About this opportunity
AI summaryThe Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program, in coordination with the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission, seeks proposals for 2027 Organizational Support Projects to increase the capacity and long-term effectiveness of watershed organizations. Supported activities include strengthening early-stage or established organizations through software purchases, office supplies, strategic planning, board development, and staff or volunteer training, rather than program development or outreach. Proposed scopes must support work within the U.S. or Québec portions of the Lake Champlain Basin, with eligible USA onshore organizations submitting only one proposal. Applicants must prepare budget tables using the program calculator spreadsheet and submit detailed justifications along with a Subrecipient Risk Assessment Form. The program has approximately $275,000 available to fund multiple awards of up to $20,000 each for a one-year project period. A pre-bid meeting is scheduled for December 3, 2026.
Buyer and opportunity details
- Client
- The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program
Scope of work
- Purchasing software for improved database or financial management, such as GIS or bookkeeping and accounting software
- Purchasing office supplies, such as computers, printers, and tablets
- Strategic planning or other types of board development activities
- Staff, Board, or volunteer training for volunteer recruitment or management
- Staff, Board, or volunteer training for grant writing
- Staff, Board, or volunteer training for membership recruitment and retention
- Submission of detailed project workplan and task-based budget
- Quarterly reports, standardized reporting metrics, and final project report
How proposals are evaluated
| Criterion | Weight / scoring |
|---|---|
| Impact | 35 points |
| Success | 35 points |
| Scope | 15 points |
| Budget | 15 points |
Minimum qualifications
- Must be situated and work within the Lake Champlain basin
- Must be a nonprofit focused on water quality or aquatic ecosystem health, or a NY Soil and Water / VT Natural Resource Conservation District
- Current NEIWPCC/LCBP contract holders must be in good standing with all outstanding deliverables received and accepted
- Must register for a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) through SAM.gov
Documents to include with your response
- Proposal application submitted via Foundant
- Budget and Non-Federal Match Tables (using LCBP Grants Budget Calculator Spreadsheet)
- Budget Justification (Personnel, Fringe, Travel, Supplies, Professional Services, Indirect, Non-Federal Match)
- Subrecipient Risk Assessment Form (with attached audit in some cases)
- Valid Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) copy, if charging over 15% indirect rate
- Up to three signed letters of support from major partners (optional)
- Signed NEIWPCC Match Certification Form, if match is provided
Key dates
- Release Date
- November 6, 2026
- Informational webinar
- Thursday, December 3rd at 10:00 am
- Proposals due to LCBP
- January 7, 2027 at 5:00 PM
- Applicants notified of funding decisions
- March 2027
- Detailed project workplan due
- April 2027
- Anticipated Project start
- June 2027
- Project deliverables and final report due on or before
- February 28, 2029
How to submit
- Method
- Electronic via Foundant
- Instructions
- Submit via https://www.grantinterface.com/Process/Apply?urlkey=NEIWPCC. Email submissions will not be accepted. One proposal per eligible organization or entity.
Contract details
- Term
- Anticipated project start June 2027 with deliverables and final report due on or before February 28, 2029
- Estimated value
- Approximately $275,000 total available (grants of up to $20,000 each)
- Place of performance
- U.S. or Québec portion of the Lake Champlain Basin
- Insurance and bonding
- Contractors must maintain liability insurance coverage at their sole expense, naming NEIWPCC as certificate holder, including Workers' Compensation Insurance and Liability and Property Damage Insurance with limits not less than $2,000,000.
- Funding
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Great Lakes Fishery Commission