Healing, Hunting, and Fishing Fund - Chesapeake Bay Trust Skip to main content

Healing, Hunting and Fishing Fund

Calling all veterans! The Trust is honored to play a role in administering funds contributed to the Healing, Hunting, and Fishing Fund.  Through this process, hunters and anglers who obtain licenses online through the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Compass registration system can choose to make a contribution to support the Fund. 

Contributions will be directed to the Chesapeake Bay Trust.  The Trust will distribute the funds through competitive grants to nonprofits and will support such activities as therapeutic outdoor activities, outdoor recreational activities such as hunting or fishing, or workforce development for green jobs.

There is significant research that indicates that being outdoors promotes healing in individuals recovering from physical and mental trauma or health issues. For these benefits to be realized, two things need to happen. First, more individuals need to recognize the value of time spent outdoors or otherwise engaging with nature on their physical and mental health.  Second, we need to make sure that there are healthy spaces for people to use for human health benefits. The Trust is committed to helping realize these benefits through the Healing, Hunting, and Fishing Fund.

The Trust has funded multiple human health-related outdoor therapeutic projects, including healing gardens at hospitals and planting projects for facilities that support individuals with disabilities.
Below are grants that were funded in support of veteran projects.

Talisman Therapeutic Riding’s “Talisman TheraBay Trails” program to support their veterans’ therapeutic programs and annual Veteran’s Victory Garden.

The 6th Branch: A “Train the Trainer” workforce model provides skills surrounding the maintenance of bioretention areas.

TALMAR Gardens & Horticultural Therapy Center embark on their ”Veterans-to-Farmers” initiative providing a 10-month farmer’s training consisting of skills for employment in agriculture.

The Veterans Engagement Mini Grant Program

The Chesapeake Bay Trust recently released the Veterans Engagement Mini Grant Program. This program is designed to support veterans’ groups and organizations engaging veterans groups as they provide healing and therapeutic services, outdoor recreation, community engagement, and green jobs training. This program funds activities such as outdoor meditation, adaptive camping, therapeutic green spaces, or stipends for green jobs and training. To see a longer list of potential projects, review evaluation criteria, and learn more about the application process, visit the Veterans Engagement Mini Grant Program webpage.

Close Menu