Turning Environmental Enforcement and Settlement Dollars into On-the-Ground Community Impact
When environmental harm occurs, the people impacted deserve to be part of the solution for their own communities. The Healthy Environment, Healthy Communities (HEHC) program turns dollars from environmental enforcement cases and settlements into real projects (planting native trees and plants; water quality sampling; youth-led community cleanups; removing invasive species; and other community-led actions) in the neighborhoods that were affected. The Chesapeake Bay Trust serves as a neutral, accountable grantmaker. We take funds tied to a specific case and get them into the hands of the local organizations, community associations, and residents best positioned to use them. Every award is made through open competition and expert and community review, with transparent reporting and a public record of every dollar.
This work has earned the trust of the institutions that resolve environmental harm including the Maryland Office of the Attorney General, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Maryland Department of the Environment.
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Settlements Entrusted to the Chesapeake Bay Trust
$
2,920,000Directed to Impacted Communities
47
Community Projects Funded
Open Opportunities
Title of Opportunity (such as Foster Branch and Tidal Gunpowder River Watersheds)
The Bay Trust’s newest HEHC program is just getting underway. [PLACEHOLDER: the developer settlement, the harm it addresses, the geography it covers, and the anticipated funding.] It follows the same path as the others: a legal resolution today, lasting repair in the community tomorrow.
List of partner orgs and other key details like contact info.
Areas Where Repair Has Taken Root
The Chesapeake Bay Trust has been tapped to administer funds that address environmental harm and return them to the communities affected. We turn each settlement into a community-driven grant program that empowers the people most impacted to help their own communities and our natural resources. Follow the “Learn More” links below to explore the four completed programs.
Jones Falls Watershed
Restoring Baltimore’s Jones Falls began with a federal consent decree, the result of an industrial facility’s alleged unauthorized discharges, including acetic acid, into the watershed. The Bay Trust turned that resolution into more than $535,000 for nine community organizations, who planted trees along the Jones Falls Trail, installed native gardens, monitored water quality, and created public art that tells the river’s story.
Patapsco and Back River Watersheds
Healing two rivers and the communities around them was the focus of this program, funded by a civil settlement over pollution from the Patapsco and Back River Wastewater Treatment Plants. The Bay Trust directed up to $1.9 million into outreach, environmental action, and large-scale restoration across both watersheds, from Gwynns Falls and Jones Falls to the Baltimore Harbor.
Curtis Bay & Surrounding Communities
Investing in South Baltimore’s environmental health, this program grew out of a criminal enforcement case involving Curtis Bay Energy, L.P. Up to $750,000 supported projects that reduced watershed pollution and improved public health across Curtis Bay, Hawkins Point, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Park, and the surrounding communities.
Lower Beaverdam Creek Floodplain
In Prince George’s County, roughly $70,000 from an environmental settlement involving a large distribution facility is funding a green roof demonstration project. It will turn an industrial rooftop into a living system that soaks up rainwater and cuts the runoff burdening communities near the Lower Beaverdam Creek floodplain. The grant has been awarded and the work is now underway; check back as the green roof takes shape.
Why Partners Choose the Trust
A Neutral, Proven Steward
A 4-star Charity Navigator and Candid Platinum-rated grantmaker for over two decades.
Shaped to Fit the Case
We tailor each program to the terms of the settlement, bound to a specific watershed, geography, or project type so the money does exactly what the resolution intended.
Local People, Lasting Repair
Our grants go to nonprofits, community and neighborhood associations, faith groups, and civic organizations, empowering everyday people who are ready to take action for their own communities.
Rigor and Transparency Built In
Every application is scored by a Technical Review Committee of outside experts and community reviewers. Awards, progress, and final results are reported publicly.
Lasting Impact Across our Programs and Region!
The work on this page is part of something larger. See how the Bay Trust’s grants are making an impact across the region on our interactive map.
