Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program - 2018

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announces 59 grant awards totaling $2.2 million to restore wildlife habitat and urban waters in 30 states and the District of Columbia. See the press release that contains a full listing of the 2018 grant winners.  

The 2018 grant winners were selected from a highly competitive pool of more than 250 applications. The projects which earned grant awards involve a high level of partnership between local government agencies, elected officials, community groups, businesses, schools and environmental organizations. Grantees have committed an additional $5.2 million in local project support, generating a total conservation investment of more than $7.4 million.

EPA and the Urban Waters Federal Partnership are proud to co-sponsor the Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grants Program. This program seeks to develop community capacity by providing modest assistance to diverse local partnerships for river, wetland, riparian, forest and coastal restoration, and wildlife conservation. Water monitoring, stormwater management, sourcewater protection, urban tree canopy restoration, and projects designed to prevent trash from entering waterways are just some of the types of projects that are awarded grants.

The grants are administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's (NFWF) Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program which supports projects that develop community stewardship of natural resources and address water quality issues. Support for the 2018 Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program is provided by the Wildlife Habitat Council, and major funding by EPA, USDA-Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, FedEx, Shell Oil Company, Southern Company and BNSF Railway. More information about the grant program can be found on the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's website.

Since 1999, the Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program has supported more than 945 projects, with more than $11.9 million in federal funds, $10.6 million in private and corporate contributions, and $74.7 million in matching funds at the local level. EPA has partnered with NFWF since the inception of the program, supporting community-based conservation and partnerships across the United States and its territories. 

Learn more about the Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program.