Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds

Statewide foundation grants of $5,000-$60,000 for grassroots watershed restoration, stream cleanup, AMD remediation, and water quality monitoring. Twice-yearly cycles, accessible to small all-volunteer groups.

The Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds (FPW), administered by the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, exists for one purpose: to fund the small, all-volunteer watershed groups that the larger federal and state programs are too cumbersome to reach. Since inception, FPW has invested over $10 million across hundreds of projects and helped leverage more than $144 million in additional funding for watershed protection in Pennsylvania.Awards typically range from $5,000 to $60,000 per project. Eligible activities include stream restoration, abandoned mine drainage treatment systems, riparian buffers, water quality monitoring equipment, group operating support, education and outreach, and project planning. The application form is short, the review is quick, and the program has a strong record of funding first-time grantees — making it the ideal first 'real' grant for a young watershed group.FPW runs two cycles per year, typically with deadlines in February and August. The program is especially welcoming of acid mine drainage remediation projects in the southwestern Pennsylvania coal country, which is right in H2O Network's home territory.