The Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds has opened its fall 2026 Conservation Grants cycle, and for many small watershed groups in our region this is the friendliest money on the calendar. Awards average $20,000 per project, and the foundation typically funds 15 to 30 grants in each round. Letters of Intent are due Friday, September 18, 2026, with invited full proposals due Friday, October 16, 2026.
FPW conservation grants have long supported the bread and butter work of groups like ours: abandoned mine drainage treatment, streambank restoration, riparian buffers, water quality monitoring, and capacity building for volunteer organizations. The two stage process means the initial lift is light. A short Letter of Intent gets your idea in front of reviewers before you invest time in a full application.
Groups working in the Raccoon Creek watershed should take special note. The foundation currently has $475,000 available in its Raccoon Creek Benefit Fund, with anticipated awards ranging from $5,000 to $50,000. Letters of Intent for that fund are reviewed on a rolling basis, and full proposals are reviewed in spring and fall. The foundation also offers small Convening Grants of up to $2,000 on a rolling monthly basis for workshops, trainings, and partnership meetings, with a recommendation to apply about two months before you need the funds.
Applications now run through the foundation’s new grants portal at apply.fpwgrants.org, which streamlines what used to be a paper heavy process. Questions can go to grants@thefpw.org.
Key dates
- Letters of Intent due: Friday, September 18, 2026
- Full proposals due: Friday, October 16, 2026
- Conservation Grants average award: $20,000
- Raccoon Creek Benefit Fund: $5,000 to $50,000 awards, $475,000 available, rolling LOIs
Read more at the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds grant programs page, the source for this item.
