Powerful, Permanent Investment in the Chesapeake Bay, Coastal Bays and Youghiogheny Watersheds
Grants made by the Chesapeake Bay Trust support transformational environmental restoration and education programs. We specialize in supporting projects that are community-driven, are sustained long after the initial investment, and that catalyze similar efforts. This kind of work is essential to ensure the region’s 64,000 square miles of land and water will return to a healthy state and be protected for generations to come.
The Bay Trust awards $20-$30 million in grants each year through an ever-growing portfolio of more than 1,000 organizations, both environmental and non-environmental and both large and small, through direct grant funding and other assistance. Our grantees are civic groups, homeowners associations, faith-based organizations, schools, watershed groups, local governments and more. For many of these groups, the Bay Trust is the only or most major source of grant funds.
Long after the Chesapeake, Coastal Bays and Youghiogheny watersheds are restored, community-based projects will still be needed to keep it that way. A donation to the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s endowment ensures that we can continue grant-making in perpetuity to restore and protect our precious natural resources.
Help the Bay Trust Reach Our Goal of $5 Million
When you make an online donation, you have the option to cover some or all of the processing fees—up to 8%—to ensure your full intended contribution supports our mission.
Ensuring Grant Making Dollars in Perpetuity
The Bay Trust is proud of our two-decades long highest possible Charity Navigator rating (four stars) that demonstrates we are financially efficient, accountable, and transparent. Grants made by the Bay Trust currently come from several sources, the largest of which are: 1) sales from the “Protect the Chesapeake & Coastal Bays” license plate in Maryland, 2) donations to the Chesapeake Bay and Endangered Species Fund on the Maryland State income tax form, 3) donations made by hunters, fishers, and boaters in the Maryland online natural resource licensing system, 4) partnerships with government, corporations, and family foundations who share similar grant-making goals and for whom the Bay Trust serves as fiscal agent/resource manager, and 5) private donations. Because the Bay Trust was created by the State as a nonprofit, we do not receive an appropriation in any state or federal budget. Our annual revenue streams are vitally important; we receive three times as many requests for funding as available resources so we strive to grow all revenue streams. However, no annual revenue stream is guaranteed in perpetuity.
We believe there will always be a need for community- based, on-the-ground grants, so we must create a perpetual source of funds. Over time, the goal is to build an endowment large enough to support the current level of ~$5 million in annual unrestricted revenue which, assuming a five percent average annual return, would be $90 million. A true endowment is the only way to ensure funding is available to sustain the Bay Trust’s grant-making power forever.
For more information, contact dmc@cbtrust.org or call (410) 974-2941 x142.
Bay Trust Dollars at Work
Like stones tossed into the water, grants made by the Chesapeake Bay Trust make waves across the region in ever-widening circles, supporting environmental restoration and education programs that are making a substantial, long-lasting impact. Below are a few videos highlighting local efforts.
More Urban Trees, Please!
Collaboration for Restoration
Serving Those Who Have Served Our County
A Fishtastic Solution
Learn More About the Bay Trust
The Chesapeake Bay Trust shares a bold vision for a restored and protected Chesapeake Bay watershed and other natural resources in our area—from the Coastal Bays to the Chesapeake to the Youghiogheny River. We uniquely empower local community-based groups on the ground with the resources they need to take on a meaningful and measurable role in restoring forests, streams, rivers, bays, wildlife, and more in their own communities.
The Trust empowers these groups by providing grants and technical assistance. Every year, about 400 groups are awarded project money or provided other assistance to accomplish environmental education, community outreach, and local watershed restoration projects. Since 1985, the Trust has awarded $140 million in grants and engaged hundreds of thousands of resident stewards in projects that have a measurable impact.
The Trust has received the highest rating from Charity Navigator for over two decades: on average 90 percent of the Trust’s expenditures are directed to its restoration and education programs.
Mission & HistoryImpact of Our Work
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News from the Trust
Continued Support
Your continued support of the Chesapeake Bay Trust will help to achieve lasting results, providing support for environmental education, community outreach, habitat conservation, and local watershed restoration projects. There are a number of ways to make a tax-deductible gift to the Trust.
Buy a Maryland Chesapeake Bay PlateAdditional Ways to Give
