Pennsylvania DEP Growing Greener Plus Grant Program

Pennsylvania's largest competitive environmental grant program. Funds stream restoration, riparian buffers, AMD remediation, stormwater retrofits, and water quality monitoring at $50,000-$500,000 per project.

Growing Greener Plus is Pennsylvania DEP's flagship environmental grant program and the single most important state-level funding source for watershed groups in the Commonwealth. Recent annual rounds have distributed $15-$20 million across roughly 80-90 projects spanning every region of the state.Eligible applicants include watershed associations, conservation districts, county and municipal governments, county planning commissions, councils of governments, accredited educational institutions, and incorporated nonprofit organizations. Eligible projects cover stream restoration, riparian forest buffer establishment, wetland creation and restoration, abandoned mine drainage treatment, agricultural and urban stormwater best management practices, and water quality monitoring and assessment. Funding requests typically range from $50,000 to a maximum of $500,000.Grants require matching funds (often achievable with in-kind volunteer labor and partner contributions). Applications are reviewed by DEP regional staff and a competitive scoring committee — a strong pre-application conversation with DEP is the single best predictor of award. For SW PA, AMD remediation projects in the Monongahela and Youghiogheny basins consistently score well.