Watershed advocates often say that “what happens on land ends up in the water.” The Chesapeake Bay region is home to nearly 18 million people, and the way we care for the land will help — or hurt — our waters.

The Chesapeake Bay Land and Water Initiative, a program of the Land Trust Alliance and the Chesapeake Bay Funders Network, works to connect land conservation and water quality, better caring for our lands and our waters.

The Initiative encourages partnerships between land trusts, watershed groups, local governments and more. Through our competitive grant program, we provide financial and capacity resources to accelerate work already underway and prioritize new conservation and stewardship projects for water and land. On a bigger scale, we work to improve the regional context for this work — through policy, communications, science and more — so that land trusts have better tools to do more for clean water.

Since 2016, the CLWI has awarded more than $858,815 through 46 grants and delivered more than 40 trainings and resources to 3,500+ participants.

Chesapeake Bay Land and Water Initiative Grant Program

Connecting land conservation and water quality.

The Initiative administers an annual grant program to support projects that accelerate land conservation and stewardship to protect and restore water quality in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Since its first grants in 2017, the Initiative’s grant program has provided more than $858,000 in project support. Forty-six grants have been awarded to 32 projects, including efforts to plan, prioritize and implement new land conservation and restoration projects and to strengthen partnerships and collaboration in priority watersheds. 

2023 Awards

In June 2023, the Land Trust Alliance announced the award of $60,000 to support seven organizations through the Chesapeake Bay Land and Water Initiative.

Cheseapeake Bay Resources

To assist land trusts and their partners in their land and water work, the Chesapeake Bay Land and Water Initiative develops and shares relevant resources on many subjects: policy, science, communications, fundraising and more. 

The Initiative has delivered 40 presentations and training sessions across the watershed and beyond, reaching more than 3,500 people. 

See resources

Thank you

Thank you to the Chesapeake Bay Funders Network members and other donors that have generously made pledges and contributions that collectively total nearly $2 million to the Land and Water Initiative.

  • Anonymous (2)

  • The Agua Fund

  • The Chesapeake Bay Trust

  • EarthTreks

  • Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds

  • Hillsdale Fund

  • MARPAT Foundation, Inc

  • The Curtis & Edith Munson Foundation

  • National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, through funding provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Chesapeake Bay Program's Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction grants program

  • Prince Charitable Trusts

  • The Volgenau Foundation

  • Virginia Environmental Endowment

To support this Initiative, contact us.

Andrew Szwak

Mid-Atlantic program manger

Suzanne Erera

Senior director of development