-profit organizations and houses of worship, beautifying their property and potentially reducing their stormwater fees. In the 2025 grant cycle, the District will fund a limited number of projects. In return, the selected organizations will reach out to the communities that they serve – educating them about stormwater issues, ways they can help reduce stormwater effects, and other District programs that help finance stormwater practices. The RiverSmart Communities Program is administered by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (the Alliance). Applicants will be selected based on the environmental benefits of the project, their plan for community engagement, and project cost effectiveness and feasibility.

Eligible Applicants: 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations and houses of worship in the District.

Qualifying projects: Installation of practices that will reduce, remove, or replace impermeable surfaces, capture stormwater runoff, and educate community members on the benefits of these practices to their local waterways.

Note: This grant program will not fund projects that are required to meet stormwater regulations.

Applicants wishing to install stormwater practices on their property through this exciting program must

  1. Provide a plan for reaching their audience through outreach and engagement opportunities
  2. Demonstrate their ability and long-term commitment to maintain the installed stormwater best management practices (BMPs). Eligible BMPs include, but are not limited to, shade trees, rain gardens/bioretention cells, impervious surface removal and replacement with pervious/vegetated surfaces, cisterns that drain to other BMPs, stormwater planters, and swales.

More information about these best management practices can be found on the Stormwater Management page.

Anticipated Timeline

  • Rolling application period: June – December 2025
  • Office Hours available Monday to Friday during business hours: Contact Jordan Gochenaur at jgochenaur@allianceforthebay.org
  • Anticipated awards announced: Quarterly (August & December)
  • Kickoff Meetings with awarded applicants: Quarterly (August & December)

COMPLETE THE INTEREST FORM

 

If you have any questions, please contact Jordan Gochenaur at jgochenaur@allianceforthebay.org.

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